dotfiles/.agents/skills/.system/openai-docs/references/upgrading-to-gpt-5p4.md

Upgrading to GPT-5.4

Use this guide when the user explicitly asks to upgrade an existing integration to GPT-5.4. Pair it with current OpenAI docs lookups. The default target string is gpt-5.4.

Upgrade posture

Upgrade with the narrowest safe change set:

• replace the model string first
• update only the prompts that are directly tied to that model usage
• prefer prompt-only upgrades when possible
• if the upgrade would require API-surface changes, parameter rewrites, tool rewiring, or broader code edits, mark it as blocked instead of stretching the scope

Upgrade workflow

1. Inventory current model usage.
   • Search for model strings, client calls, and prompt-bearing files.
   • Include inline prompts, prompt templates, YAML or JSON configs, Markdown docs, and saved prompts when they are clearly tied to a model usage site.
2. Pair each model usage with its prompt surface.
   • Prefer the closest prompt surface first: inline system or developer text, then adjacent prompt files, then shared templates.
   • If you cannot confidently tie a prompt to the model usage, say so instead of guessing.
3. Classify the source model family.
   • Common buckets: gpt-4o or gpt-4.1, o1 or o3 or o4-mini, early gpt-5, later gpt-5.x, or mixed and unclear.
4. Decide the upgrade class.
   • model string only
   • model string + light prompt rewrite
   • blocked without code changes
5. Run the no-code compatibility gate.
   • Check whether the current integration can accept gpt-5.4 without API-surface changes or implementation changes.
   • For long-running Responses or tool-heavy agents, check whether phase is already preserved or round-tripped when the host replays assistant items or uses preambles.
   • If compatibility depends on code changes, return blocked.
   • If compatibility is unclear, return unknown rather than improvising.
6. Recommend the upgrade.
   • Default replacement string: gpt-5.4
   • Keep the intervention small and behavior-preserving.
7. Deliver a structured recommendation.
   • Current model usage
   • Recommended model-string updates
   • Starting reasoning recommendation
   • Prompt updates
   • Phase assessment when the flow is long-running, replayed, or tool-heavy
   • No-code compatibility check
   • Validation plan
   • Launch-day refresh items

Output rule:

• Always emit a starting reasoning_effort_recommendation for each usage site.
• If the repo exposes the current reasoning setting, preserve it first unless the source guide says otherwise.
• If the repo does not expose the current setting, use the source-family starting mapping instead of returning null.

Upgrade outcomes

model string only

Choose this when:

• the existing prompts are already short, explicit, and task-bounded
• the workflow is not strongly research-heavy, tool-heavy, multi-agent, batch or completeness-sensitive, or long-horizon
• there are no obvious compatibility blockers

Default action:

• replace the model string with gpt-5.4
• keep prompts unchanged
• validate behavior with existing evals or spot checks

model string + light prompt rewrite

Choose this when:

• the old prompt was compensating for weaker instruction following
• the workflow needs more persistence than the default tool-use behavior will likely provide
• the task needs stronger completeness, citation discipline, or verification
• the upgraded model becomes too verbose or under-complete unless instructed otherwise
• the workflow is research-heavy and needs stronger handling of sparse or empty retrieval results
• the workflow is coding-oriented, tool-heavy, or multi-agent, but the existing API surface and tool definitions can remain unchanged

Default action:

• replace the model string with gpt-5.4
• add one or two targeted prompt blocks
• read references/gpt-5p4-prompting-guide.md to choose the smallest prompt changes that recover the old behavior
• avoid broad prompt cleanup unrelated to the upgrade
• for research workflows, default to research_mode + citation_rules + empty_result_handling; add tool_persistence_rules when the host already uses retrieval tools
• for dependency-aware or tool-heavy workflows, default to tool_persistence_rules + dependency_checks + verification_loop; add parallel_tool_calling only when retrieval steps are truly independent
• for coding or terminal workflows, default to terminal_tool_hygiene + verification_loop
• for multi-agent support or triage workflows, default to at least one of tool_persistence_rules, completeness_contract, or verification_loop
• for long-running Responses agents with preambles or multiple assistant messages, explicitly review whether phase is already handled; if adding or preserving phase would require code edits, mark the path as blocked
• do not classify a coding or tool-using Responses workflow as blocked just because the visible snippet is minimal; prefer model string + light prompt rewrite unless the repo clearly shows that a safe GPT-5.4 path would require host-side code changes

blocked

Choose this when:

• the upgrade appears to require API-surface changes
• the upgrade appears to require parameter rewrites or reasoning-setting changes that are not exposed outside implementation code
• the upgrade would require changing tool definitions, tool handler wiring, or schema contracts
• you cannot confidently identify the prompt surface tied to the model usage

Default action:

• do not improvise a broader upgrade
• report the blocker and explain that the fix is out of scope for this guide

No-code compatibility checklist

Before recommending a no-code upgrade, check:

1. Can the current host accept the gpt-5.4 model string without changing client code or API surface?
2. Are the related prompts identifiable and editable?
3. Does the host depend on behavior that likely needs API-surface changes, parameter rewrites, or tool rewiring?
4. Would the likely fix be prompt-only, or would it need implementation changes?
5. Is the prompt surface close enough to the model usage that you can make a targeted change instead of a broad cleanup?
6. For long-running Responses or tool-heavy agents, is phase already preserved if the host relies on preambles, replayed assistant items, or multiple assistant messages?

If item 1 is no, items 3 through 4 point to implementation work, or item 6 is no and the fix needs code changes, return blocked.

If item 2 is no, return unknown unless the user can point to the prompt location.

Important:

• Existing use of tools, agents, or multiple usage sites is not by itself a blocker.
• If the current host can keep the same API surface and the same tool definitions, prefer model string + light prompt rewrite over blocked.
• Reserve blocked for cases that truly require implementation changes, not cases that only need stronger prompt steering.

Scope boundaries

This guide may:

• update or recommend updated model strings
• update or recommend updated prompts
• inspect code and prompt files to understand where those changes belong
• inspect whether existing Responses flows already preserve phase
• flag compatibility blockers

This guide may not:

• move Chat Completions code to Responses
• move Responses code to another API surface
• rewrite parameter shapes
• change tool definitions or tool-call handling
• change structured-output wiring
• add or retrofit phase handling in implementation code
• edit business logic, orchestration logic, or SDK usage beyond a literal model-string replacement

If a safe GPT-5.4 upgrade requires any of those changes, mark the path as blocked and out of scope.

Validation plan

• Validate each upgraded usage site with existing evals or realistic spot checks.
• Check whether the upgraded model still matches expected latency, output shape, and quality.
• If prompt edits were added, confirm each block is doing real work instead of adding noise.
• If the workflow has downstream impact, add a lightweight verification pass before finalization.

Launch-day refresh items

When final GPT-5.4 guidance changes:

1. Replace release-candidate assumptions with final GPT-5.4 guidance where appropriate.
2. Re-check whether the default target string should stay gpt-5.4 for all source families.
3. Re-check any prompt-block recommendations whose semantics may have changed.
4. Re-check research, citation, and compatibility guidance against the final model behavior.
5. Re-run the same upgrade scenarios and confirm the blocked-versus-viable boundaries still hold.