{
  "schema": "varexis-public-evidence-record/0.3",
  "generated_at_utc": "2026-10-18T19:34:16.969Z",
  "record_id": "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-OPENAI-VECTOR-FILE-REMOVAL-UNDERLYING-UPLOAD-RETAINED-01-v1",
  "record_kind": "external_reference",
  "title": "OpenAI vector stores: Removing membership does not delete the file",
  "system": "OpenAI",
  "evidence_family": "vendor_evidence_review",
  "index_status": "PUBLIC_SAFE_SOURCE_REVIEW",
  "evidence_state": "PRIMARY_DOCUMENTATION_REVIEW_ONLY",
  "canonical_question": "Does deleting a file from an OpenAI vector store also delete the underlying uploaded file?",
  "near_questions": [
    "Does vector_store.file.deleted mean the uploaded OpenAI file is erased?",
    "Which OpenAI operation removes vector-store membership only?",
    "Must an uploaded OpenAI file be deleted separately from its vector store?",
    "What identifiers should an OpenAI file-cleanup review reconcile?"
  ],
  "supported_claims": [
    {
      "claim": "The OpenAI vector-store file deletion reference explicitly distinguishes removal from the vector store from deletion of the underlying file. Its DELETE operation removes the vector-store file association; deleting the uploaded file requires the separate file deletion endpoint. The response identifies a vector_store.file.deleted result.",
      "reliance": "DOCUMENTED_CAPABILITY_ONLY"
    }
  ],
  "not_demonstrated_claims": [
    "Physical erasure attestation or deletion from every copy and recipient",
    "Buyer deployment testing, live runtime enforcement, certification or permission to act",
    "Expanded capabilities or licences for existing INDEX executables"
  ],
  "public_summary": "The OpenAI vector-store file deletion reference explicitly distinguishes removal from the vector store from deletion of the underlying file. Its DELETE operation removes the vector-store file association; deleting the uploaded file requires the separate file deletion endpoint. The response identifies a vector_store.file.deleted result.",
  "related_record_ids": [],
  "source_review": {
    "source_type": "official_external_documentation",
    "source_title": "Delete vector store file | OpenAI API Reference",
    "source_url": "https://developers.openai.com/api/reference/resources/vector_stores/subresources/files/methods/delete",
    "checked_on": "2026-10-18",
    "candidate_record_id": "VXI-EXT-PROCUREMENT-OPENAI-VECTOR-FILE-REMOVAL-UNDERLYING-UPLOAD-RETAINED-01-v1",
    "candidate_record_sha256": "87392bd173d3e19ffbe4ce8aefaa1eb7698a5351e607b2b0b656d4f047020817",
    "method": "Primary documentation reviewed for the published bounded statement.",
    "deployment_tested_by_varexis": false,
    "revalidation": "The delivered snapshot preserves the review date shown. Recheck current primary documentation and deployment context before relying on present applicability; payment does not trigger fresh research."
  },
  "answer_policy": {
    "classification": "DOCUMENTED_WITH_DEPLOYMENT_BOUNDARY",
    "bounded_answer": "The OpenAI vector-store file deletion reference explicitly distinguishes removal from the vector store from deletion of the underlying file. Its DELETE operation removes the vector-store file association; deleting the uploaded file requires the separate file deletion endpoint. The response identifies a vector_store.file.deleted result.",
    "required_buyer_context": "Vector-store ID, uploaded file ID and all known associations. Separate association-removal and uploaded-file deletion responses. Other stores, exported copies and applicable retention conditions. Buyer deployment not inspected.",
    "missing_evidence": "A broader claim needs evidence matching the intended use. Payment does not upgrade the evidence state."
  },
  "private_boundary": "Raw logs, thresholds, private paths, source code, protected mechanisms and reconstruction-level details are excluded from public and paid delivery.",
  "decision_profile": {
    "schema": "varexis-vendor-evidence-review/1",
    "review_status": "documentation_review_only",
    "checked_on": "2026-10-18",
    "claim_to_check": "Does deleting a file from an OpenAI vector store also delete the underlying uploaded file?",
    "documented_statement": {
      "status": "documented",
      "statement": "The OpenAI vector-store file deletion reference explicitly distinguishes removal from the vector store from deletion of the underlying file. Its DELETE operation removes the vector-store file association; deleting the uploaded file requires the separate file deletion endpoint. The response identifies a vector_store.file.deleted result.",
      "source_ids": [
        "openai-vector-delete"
      ]
    },
    "review_inference": {
      "status": "review_inference",
      "statement": "A membership-deletion receipt cannot close a wider file-erasure claim without other resource evidence.",
      "source_ids": [
        "openai-vector-delete"
      ]
    },
    "buyer_evidence_required": [
      "Vector-store ID, uploaded file ID and all known associations.",
      "Separate association-removal and uploaded-file deletion responses.",
      "Other stores, exported copies and applicable retention conditions."
