diff --git a/auto-configurations/models/spring-ai-autoconfigure-model-openai/src/main/java/org/springframework/ai/model/openai/autoconfigure/OpenAiChatAutoConfiguration.java b/auto-configurations/models/spring-ai-autoconfigure-model-openai/src/main/java/org/springframework/ai/model/openai/autoconfigure/OpenAiChatAutoConfiguration.java
index d15a6469e41..1d65972f095 100644
--- a/auto-configurations/models/spring-ai-autoconfigure-model-openai/src/main/java/org/springframework/ai/model/openai/autoconfigure/OpenAiChatAutoConfiguration.java
+++ b/auto-configurations/models/spring-ai-autoconfigure-model-openai/src/main/java/org/springframework/ai/model/openai/autoconfigure/OpenAiChatAutoConfiguration.java
@@ -66,18 +66,33 @@ public class OpenAiChatAutoConfiguration {
 
 	@Bean
 	@ConditionalOnMissingBean
-	public OpenAiChatModel openAiChatModel(OpenAiConnectionProperties commonProperties,
-			OpenAiChatProperties chatProperties, ObjectProvider<RestClient.Builder> restClientBuilderProvider,
-			ObjectProvider<WebClient.Builder> webClientBuilderProvider, ToolCallingManager toolCallingManager,
-			RetryTemplate retryTemplate, ResponseErrorHandler responseErrorHandler,
+	public OpenAiApi openAiApi(OpenAiConnectionProperties commonProperties, OpenAiChatProperties chatProperties,
+			ObjectProvider<RestClient.Builder> restClientBuilderProvider,
+			ObjectProvider<WebClient.Builder> webClientBuilderProvider, ResponseErrorHandler responseErrorHandler) {
+
+		OpenAIAutoConfigurationUtil.ResolvedConnectionProperties resolved = resolveConnectionProperties(
+				commonProperties, chatProperties, "chat");
+
+		return OpenAiApi.builder()
+			.baseUrl(resolved.baseUrl())
+			.apiKey(new SimpleApiKey(resolved.apiKey()))
+			.headers(resolved.headers())
+			.completionsPath(chatProperties.getCompletionsPath())
+			.embeddingsPath(OpenAiEmbeddingProperties.DEFAULT_EMBEDDINGS_PATH)
+			.restClientBuilder(restClientBuilderProvider.getIfAvailable(RestClient::builder))
+			.webClientBuilder(webClientBuilderProvider.getIfAvailable(WebClient::builder))
+			.responseErrorHandler(responseErrorHandler)
+			.build();
+	}
+
+	@Bean
+	@ConditionalOnMissingBean
+	public OpenAiChatModel openAiChatModel(OpenAiApi openAiApi, OpenAiChatProperties chatProperties,
+			ToolCallingManager toolCallingManager, RetryTemplate retryTemplate,
 			ObjectProvider<ObservationRegistry> observationRegistry,
 			ObjectProvider<ChatModelObservationConvention> observationConvention,
 			ObjectProvider<ToolExecutionEligibilityPredicate> openAiToolExecutionEligibilityPredicate) {
 
-		var openAiApi = openAiApi(chatProperties, commonProperties,
-				restClientBuilderProvider.getIfAvailable(RestClient::builder),
-				webClientBuilderProvider.getIfAvailable(WebClient::builder), responseErrorHandler, "chat");
-
 		var chatModel = OpenAiChatModel.builder()
 			.openAiApi(openAiApi)
 			.defaultOptions(chatProperties.getOptions())
@@ -93,23 +108,4 @@ public OpenAiChatModel openAiChatModel(OpenAiConnectionProperties commonProperti
 		return chatModel;
 	}
 
-	private OpenAiApi openAiApi(OpenAiChatProperties chatProperties, OpenAiConnectionProperties commonProperties,
-			RestClient.Builder restClientBuilder, WebClient.Builder webClientBuilder,
-			ResponseErrorHandler responseErrorHandler, String modelType) {
-
-		OpenAIAutoConfigurationUtil.ResolvedConnectionProperties resolved = resolveConnectionProperties(
-				commonProperties, chatProperties, modelType);
-
-		return OpenAiApi.builder()
-			.baseUrl(resolved.baseUrl())
-			.apiKey(new SimpleApiKey(resolved.apiKey()))
-			.headers(resolved.headers())
-			.completionsPath(chatProperties.getCompletionsPath())
-			.embeddingsPath(OpenAiEmbeddingProperties.DEFAULT_EMBEDDINGS_PATH)
-			.restClientBuilder(restClientBuilder)
-			.webClientBuilder(webClientBuilder)
-			.responseErrorHandler(responseErrorHandler)
-			.build();
-	}
-
 }
diff --git a/auto-configurations/models/spring-ai-autoconfigure-model-openai/src/test/java/org/springframework/ai/model/openai/autoconfigure/OpenAiModelConfigurationTests.java b/auto-configurations/models/spring-ai-autoconfigure-model-openai/src/test/java/org/springframework/ai/model/openai/autoconfigure/OpenAiModelConfigurationTests.java
index 19cf832fda8..04054484426 100644
--- a/auto-configurations/models/spring-ai-autoconfigure-model-openai/src/test/java/org/springframework/ai/model/openai/autoconfigure/OpenAiModelConfigurationTests.java
+++ b/auto-configurations/models/spring-ai-autoconfigure-model-openai/src/test/java/org/springframework/ai/model/openai/autoconfigure/OpenAiModelConfigurationTests.java
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@
 import org.springframework.ai.openai.OpenAiEmbeddingModel;
 import org.springframework.ai.openai.OpenAiImageModel;
 import org.springframework.ai.openai.OpenAiModerationModel;
+import org.springframework.ai.openai.api.OpenAiApi;
 import org.springframework.boot.autoconfigure.AutoConfigurations;
 import org.springframework.boot.test.context.runner.ApplicationContextRunner;
 
@@ -42,6 +43,7 @@ public class OpenAiModelConfigurationTests {
 	@Test
 	void chatModelActivation() {
 		this.contextRunner.withConfiguration(AutoConfigurations.of(OpenAiChatAutoConfiguration.class)).run(context -> {
+			assertThat(context.getBeansOfType(OpenAiApi.class)).isNotEmpty();
 			assertThat(context.getBeansOfType(OpenAiChatModel.class)).isNotEmpty();
 			assertThat(context.getBeansOfType(OpenAiEmbeddingModel.class)).isEmpty();
 			assertThat(context.getBeansOfType(OpenAiImageModel.class)).isEmpty();
@@ -303,4 +305,14 @@ void moderationModelActivation() {
 			});
 	}
 
+	@Test
+	void openAiApiBean() {
+		// Test that OpenAiApi bean is registered and can be injected
+		this.contextRunner.withConfiguration(AutoConfigurations.of(OpenAiChatAutoConfiguration.class)).run(context -> {
+			assertThat(context.getBeansOfType(OpenAiApi.class)).hasSize(1);
+			OpenAiApi openAiApi = context.getBean(OpenAiApi.class);
+			assertThat(openAiApi).isNotNull();
+		});
+	}
+
 }