Azure throws an irrelevant error when using OpenAI ResponseAPI with web search

[jayashankargs]

• Package Name: openai
• Package Version: 1.76.2
• Operating System: Windows 11
• Python Version: Python 3.11.9

Describe the bug

When trying to use web search in response API with below inputs.

{
"model":"gpt-4.1-mini",
"input": "Using web search, tell me today's date and 1 random / cool bit of news which happened within the past 12 hours.",
"tools": [
{
"type": "web_search_preview",
"search_context_size": "low"
}
]
}

Sdk giving below error

{
"error": {
"message": "An error occurred while processing your request. You can retry your request, or contact us through our help center at oai-assistants@microsoft.com if the error persists. Please include the request ID e57eb9dd-14d5-41fd-9ef1-1558e91d31a1 in your message.",
"type": "server_error",
"param": null,
"code": "server_error"
}
}

This makes there is something wrong with server side, but actually as per the documentation the web search is not currently supported.

To Reproduce

Below is the input request made.

{
"model":"gpt-4.1-mini",
"input": "Using web search, tell me today's date and 1 random / cool bit of news which happened within the past 12 hours.",
"tools": [
{
"type": "web_search_preview",
"search_context_size": "low"
}
]
}

Expected behavior

Expected output should the error with message the web search feature is currently not supported.

Please check and update regarding this.

[github-actions]

Thanks for the feedback! We are routing this to the appropriate team for follow-up. cc @trrwilson.

[github-actions]

Hi @jayashankargs, I'm an AI Support assistant here to help with your issue. While the Azure SDK team reviews your request, I wanted to provide some possible tips and documentation that might help you in the meantime.

• The error is expected when including the unsupported tool ("web_search_preview"). According to our documentation, the web search capability isn’t supported in the current release.
• For guidance on supported parameters and inputs, please refer to the code samples in the Azure OpenAI SDK repository: Azure OpenAI Samples.
• If your scenario requires similar functionality, you may consider adjusting your input payload to only include supported tools.
• We’re tracking feedback on error clarity internally; meanwhile, the current generic error indicates that the tool is not recognized.

The Azure SDK team will respond to your issue shortly. I hope these suggestions are helpful in the meantime. If this comment helped you, please give it a 👍. If the suggestion was not helpful or incorrect, please give it a 👎. Your feedback helps us improve!

[mccoyp]

Hi @jayashankargs, thank you for opening an issue. I'll tag the appropriate folks so we can get back to you as soon as possible.

[jayashankargs]

Hi @mccoyp , I have similar case #40812

please check this also.