---
title: "How should an OpenAI app handle retries when a tool call may already have run?"  
description: "How should an OpenAI app handle retries when a tool call may already have run?"  
author: "Eetu Saarinen"  
published: 2026-10-21  
updated: 2026-10-21  
canonical: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162680/how-should-an-openai-app-handle-retries-when-a-tool-call-may-already-have-run  
category: "OpenAI API"  
tags: ["OpenAI", "API Development", "Function Calling"]  
reading_time: 1 minute  

---

# How should an OpenAI app handle retries when a tool call may already have run?

I’m building an app that lets an OpenAI model request actions such as creating a calendar event or submitting a form. The tricky case is when my server times out after the action might have completed, but before the app receives the model’s response.

How are people handling **tool call retries** without accidentally performing the same action twice? I’m especially interested in where to put idempotency checks and what to do when the outcome is uncertain.


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Original Source: https://www.mindstick.com/forum/162680/how-should-an-openai-app-handle-retries-when-a-tool-call-may-already-have-run

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