At its Dev Day presentation on Tuesday, OpenAI announced that developers can now build app-like experiences inside ChatGPT by using plugin extensions. The company said these extensions let third parties create dedicated interfaces and interactive panels that live within the ChatGPT sidebar.
OpenAI already supports plugins that connect ChatGPT to common tools such as Slack, SharePoint, Airtable and Google Drive. The new plugin extensions provide a more integrated home for apps: developers can add interactive panels so users can work with their tools while conversing with ChatGPT. Those panels can also include file viewers that support whatever file formats the developer’s product uses.
The company is also making it easier to build and publish plugins. Developers will get a new Plugin Creator tool to assist with development, and OpenAI redesigned the submission flow to the plugin directory to offer clearer feedback during the review process.
OpenAI said it has improved how plugins are ranked and recommended both within the directory and when surfaced in conversations. When users select a plugin to use, they can approve its access permissions individually rather than granting blanket access.
ChatGPT Sites, the lightweight websites users can build with ChatGPT, will be able to host these plugins as well. That enables someone to share an app with colleagues who can then use it while operating with their own connected data and permissions.
Finally, OpenAI announced support for the proposed MCP Events specification, which would allow plugins to trigger automations based on events in a connected app. The company also said it has made it easier to add and manage automations.
Taken together, these changes aim to move ChatGPT beyond basic integrations toward a platform where developers can create richer, app-like experiences and event-driven automations for users.
