OpenAI adds app-like panels and automation support to ChatGPT plug-ins
By Automate Basics, written with AI from TechCrunch's original
OpenAI is expanding ChatGPT plug-ins with app-like panels, file viewers and support for automations triggered by connected apps. TechCrunch reports that the changes are intended to let people do more work with other tools inside ChatGPT.
What changed in ChatGPT plug-ins?
OpenAI says developers can build more complete experiences for their tools inside ChatGPT. According to TechCrunch, a plug-in can have its own place in the sidebar, an interactive panel alongside a conversation and a viewer for files used by the connected product. That could let someone inspect a file or work with an app without relying on chat messages alone.
OpenAI is also changing how plug-ins are built and found. Developers are getting a Plugin Creator and a revised submission process for the directory. For users, OpenAI says it has improved plug-in recommendations and gives them a way to approve access requests individually. ChatGPT Sites can host plug-ins for colleagues to use with their own connected data and permissions. OpenAI also announced support for a proposed event standard that would let activity in a connected app start an automation.
Who can use the expanded ChatGPT plug-ins?
Developers building ChatGPT plug-ins are the clearest immediate audience for the changes TechCrunch describes. OpenAI says they can create interactive panels and file viewers, submit plug-ins through the revised directory process and use the new Plugin Creator. People using ChatGPT would encounter those experiences when a developer makes them available in a plug-in.
For teams, the practical appeal is keeping a connected tool close to a ChatGPT conversation. The report names Slack, SharePoint, Airtable and Google Drive as examples of tools that plug-ins already connect to, but it does not say those particular integrations have adopted the new panels or automation features. TechCrunch does not specify eligible ChatGPT plans, rollout timing for users or pricing for these additions. Check the availability of a particular plug-in rather than assuming every connected app has gained the new interface.
How do I try a ChatGPT plug-in at work?
A useful first trial would be a small, low-risk task involving a file in an app your team already connects to ChatGPT. If that app’s developer offers a new plug-in panel or file viewer, see whether you can inspect the file and complete a simple part of the task while chatting. Compare what the panel shows with the original file, and check that any change you make ends up in the intended place.
Pay particular attention to access. OpenAI says users can approve a plug-in’s access needs individually, so review what it requests before connecting work data. If a colleague shares a plug-in through a ChatGPT Site, check that it uses your own connected data and permissions as described. For an event-based automation, verify what action starts it and what happens afterward before using it for consequential work. The report does not provide a setup procedure for these features.
Frequently asked questions
Will every ChatGPT plug-in get an interactive panel?
No such blanket change is stated. TechCrunch reports that OpenAI is giving developers the ability to build panels and file viewers for ChatGPT plug-ins. Whether a particular plug-in offers them depends on what its developer builds. The report does not list plug-ins that already have the new interface.
Can a ChatGPT plug-in start an automation when another app changes?
OpenAI says it is adding support for a proposed event standard that would allow plug-ins to start automations from activity in connected apps. TechCrunch does not give a setup procedure, name an available example or say which plug-ins support it, so check a specific integration before relying on it.
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Written with AI from TechCrunch's original and published after automatic checks: every figure here appears in the original, and no sentence is copied from it. The picture is AI-generated. The original is the authority.
Source: OpenAI expands ChatGPT’s plug-ins with app-like interfaces and automations, TechCrunch, 29 Sept 2026.