File Upload to OpenAI API Returns “System Error” via Postman – Works in Other Apps

API Bugs
, ,
1

I’m facing a persistent issue while using the OpenAI file upload API (https://api.openai.com/v1/files) through Postman for my Assistant API integration.

:white_check_mark: Here’s what I have already confirmed and tried:

  • Method: POST, Headers include valid Bearer token
  • Body: form-data with
    • file: uploaded using Postman’s file picker (.pdf, .docx, .txt tried)
    • purpose: set to assistants
  • I did not manually set Content-Type; letting Postman handle it.
  • Tested with small, non-password-protected, non-corrupted files
  • Tried from multiple networks (mobile, VPN)
  • curl version of the same - not yet tried
  • Response from OpenAI:

“I am currently unable to access the contents of the uploaded files due to a system error. Could you please try re-uploading the resume?”

:pushpin: Context:

  • This issue occurs only in one of my project integration using Postman.
  • Other applications using the same OpenAI file upload endpoint work perfectly.

:red_question_mark:What I want to know:

Why does OpenAI’s file tool fail to process uploaded files via Postman in this specific project, even when all API specifications are followed correctly?
Is this a Postman-specific issue, a project-level assistant configuration issue, or an OpenAI-side processing bug?

1 Like