Prompt cache retention defaults to 24h
For organizations without ZDR enabled, prompt_cache_retention now defaults to 24h instead of in_memory, enabling extended prompt caching by default.
OpenAI changelog: May 2026
15 releases from to
Everything OpenAI shipped in May 2026, collected from official OpenAI sources. Each entry is dated and links to the page it came from.
May 2026 at a glance
May 2026 was OpenAI's 2nd busiest month of the 12 months to then: 15 releases, about 2.1× its monthly average of 7. That was 11 releases more than April 2026. Most were Developer Tools (8), followed by Enterprise & Security (4) and API (2).
Releases
15
+11 vs April 2026
Rank of 12 months
2nd
Average 7.3 a month
Most shipped
Developer Tools
8 releases
Notable OpenAI launches in May 2026
- Model
GPT-Realtime-2, Realtime-Translate and Realtime-Whisper
Released GPT-Realtime-2, a new realtime voice model with configurable reasoning for speech-to-speech agents, along with GPT-Realtime-Translate for streaming speech translation and GPT-Realtime-Whisper for streaming speech-to-text.
Source: OpenAI API Changelog - API
Prompt cache retention defaults to 24h
For organizations without ZDR enabled, prompt_cache_retention now defaults to 24h instead of in_memory, enabling extended prompt caching by default.
Source: OpenAI API Changelog - API
return_token_budget for web search
Added return_token_budget for the Responses API web search tool. Use it to opt in to longer GPT-5+ reasoning web search runs for high-effort research and evaluation workloads.
Source: OpenAI API Changelog
All OpenAI releases in May 2026
Newest first. Each entry links to the official page it came from.
May 202615 releases
Computer use and mobile access on Windows 26.527
Computer Use now works on Windows. Codex can operate Windows desktop apps by seeing, clicking, and typing in the foreground while it works. Remote control now supports Windows devices. The Profile section now shows your profile details, usage stats, and token activity. Added thr…
Workload identity federation
Released workload identity federation. Trusted workloads can exchange externally issued identity tokens for short-lived OpenAI access tokens without storing long-lived API keys.
Admin API capabilities expansion
Added new Admin API capabilities for managing spend alerts, model allowlists, data retention settings, and hosted tool permissions, plus querying granular billing line items.
Appshots and goal mode (26.519)
Appshots are now available in the Codex app on macOS. Goal mode is no longer an experimental feature and is available in the Codex app, IDE extension, and CLI. Remote computer use, so Codex can use desktop apps after your Mac locks, including remotely via Codex Mobile. Plugin sh…
Secure MCP Tunnel
Released Secure MCP Tunnel for enterprise customers. Secure MCP Tunnel lets supported OpenAI products including ChatGPT web, Codex, Responses API, and AgentKit connect to private or on-prem MCP servers through a customer-hosted tunnel-client without exposing those servers to the…
Multiple IP allowlists
You can now manage multiple IP allowlists and apply each one at the project level or across the whole organization.
Work with Codex from anywhere
You can now use Codex from the ChatGPT mobile app by connecting it to a Mac running the Codex app. This launch also includes Hooks general availability, Codex access tokens for trusted automation, and Enterprise admin setup guidance.
return_token_budget for web search
Added return_token_budget for the Responses API web search tool. Use it to opt in to longer GPT-5+ reasoning web search runs for high-effort research and evaluation workloads.
OpenAI Developers plugin for Codex
This helps you build AI applications and agents in Codex with OpenAI Platform access and OpenAI API setup guidance.
GPT-Realtime-2, Realtime-Translate and Realtime-Whisper
Released GPT-Realtime-2, a new realtime voice model with configurable reasoning for speech-to-speech agents, along with GPT-Realtime-Translate for streaming speech translation and GPT-Realtime-Whisper for streaming speech-to-text.
Codex for Chrome
With the new extension for Chrome, Codex is even better at working with apps and websites in your browser. It works in parallel across tabs in the background without taking over your browser, and you stay in control of which websites Codex can use.
Agents SDK update in TypeScript
The updated Agents SDK is now available in TypeScript, with support for sandbox agents and an open-source harness built in.
Create Codex access tokens
ChatGPT Enterprise workspace owners and admins can allow permitted members to create Codex access tokens for trusted, non-interactive Codex local workflows. Members can use access tokens to run Codex from scripts, schedulers, and private CI runners with their ChatGPT workspace i…
Admin APIs support in SDKs
Admin APIs are now supported in the OpenAI SDKs for Node, Python, Go, Ruby, and Java. See the Admin APIs guide for setup instructions and examples.
Where May 2026 sits
OpenAI releases per month, for May 2026 and the 11 months before it. A taller bar means more releases that month; the dated entries for each month are on its own page.
Other companies in May 2026
14 of the companies we track shipped in May 2026; OpenAI ranks 1st by number of releases.
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