Limitations

GPT Image models are powerful and versatile image generation models, but they still have some limitations to be aware of:

• Latency: Complex prompts may take up to 2 minutes to process.
• Text Rendering: Although significantly improved, the model can still struggle with precise text placement and clarity.
• Consistency: While capable of producing consistent imagery, the model may occasionally struggle to maintain visual consistency for recurring characters or brand elements across multiple generations.
• Composition Control: Despite improved instruction following, the model may have difficulty placing elements precisely in structured or layout-sensitive compositions.

Content Moderation

All prompts and generated images are filtered in accordance with our content policy.

For image generation using GPT Image models, you can control moderation strictness with the moderation parameter. This parameter supports two values:

• auto (default): Standard filtering that seeks to limit creating certain categories of potentially age-inappropriate content.
• low: Less restrictive filtering.

Handling blocked requests and other errors

Handle image generation failures the same way you handle other API errors: check the HTTP status or SDK exception type, log the request ID, and refer to the error codes guide for authentication, quota, rate-limit, and server failures. Retry transient rate-limit and server failures with backoff. Don't automatically retry quota errors or image generation user errors that require changing the request.

Some image generation failures are user-correctable and may return error.type = "image_generation_user_error". Don't automatically retry these errors without modifying the prompt or input images. For programmatic handling, use error.code as the stable discriminator.

When error.code = "moderation_blocked", the error may also include an optional error.moderation_details object:

{
  "error": {
    "type": "image_generation_user_error",
    "code": "moderation_blocked",
    "moderation_details": {
      "moderation_stage": "input",
      "categories": ["harassment"]
    }
  }
}

The moderation_details object provides coarse debugging context without exposing internal classifier labels or scores.

moderation_stage can be:

• input: The block came from the prompt or request inputs.
• output: The block came from a generated image or downstream output moderation stage.
• unknown: A rare fallback when provenance is hard to determine.

categories contains coarse public labels. For example, you might see values like harassment, self-harm, sexual, or violence.

For most apps, keep the primary end-user message generic. Use moderation_details for developer logs, support workflows, analytics, and light remediation hints.

Handle moderation-blocked image generation errors

import OpenAI from "openai";

const openai = new OpenAI();

try {
  // The same error handling pattern applies to image generation requests,
  // image edits, and Responses API tool calls that generate images.
  await openai.images.generate({
    model: "gpt-image-2.5-sunburst",
    prompt: "Create a poster humiliating my coworker with insulting captions",
  });
} catch (error) {
  if (error?.code !== "moderation_blocked") {
    throw error;
  }

  const moderationDetails = error.error?.moderation_details;
  const categories = moderationDetails?.categories ?? [];
  const stage = moderationDetails?.moderation_stage;

  let hint =
    "This request could not be completed because it did not meet safety requirements.";

  if (categories.includes("harassment")) {
    hint =
      "Try removing abusive or targeting language and focus on neutral visual details instead.";
  } else if (stage === "input") {
    hint =
      "Try revising the prompt or input images and submit the request again.";
  } else if (stage === "output") {
    hint =
      "The generated result was blocked by a safety check. Try changing the prompt and generating again.";
  }

  console.error("Image generation blocked", {
    request_id: error?.requestID,
    code: error?.code,
    moderation_details: moderationDetails,
  });

  console.log(hint);
}

import openai
from openai import OpenAI

client = OpenAI()

try:
    # The same error handling pattern applies to image generation requests,
    # image edits, and Responses API tool calls that generate images.
    client.images.generate(
        model="gpt-image-2.5-sunburst",
        prompt="Create a poster humiliating my coworker with insulting captions",
    )
except openai.BadRequestError as error:
    if error.code != "moderation_blocked":
        raise

    error_body = error.body if isinstance(error.body, dict) else {}
    moderation_details = error_body.get("moderation_details") or {}
    categories = moderation_details.get("categories") or []
    stage = moderation_details.get("moderation_stage")

    hint = "This request could not be completed because it did not meet safety requirements."

    if "harassment" in categories:
        hint = "Try removing abusive or targeting language and focus on neutral visual details instead."
    elif stage == "input":
        hint = "Try revising the prompt or input images and submit the request again."
    elif stage == "output":
        hint = "The generated result was blocked by a safety check. Try changing the prompt and generating again."

