OpenAI Model Spec
The OpenAI Model Spec is a public document that specifies the intended behaviour of OpenAI's models, defining an authority ordering across instruction sources and the rules for when the model should comply, refuse, or partially answer.
Description
The Model Spec is a human-authored specification of desired model behaviour for OpenAI's models in the API and ChatGPT. It defines a chain of command that assigns each instruction source a default authority level, so Platform and System instructions override Developer, which override User, which override Guideline-level defaults. It also sets out when the assistant should refuse a request, decline prohibited help while still assisting with a permissible goal, or provide only neutral factual information. The document is released into the public domain under CC0.
Solution
The Model Spec is not a runtime but a behavioural contract the model is trained and evaluated against. On each request the model treats incoming instructions according to their position in the chain of command, applying higher-authority instructions over lower ones, and follows the spec's rules for borderline requests: comply when permissible, refuse disallowed content, or offer a constrained partial answer. The spec thus governs how a model resolves conflicting instructions before any tool or response is emitted.
Primary use cases
- specifying intended model behaviour
- defining instruction authority and conflict resolution
- rules for refusal and partial compliance
- shared reference for model alignment and evaluation
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