OpenAI: `chat.completions.stream()` helper method not instrumented

[braintrust-bot]

Gap

The OpenAI Python SDK provides a client.chat.completions.stream() helper method that is distinct from client.chat.completions.create(stream=True). This helper is not instrumented — calling it on a wrapped client produces no Braintrust span.

CompletionsV1Wrapper (line 776 of oai.py) only defines create(). When .stream() is called, it falls through via NamedWrapper.__getattr__ (line 24) to the underlying unwrapped Completions resource. The request succeeds but is invisible to tracing.

How .stream() differs from .create(stream=True)

The .stream() helper (documented in the openai-python helpers.md):

• Returns a context manager (ChatCompletionStream)
• Provides an event-based API with structured event objects instead of raw chunks
• Automatically accumulates deltas across streaming chunks
• Offers convenience methods like .get_final_completion() and .until_done()
• Is the SDK-recommended pattern for streaming in many OpenAI guides

# Pattern 1 — instrumented today
stream = client.chat.completions.create(stream=True, ...)
for chunk in stream:
    ...

# Pattern 2 — NOT instrumented
with client.chat.completions.stream(...) as stream:
    for event in stream:
        ...
    final = stream.get_final_completion()

The same gap likely applies to AsyncCompletionsV1Wrapper (line 803) for the async variant.

What is missing

• client.chat.completions.stream() (sync) — needs a stream() method on CompletionsV1Wrapper
• client.chat.completions.stream() (async) — needs a stream() method on AsyncCompletionsV1Wrapper

Braintrust docs status

unclear — the OpenAI integration page mentions streaming support but does not distinguish between .create(stream=True) and .stream().

Upstream sources

• OpenAI Python SDK streaming helpers: https://github.com/openai/openai-python/blob/main/helpers.md
• openai.resources.chat.completions.Completions.stream method (available since openai-python ~v1.26)

Local files inspected

• py/src/braintrust/oai.py:
  • CompletionsV1Wrapper (line 776) — only defines create()
  • AsyncCompletionsV1Wrapper (line 803) — only defines async create()
  • NamedWrapper.__getattr__ (line 24) — delegates unknown attrs to the unwrapped object
• py/src/braintrust/wrappers/test_openai.py — no tests for chat.completions.stream(), all streaming tests use create(stream=True)
• py/noxfile.py — tests openai versions latest, 1.77.0, 1.71, 1.91, 1.92; .stream() helper exists in all of these