---
title: OpenAI Compatibility
description: Use Mem0 with the same chat-completions flow you already built for OpenAI.
icon: "message-bot"
---

Mem0 mirrors the OpenAI client interface so you can plug memories into existing chat-completion code with minimal changes. Point your OpenAI-compatible client at Mem0, keep the same request shape, and gain persistent memory between calls.

<Info>
  **You’ll use this when…**
  - Your app already relies on OpenAI chat completions and you want Mem0 to feel familiar.
  - You need to reuse existing middleware that expects OpenAI-compatible responses.
  - You plan to switch between Mem0 Platform and the self-hosted client without rewriting code.
</Info>

## Feature

- **Drop-in client:** `client.chat.completions.create(...)` works the same as OpenAI’s method signatures.
- **Shared parameters:** Mem0 accepts `messages`, `model`, and optional memory-scoping fields (`user_id`, `agent_id`, `run_id`).
- **Memory-aware responses:** Each call saves relevant facts so future prompts automatically reflect past conversations.
- **OSS parity:** Use the same API surface whether you call the hosted proxy or the OSS configuration.

<Info icon="check">
  Run one request with `user_id` set. If the next call references that ID and its reply uses the stored memory, compatibility is confirmed.
</Info>

---

## Configure it

### Call the managed Mem0 proxy

```python
from mem0.proxy.main import Mem0

client = Mem0(api_key="m0-xxx")

messages = [
    {"role": "user", "content": "I love Indian food but I cannot eat pizza since I'm allergic to cheese."}
]

chat_completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    messages=messages,
    model="gpt-4.1-nano-2025-04-14",
    user_id="alice"
)
```

<Tip>
  Reuse the same identifiers your OpenAI client already sends so you can switch between providers without branching logic.
</Tip>

### Use the OpenAI-compatible OSS client

```python
from mem0.proxy.main import Mem0

config = {
    "vector_store": {
        "provider": "qdrant",
        "config": {
            "host": "localhost",
            "port": 6333
        }
    }
}

client = Mem0(config=config)

chat_completion = client.chat.completions.create(
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "What's the capital of France?"}],
    model="gpt-4.1-nano-2025-04-14"
)
```

## See it in action

### Memory-aware restaurant recommendation

```python
from mem0.proxy.main import Mem0

client = Mem0(api_key="m0-xxx")

# Store preferences
client.chat.completions.create(
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "I love Indian food but I'm allergic to cheese."}],
    model="gpt-4.1-nano-2025-04-14",
    user_id="alice"
)

# Later conversation reuses the memory
response = client.chat.completions.create(
    messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Suggest dinner options in San Francisco."}],
    model="gpt-4.1-nano-2025-04-14",
    user_id="alice"
)

print(response.choices[0].message.content)
```

<Info icon="check">
  The second response should call out Indian restaurants and avoid cheese, proving Mem0 recalled the stored preference.
</Info>

---

## Verify the feature is working

- Compare responses from Mem0 vs. OpenAI for identical prompts—both should return the same structure (`choices`, `usage`, etc.).
- Inspect stored memories after each request to confirm the fact extraction captured the right details.
- Test switching between hosted (`Mem0(api_key=...)`) and OSS configurations to ensure both respect the same request body.

---

## Best practices

1. **Scope context intentionally:** Pass identifiers only when you want conversations to persist; skip them for one-off calls.
2. **Log memory usage:** Inspect `response.metadata.memories` (if enabled) to see which facts the model recalled.
3. **Reuse middleware:** Point your existing OpenAI client wrappers to the Mem0 proxy URL to avoid code drift.
4. **Handle fallbacks:** Keep a code path for plain OpenAI calls in case Mem0 is unavailable, then resync memory later.

---

## Parameter reference

| Parameter | Type | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `user_id` | `str` | Associates the conversation with a user so memories persist. |
| `agent_id` | `str` | Optional agent or bot identifier for multi-agent scenarios. |
| `run_id` | `str` | Optional session/run identifier for short-lived flows. |
| `metadata` | `dict` | Store extra fields alongside each memory entry. |
| `filters` | `dict` | Restrict retrieval to specific memories while responding. |
| `limit` | `int` | Cap how many memories Mem0 pulls into the context (default 10). |

Other request fields mirror OpenAI’s chat completion API.

---

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Connect Vision Models" icon="circle-dot" href="/components/llms/models/openai">
    Review LLM options that support OpenAI-compatible calls in Mem0.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Automate OpenAI Tool Calls" icon="plug" href="/cookbooks/integrations/openai-tool-calls">
    See a full workflow that layers Mem0 memories on top of tool-calling agents.
  </Card>
</CardGroup>