OpenAI is opening ChatGPT to third-party developers who want to build app-like experiences inside the chatbot. The company announced plug-in extensions at its DevDay presentation Tuesday, giving external tools a dedicated home in ChatGPT's sidebar and letting users interact with them mid-conversation.
OpenAI already supports plug-ins that connect ChatGPT to tools like Slack, SharePoint, Airtable, and Google Drive. The new extensions go further: developers can build interactive panels that let users work with their tools while chatting, including file viewers that support whatever formats the developer's product uses.
A faster path from build to discovery
Developers now have a Plugin Creator tool to build extensions and can submit them through a redesigned flow that offers clearer feedback. OpenAI said it has also improved how plug-ins are ranked and recommended in its directory and when they surface in conversations. Users can approve each plug-in's access needs individually before using it.
ChatGPT Sites - the lightweight websites users can build with ChatGPT - can host these plug-ins too. That means someone can share their apps with colleagues, who can then use them with their own connected data and permissions.
Automations get a new trigger system
OpenAI is adding support for the proposed MCP Events specification, which would let plug-ins start automations based on events in a connected app. The company said it is also making automations easier to add and manage.
For teams that rely on ChatGPT alongside their existing software stack, these changes point toward a more integrated workflow. Developers can explore the technical side through OpenAI API Courses, while product and engineering leads may find value in the AI for Software Developers Courses learning path.
Why this matters for customer support, sales, and marketing teams
Support agents who pull data from multiple systems during a chat can now do that without leaving ChatGPT. Sales teams can connect CRM data through plug-ins that live in the sidebar, and marketing staff can share ChatGPT-hosted tools with colleagues who bring their own permissions. The practical shift is fewer tab switches and more work happening inside one conversation.
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