GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark retired on 2026-09-14
point Codex’s model at Sol or Astra
As of 2026-10-13 the official Models page and the changelog both state that GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark retired on 2026-09-14 and is no longer available in the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, or IDE extension. What still changes is the model field in Codex: point it at gpt-5.6-sol or gpt-6-astra, text workhorses whose ids both stand on the callable list at QCode. This page does not claim gpt-5.3-codex-spark is on sale.
Updated 2026-10-14
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Four facts
Product-side “retiring next week”
On 2026-09-11 outlets quoted OpenAI’s Codex lead saying GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark would be retired next week. As of 2026-10-13 the official changelog puts a date on it: GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark was deprecated on September 14, 2026.
The date now sits on the Models page and the changelog
As of 2026-10-13 the Models page states in full GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark retired on September 14, 2026 and names the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension as the surfaces; the changelog logs the deprecation the same day. OpenAI’s API deprecations page, checked that day, still has no spark row — it covers API entries.
Daily coding ids are still in sale
gpt-5.6-sol and gpt-6-astra are > 0 in usage. If Spark vanishes from the Codex UI, those text APIs are not Spark.
No Spark row on QCode
gpt-5.3-codex-spark usage is 0. Troubleshooting, not “already available on QCode”.
How to handle this class of retirement
When a named coding-agent SKU is announced retiring, the order is fixed. As of 2026-10-13 that means: first check the official Models page and the changelog for a retirement date and a replacement instruction (OpenAI’s API deprecations page covers API entries only); then grep your Codex / CI configs for the id; then switch to a text workhorse that is still on QCode’s list. Do not wait for the UI error. QCode can run Sol / Astra on one key. It cannot keep selling Spark.
What 2026-09-11 repeated, and what the table had
On 2026-09-11 outlets quoted OpenAI’s Codex lead saying GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark would be retired next week; OpenAI’s API deprecations page had no row for it that day. As of 2026-10-13 the Models page and the changelog both record GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark as retired on 2026-09-14, across the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension.
Timeline
2026-02-12 an OpenAI product post introduced GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark as a low-latency Codex research preview. That is a launch narrative, not today’s shutdown date.
2026-09-11 product-side retiring-next-week notice. The deprecations table that day did not list the id.
2026-09-14: the official docs record GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark as retired and deprecated, unavailable in the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension, and tell you to move saved configurations, custom agents, and scripts that select gpt-5.3-codex-spark to an available model. Rechecked 2026-10-13: the replacement follows the official recommendation and /models, not the better-models wording in a post.
Confirmed versus not on the table
What you can verify
What verifies on 2026-10-13: the Models page records GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark as retired effective 2026-09-14 and gone from the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension; the changelog logs the deprecation the same day. OpenAI’s API deprecations page still lists 2026-09-28 gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct to gpt-5.6-terra and has no spark row. The official pricing page lists Pro plans at $100, $200, or $500 USD per month.
Rumors and unpublished cells
Still unpublished as of 2026-10-13: the retirement sentence names only the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension, and that passage says nothing about access with your own API key; for Spark the docs only ask you to switch to an available model, without naming one replacement id. Recommended models on the same page says to use GPT-6.1 Sol for complex coding and agentic workflows when it is available to your account and client — general guidance, not a designated successor to Spark.
Two paths
Old path: wait for a dated row
This path was reloading the deprecations page daily. The official date went onto the Models page and the changelog on 2026-09-14, so as of 2026-10-13 that path is closed: the three surfaces no longer serve it, and saved configurations, custom agents, and scripts all have to change. Keeping the old id and waiting for an error is no longer an option.
Change model now
Fits production. Point Codex CLI at gpt-5.6-sol for a pathfinder, then gpt-6-astra for heavier turns. Official Sol is $4 / $20 (promo through at least 2026-11-21).
