# ChatGPT: Major incident: Elevated errors for API image generation

**Summary:** API image generation requests experienced elevated error rates in a major-impact incident from 2026-07-21 18:10 UTC to 2026-07-21 22:19 UTC, lasting 4 h 9 min. OpenAI applied mitigations and confirmed full recovery, with error rates back to normal. _(machine-written, sol)_
- Kind: Major incident · Label: outage (model (Jev))
- Changed: 2026-07-21 18:10 UTC · Detected: 2026-10-17 18:22 UTC
- [Source: https://status.openai.com/incidents/01KY32PEQHPV5F2W4HCNFJ60RD](https://status.openai.com/incidents/01KY32PEQHPV5F2W4HCNFJ60RD)
- [Company: ChatGPT](https://rewindex.com/company/chatgpt.md)
- Versions: before (none: first archived) → after incident\_version:5/01KY32PEQHPV5F2W4HCNFJ60RD@761faba8a059
- Change 1 of 1 for this incident

## What changed

**1. Added: Title**

```diff
+ Elevated errors for API image generation
```

**2. Added: Impact**

```diff
+ major
```

**3. Added: Status**

```diff
+ resolved
```

**4. Added: Start time**

```diff
+ 2026-07-21 18:10 UTC
```

**5. Added: Resolved time**

```diff
+ 2026-07-21 22:19 UTC
```

**6. Added: Update** (investigating) · 2026-07-21 19:33 UTC

```diff
+ We are investigating elevated error rates affecting image generation requests via the API. We are working to restore normal service.
```

**7. Added: Update** (monitoring) · 2026-07-21 20:26 UTC

```diff
+ We have applied mitigations and are seeing error rates return to normal levels. We are monitoring the recovery.
```

**8. Added: Update** (resolved) · 2026-07-21 22:19 UTC

```diff
+ Image generation functionality has fully recovered, and error rates have returned to normal levels.
```

## History of this incident

| When (UTC) | Change | Label |
| --- | --- | --- |
| 2026-07-21 18:10 UTC | Major incident: Elevated errors for API image generation (this change) | outage |

All ChatGPT changes: [timeline](https://rewindex.com/company/chatgpt/changes.md)
_Diff excerpts are shown on normalized text: dates, counters and tokens appear as ‹date›, ‹count›, ‹tok›; noise-only edits are hidden. Rewindex shows the changed passages, not a copy of the page._


---
Canonical: https://rewindex.com/change/i50631b7464d656 · Markdown: https://rewindex.com/change/i50631b7464d656.md · JSON: https://rewindex.com/api/v1/changes/i50631b7464d656 · Generated 2026-10-18T02:28:24.055Z