    ],
    "review_condition": {
      "status": "varexis_review_policy",
      "statement": "Refuse complete-file-deletion conclusions based only on vector_store.file.deleted."
    },
    "unknowns": "Actual file deletion, other associations and downstream copies were not inspected.",
    "unknown_finding": {
      "status": "unknown",
      "statement": "Actual file deletion, other associations and downstream copies were not inspected."
    },
    "evidence_sources": [
      {
        "source_id": "openai-vector-delete",
        "url": "https://developers.openai.com/api/reference/resources/vector_stores/subresources/files/methods/delete",
        "final_url": "https://developers.openai.com/api/reference/resources/vector_stores/subresources/files/methods/delete",
        "title": "Delete vector store file | OpenAI API Reference",
        "checked_on": "2026-10-18",
        "captured_at_utc": "2026-10-18T19:20:53.366Z",
        "version_context": "Rolling official documentation captured 2026-10-18; exact response hash retained, no pinned release implied.",
        "sha256": "3cf98dc08b0de1d5fd63271ff23f5afb5e8aae0381004d9885d04ad94094d643",
        "bytes": 585249,
        "hash_basis": "Decoded HTTP response body bytes; identifies captured content, not truth or certification",
        "reviewed_sections": [
          "DELETE /vector_stores/{vector_store_id}/files/{file_id}"
        ],
        "capture_status": 200,
        "rights_review": "Factual paraphrase and source metadata only; response body retained privately and not redistributed."
      }
    ],
    "observed_deployment": false,
    "commercial_reliance_boundary": "Documentation review only; no supplier clearance, configuration audit, observed execution or certification of the buyer's claim.",
    "paid_value": {
      "decision_context": "Identify residual resources before closing a data-retention or exit decision.",
      "free": "Complete review, sources, practical questions and limitations; may be saved locally.",
      "single_request": "Existing server-saved version-bound route snapshot for later authenticated retrieval.",
      "evidence_receipt": "The same snapshot plus the existing unsigned delivery receipt.",
      "excluded": [
        "Fresh vendor research",
        "Continuous monitoring or change alerts",
        "Testing the buyer configuration",
        "Private evidence or vendor certification"
      ],
      "integrity": "Hashes identify content versions; they do not prove truth or provide a signature."
    },
    "revalidation": {
      "trigger": "A saved purchase does not recheck the source or buyer configuration.",
      "specific_watch": "Recheck exact vector-store and Files API behavior after API or resource changes."
    },
    "buyer_relevance": "Identify residual resources before closing a data-retention or exit decision.",
    "refusal_conditions": [
      "Refuse complete-file-deletion conclusions based only on vector_store.file.deleted."
    ]
  },
  "niche": {
    "niche_id": "enterprise-ai-data-custody-exit-assurance",
    "label": "Enterprise AI Data Custody & Exit Assurance",
    "classification_id": "custody",
    "classification_label": "AI Data Custody, Retention & Exit Assurance",
    "topic_id": "custody",
    "buyer_intent": "Identify residual resources before closing a data-retention or exit decision.",
    "comparison_role": "supplementary_discovery"
  },
  "paid_access_note": "The full published answer and boundaries are free. Paid access saves the selected route and source versions, with an unsigned receipt when purchased. Preview coverage before paying. Fresh research, bespoke assessment and protected evidence are excluded.",
  "service_route": {
    "request_guide": "/varexis-index/request.html",
    "request_workflow": "/varexis-index/request-workflow.json",
    "service_id": "single_request",
    "service_routes_url": "/varexis-index/service-routes.json",
    "payment_required": true,
    "availability_endpoint": "/api/index/capabilities",
    "operational_status": "AUTOMATIC_SERVICE_CAPABILITIES_GATED",
    "checkout_url": "/index-access"
  },
  "authority_boundary": "VAREXIS-INDEX informs evidence reliance. It does not provide advice, certification, deployment authority, security assurance, production approval, or guarantee.",
  "human_page": "/varexis-index/catalog.html#openai-vector-file-removal-underlying-upload-retained",
  "machine_readable_record": "/varexis-index/records/openai-vector-file-removal-underlying-upload-retained.json"
}
