---
title: "Delete an assistant"
method: DELETE
path: "/ai/assistants/{assistant_id}"
tags: ["Assistants"]
---

# Delete an assistant

`DELETE /ai/assistants/{assistant_id}`

## Request

- Base URL: `https://api.telnyx.com/v2`
- URL: `https://api.telnyx.com/v2/ai/assistants/{assistant_id}`
- Auth: HTTP bearer

Delete an AI Assistant by `assistant_id`.

By default this performs a soft delete: the assistant moves to the Recently Deleted list and stays restorable for 30 days, after which it is permanently deleted automatically. The assistant's versions and TeXML application are preserved during the retention window.

Pass `hard_delete=true` to skip the retention window and permanently delete the assistant immediately. A hard delete erases the assistant and all of its versions, and deletes its TeXML application unless phone numbers are still assigned to it. It does not delete conversations, recordings, shared tools the assistant referenced, or knowledge-base embeddings.

Deletion fails with `400` if other assistants reference this one through a handoff tool or a conversation-flow edge — remove those references first.

## Path parameters

- `assistant_id` string, required

## Query parameters

- `hard_delete` boolean

## Response `200`

Successful Response

- AssistantDeletedResponse: Aligns with the OpenAI API: https://platform.openai.com/docs/api-reference/assistants/deleteAssistant
  - `id` string, required
  - `object` string, required
  - `deleted` boolean, required

## Other responses

- `400`: Bad Request (code 10015). Another assistant depends on this one: a handoff tool points to it, or a conversation-flow edge hands off to it. The detail names the referencing assistants; remove those references and retry.
- `422`: Validation Error

## Changes

- **2026-10-15** `a72569d69430`: 2 info
  - added the new optional `query` request parameter `hard_delete`
  - added the non-success response with the status `400`

[Operation history](https://skmtc.dev/team-telnyx/apis/telnyx-api/changes/ai/assistants/:assistant_id/delete.md)

---

[API](https://skmtc.dev/team-telnyx/apis/telnyx-api.md) - [All operations](https://skmtc.dev/team-telnyx/apis/telnyx-api/llms.txt) - [OpenAPI document](https://skmtc.dev/team-telnyx/apis/telnyx-api/revisions/0f17b8167873?raw)