diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 179401b..41e9346 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -161,6 +161,10 @@ each item costs, and the design decision that has to be made first.
 (commit recorded in [`UPSTREAM_COMMIT`](custom_components/openai_compatible/UPSTREAM_COMMIT)),
 with the domain renamed to `openai_compatible` and the base URL made configurable.
 
+The manifest requires `openai>=2.45.0` rather than core's exact pin: Home Assistant
+installs custom-integration requirements against its own package constraints, so an
+exact pin stops the integration loading whenever core bumps `openai`.
+
 Base-URL handling lives in its own module,
 [`url_util.py`](custom_components/openai_compatible/url_util.py), deliberately separate
 from the vendored files so re-syncing with core stays a clean merge.
diff --git a/custom_components/openai_compatible/manifest.json b/custom_components/openai_compatible/manifest.json
index 8acae4c..6e168e5 100644
--- a/custom_components/openai_compatible/manifest.json
+++ b/custom_components/openai_compatible/manifest.json
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
   "iot_class": "cloud_polling",
   "issue_tracker": "https://github.com/adamjs83/ha-openai-compatible/issues",
   "requirements": [
-    "openai==2.45.0"
+    "openai>=2.45.0"
   ],
   "version": "0.2.0"
 }
diff --git a/requirements_test.txt b/requirements_test.txt
index 287891f..6a1c321 100644
--- a/requirements_test.txt
+++ b/requirements_test.txt
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 # Requires Python 3.14+ (Home Assistant 2026.9 floor). Not installable on Python 3.13.
 pytest-homeassistant-custom-component>=0.13.317
-openai==2.45.0
+# Core 2026.10's pin; the manifest only sets a floor.
+openai==3.10.0
 
 # The manifest declares dependencies: ["conversation"], and the ported tests exercise
 # stt/tts too; a full HA install resolves each core component's own `requirements` at