    print(
        "Image generation blocked",
        {
            "request_id": error.request_id,
            "code": error.code,
            "moderation_details": moderation_details,
        },
    )

    print(hint)

package main

import (
	"context"
	"encoding/json"
	"errors"
	"fmt"
	"slices"

	"github.com/openai/openai-go/v3"
)

func main() {
	client := openai.NewClient()
	_, err := client.Images.Generate(context.Background(), openai.ImageGenerateParams{
		Model:  openai.ImageModel("gpt-image-2.5-sunburst"),
		Prompt: "Create a poster humiliating my coworker with insulting captions",
	})
	if err == nil {
		return
	}

	var apiError *openai.Error
	if !errors.As(err, &apiError) || apiError.Code != "moderation_blocked" {
		panic(err)
	}

	var body struct {
		ModerationDetails struct {
			Categories      []string `json:"categories"`
			ModerationStage string   `json:"moderation_stage"`
		} `json:"moderation_details"`
	}
	if err := json.Unmarshal([]byte(apiError.RawJSON()), &body); err != nil {
		panic(err)
	}

	hint := "This request could not be completed because it did not meet safety requirements."
	if slices.Contains(body.ModerationDetails.Categories, "harassment") {
		hint = "Try removing abusive or targeting language and focus on neutral visual details instead."
	} else if body.ModerationDetails.ModerationStage == "input" {
		hint = "Try revising the prompt or input images and submit the request again."
	} else if body.ModerationDetails.ModerationStage == "output" {
		hint = "The generated result was blocked by a safety check. Try changing the prompt and generating again."
	}

	fmt.Printf("Image generation blocked (%s): %s\n", apiError.Code, hint)
}

import com.openai.client.OpenAIClient;
import com.openai.client.okhttp.OpenAIOkHttpClient;
import com.openai.errors.BadRequestException;
import com.openai.models.images.ImageGenerateParams;
import java.util.List;
import java.util.Map;

try {
  var images =
      client
          .images()
          .generate(
              ImageGenerateParams.builder()
                  .model("gpt-image-2.5-sunburst")
                  .prompt("Create a poster humiliating my coworker with insulting captions")
                  .build());

  System.out.println(images.data().orElseThrow().get(0).b64Json().orElseThrow());
} catch (BadRequestException error) {
  if (!error.code().orElse("").equals("moderation_blocked")) {
    throw error;
  }
  Map<?, ?> body = error.body().convert(Map.class);
  Object detailsValue = body.get("moderation_details");
  Map<?, ?> details = detailsValue instanceof Map<?, ?> values ? values : Map.of();
  Object categories = details.get("categories");
  Object stage = details.get("moderation_stage");

  String hint = "This request did not meet safety requirements.";
  if (categories instanceof List<?> values && values.contains("harassment")) {
    hint = "Remove abusive or targeting language and focus on neutral visual details.";
  } else if ("input".equals(stage)) {
    hint = "Revise the prompt or input images, then submit the request again.";
  } else if ("output".equals(stage)) {
    hint = "Change the prompt and generate again; the generated result was blocked.";
  }
  System.err.println("Image generation blocked (" + error.code().orElseThrow() + "): " + hint);
}

require "openai"

client = OpenAI::Client.new
begin
  client.images.generate(
    model: "gpt-image-2.5-sunburst",
    prompt: "Create a poster humiliating my coworker with insulting captions"
  )
rescue OpenAI::Errors::BadRequestError => error
  raise unless error.code == "moderation_blocked"

  body = Hash.try_convert(error.body) || {}
  moderation_details = body[:moderation_details] || body["moderation_details"] || {}
  categories = moderation_details[:categories] || moderation_details["categories"] || []
  stage = moderation_details[:moderation_stage] || moderation_details["moderation_stage"]

  hint = "This request did not meet safety requirements."
  if categories.include?("harassment")
    hint = "Remove abusive or targeting language and focus on neutral visual details."
  elsif stage == "input"
    hint = "Revise the prompt or input images, then submit the request again."
  elsif stage == "output"
    hint = "Change the prompt and generate again; the generated result was blocked."
  end

  warn("Image generation blocked (#{error.code}): #{hint}")
end

Supported models

When using image generation in the Responses API, gpt-5 and newer models should support the image generation tool. Check the model detail page for your model to confirm if your desired model can use the image generation tool.