OpenAI expands ChatGPT’s plugins with app-like interfaces and automations
TechCrunch Sarah Perez ● Covered by 2 sources
ChatGPT is getting app-like plugins with sidebars, panels, and automations. OpenAI wants ChatGPT to act less like a chat box and more like a place you work.
Based on reporting by TechCrunch, Sarah Perez — read the original for the full story.
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OpenAI is pushing ChatGPT further into app territory. At Dev Day on Tuesday, the company said developers can now build more app-like experiences inside ChatGPT using plugin extensions, not just connect it to tools like Slack, SharePoint, Airtable, and Google Drive.
The big shift is where those apps live. Instead of feeling like add-ons bolted onto a chat, they’ll get a dedicated spot in the ChatGPT sidebar. Developers can also build interactive panels so people can use their tools while talking to ChatGPT, plus file viewers that match whatever formats the product supports.
OpenAI is trying to make the whole plugin pipeline smoother too. Developers get a new Plugin Creator tool, and the submission flow for the plugin directory has been redesigned with clearer feedback. On the user side, plugin ranking and recommendations are being improved, both in the directory and when plugins show up in conversations. Users can also approve access permissions one by one.
There’s also a distribution angle. ChatGPT Sites, the lightweight websites people can build with ChatGPT, can host these plugins, which means someone could share an app with colleagues who then use it with their own connected data and permissions. And OpenAI says it’s adding support for the proposed MCP Events specification, so plugins can trigger automations from events in connected apps. The company is also making automations easier to add and manage.
My take — AI-written commentary, not fact-checked reporting
This is the right move: if ChatGPT is going to sit in the middle of work, it should stop pretending everything is just a prompt. The real competition now is whoever can make software feel one step closer to a command center without turning it into a permission nightmare. OpenAI seems to know that convenience sells, but so does control.
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