ZDR Eligibility

Definition

Which features qualify for Zero Data Retention (ZDR) — a compliance requirement that no request/response data is retained — versus which features disqualify a request from ZDR.

Key points

• Prompt caching is ZDR-eligible ("caching qualifies").
• MCP connector is NOT ZDR-eligible.
• Message Batches API is NOT ZDR-eligible.
• Practical implication: a design that needs ZDR cannot use the MCP connector or Batches; it can still use Prompt Caching.
• Therefore Caching Plus Batching is not ZDR-safe — the batch leg disqualifies it even though caching alone would qualify.

Why it matters for the exam

• Compliance/architecture scenarios: when ZDR is a hard requirement, eliminate MCP-connector and Batches options. A clean discriminator question.

Common gotchas

• Caching + batching looks cost-optimal but breaks ZDR because batching is ineligible.
• MCP connector's convenience doesn't survive a ZDR constraint — prefer client-side tool execution paths.

See also

• Prompt Caching
• Message Batches API
• Caching Plus Batching
• Model Lineup And Pricing

Sources

• netlight-study-guide
• docs-tools-agents