Three steps when you are stuck
First: confirm the status from the record — as of 2026-10-13 the Models page and the changelog state that GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark has been unavailable since September 14, 2026 in the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension, while the API deprecations page has no spark row and covers API entries only. Second: grep the repo for gpt-5.3-codex-spark and Codex Spark and fix the model entry in config.toml, the custom agents, and the scripts together. Third: set Codex CLI to model gpt-5.6-sol and send one tiny request, checking that the returned model matches.
What to do on QCode
No Spark claim. Copy the dashboard key. Codex CLI: base_url https://api.qcode.cc/openai in config.toml, model=gpt-5.6-sol (official $4 / $20, promo through at least 2026-11-21). Claude Code: ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL = https://api.qcode.cc/api and ANTHROPIC_AUTH_TOKEN the same key. Next step: non-streaming tiny request, HTTP 200, matching model id.
FAQ
Is Spark already off?
Yes. The Models page states GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark retired on September 14, 2026 and is no longer available in the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, or IDE extension, and the changelog logs the deprecation that day. Access with your own API key is not covered in that passage.
Can QCode still call Spark?
Usage is 0. We do not claim it. “Already available” would be false.
What is the official replacement?
For Spark the official text only says to move to an available model and names no replacement id; Recommended models on the same page says to use GPT-6.1 Sol for complex coding and agentic workflows when it is available to your account and client. The path on this page is gpt-5.6-sol / gpt-6-astra because both ids are on the QCode callable list, and the better-models wording in a post is not treated as an official replacement.
Is this the same as the 3.5-turbo-instruct sunset?
No. The two records live on different pages: gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct is on OpenAI’s API deprecations page, with a 2026-09-28 shutdown date and gpt-5.6-terra as the recommended replacement, while Spark’s record is in the ChatGPT and Codex docs, on the Models page and in the changelog, which say it has been unavailable since 2026-09-14. Checked on 2026-10-13: the API deprecations page has no spark row.
Should I buy ChatGPT Pro to keep Spark?
No. The official record lists only the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension as no longer available and does not differentiate by plan. As of 2026-10-13 the official pricing page lists Pro plans at $100, $200, or $500 USD per month and states that Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit, with per-five-hour estimates only for Plus and Standard Business. QCode does not sell subscriptions; change the model.
How do I change Codex CLI?
Stop depending on the Spark display name. Codex CLI base_url https://api.qcode.cc/openai (other OpenAI-compatible clients: https://api.qcode.cc/openai/v1), model gpt-5.6-sol or gpt-6-astra.
Sources
Spark retirement on September 14, 2026 and the replacement wording: the Models page and the changelog on learn.chatgpt.com, checked 2026-10-13. Pro at $100, $200, or $500 per month, Pro plans currently have no five-hour limit, and estimates for Plus and Standard Business only: the pricing page on learn.chatgpt.com, checked 2026-10-13. The 2026-09-28 gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct to gpt-5.6-terra row with no spark row: the deprecations page on developers.openai.com, checked 2026-10-13; the 2026-09-11 web archive of the same page has no spark row either. The retiring-next-week line is 2026-09-11 press wording, kept here as history. Sol $4 / $20 and the promo through at least 2026-11-21: the official model and pricing pages.
Do not wait for Spark’s 404 — change model
One key for gpt-5.6-sol and gpt-6-astra. No Spark, no subscriptions. From ¥63/month.
Related
gpt-5.3-codex, gpt-5.1, gpt-5.4-nano shut down 2027-04-01
Which model replaces each of the three, how to handle snapshots and default effort, and what changes in Codex (official table checked 2026-10-08)
November 2026 model release calendar
Sonnet 4.5 retirement, GPT-5.6 Sol promo pricing, OpenAI shutdowns and three conferences, each with its source and check date.
OpenAI API outage checklist
A retirement error is not a transient 5xx.
Crypto payment guide
Nine coins, 56 networks, zero platform fee for AI coding API credits.
Triage, not a deprecations row, rechecked on 2026-10-13 against the official Models page, changelog, and pricing page. No claim that gpt-5.3-codex-spark is callable. Model availability follows /models; retirement dates follow the vendor’s own docs.