Why is it taking so long to get the latest Chatbot models?

So now we’re back to paying more for usage on 5.2 high and paying more or using a dumber model. Putting that here first before I get the usual “use this worse model” reply from the staff.

Hi ​@Mikef12306 

Which specific provider model are you referring to?

Best to submit feedback and feature requests via a ticket to Zapier Support: https://zapier.com/app/get-help

The only one with a 5.2, OpenAI. 

From my experience submitting a support ticket gets me nowhere, but once I post it publically in the forum, it doesn’t take too long for an update. 

People told me to contact Zapier support about GPT-5.2 Chat disappearing from Zapier Chatbots, so I did. It was completely useless.

First, support said GPT-5.2 Chat had been retired and moved into regular GPT-5.2 with reasoning set to lowest, claiming it should stay in the same ballpark. But that is obviously not true in practice. GPT-5.2 Chat and regular GPT-5.2 on lowest reasoning have a huge style and quality difference, and the replacement is much worse.

Then support suggested connecting my own OpenAI API key as a possible workaround to get 5.2 Chat back, which makes no sense because any 5.2 model is only available with an API key. I obviously already use my own API key. The actual problem is Zapier’s chatbot model selector. Zapier has not kept the chatbot model list up to date with newer chat models, so when GPT-5.2 Chat disappeared, there was no true chat-equivalent replacement available. Even with my own API key connected, I still cannot select GPT-5.2 Chat or a newer equivalent like GPT-5.3, GPT-5.4, or GPT-5.5 Chat.

They also treated it as a feature request, even though I am not asking for a brand-new feature. GPT-5.2 Chat was an existing working model option that Zapier removed from active chatbot workflows and left us with something worse. The reason this became such a problem is that Zapier is already behind on adding newer models, so there is nothing equivalent to move to. That is a regression, not a feature request.

After I pushed back, a different support person replied saying they had passed the information to the product team and would let me know “if” GPT-5.2 Chat is returned. That wording is funny because the first explanation made it sound like GPT-5.2 Chat had basically been merged into regular GPT-5.2. But if it can be “returned,” then it clearly still exists as a separate model option in the context of this issue.

So support did not solve anything. They gave a weak “same ballpark” explanation, suggested an API-key workaround that does not apply, treated a regression like a feature request, and ended with “maybe it comes back someday.”

Yeah, this really should have been handled earlier. Waiting for support of a model version only to see it replaced before rollout is understandably frustrating. A lot of users were expecting 5.2 compatibility, and now the conversation has already moved to 5.3 and 5.4. Clear timelines and faster updates would avoid this kind of situation.

Hey there ​@Mikef12306 and ​@davidwarner1 👋

Sorry to hear about all this. You’re right, I'm not seeing GPT-5.2 Chat or any of the newer Chat model versions available in Zapier Chatbots either, even when connecting with my own API key.

I've shared all the comments in this thread with the Chatbots team so they can have a better sense of the impact and a clearer understanding of the issue. We don't have any news to share on this at the moment, but we'll let you know as soon as there's any update.

​@davidwarner1, if you'd like me to add you to that feature request too, just let me know.