Provider Portability and Migration
Provider changes may affect embeddings, structured outputs, tool semantics, file search, citation parsing, and data retention. A migration can require re-embedding and rebuilding indexes. Use adapters, document behavior differences, run evaluations, test permissions, and use shadow/canary rollout with rollback where warranted.
Implementation example
Migration:
1. Compare capabilities and terms
2. Map API differences
3. Re-embed/reindex if needed
4. Validate filters/citations
5. Run evals
6. Canary and monitor💡 Provider migration is a controlled systems change, not only a model-name edit.
Key Takeaways
- Inspect the relevant pipeline stage instead of guessing.
- Preserve source provenance, versions, and access scope.
- Measure quality on representative queries.
Knowledge Check
Why might a provider change require reindexing?