ChatGPT Just Became an App Store. Here’s What You Need to Know

Developers can now submit apps to be hosted inside ChatGPT that extend conversations with real functionality. These aren’t your ma or pa’s GPTs… these are real applications for ordering groceries, building slide decks, booking apartments, all without leaving the chat.

Here’s the setup: OpenAI launched the Apps SDK earlier this year at DevDay. Now they’ve opened the floodgates for app submissions and introduced an app directory where users can browse and search for published apps right inside ChatGPT.

Apps work by bringing new context into conversations and letting users take action.

Think of them as mini-programs that ChatGPT can trigger when you mention them by name (with an @ symbol) or when the AI thinks they’d be helpful based on what you’re talking about.

Developers build apps using the Apps SDK, which runs on the Model Context Protocol (MCP), a framework that lets your app talk to ChatGPT and display custom interfaces directly in the chat window.

What you can build

Shopping tools that pull in product catalogs and handle checkouts.

Productivity apps that connect to your calendar, tasks, or project management.

Data visualization widgets that turn spreadsheets into interactive charts.

Booking systems for restaurants, travel, or appointments.

OpenAI has provided serious resources to help developers get started. There’s a quickstart guide, open-source example apps, and even an open-sourced UI library for building chat-native interfaces.

The catch: Not everything flies. Apps have to follow strict submission guidelines covering safety, privacy, and quality. You also can’t sell digital products yet (physical goods only), gambling and adult content are banned, and your app needs clear value beyond what ChatGPT already does natively (but be warned, if it’s popular enough, ChatGPT might ~expand~ what it does natively).

The rollout plan: Approved apps will gradually appear in the new year. OpenAI vets each submission for quality and safety. Apps that users love will get featured placement in the directory or recommended by ChatGPT automatically.

Why it matters: This transforms ChatGPT from a conversational AI into a platform where intent meets action. Instead of just telling you about options, apps let you actually do what you’re talking about.

What’s changing: Expect model developers and third-party builders to rush into this space over the next 6-12 months. If you’re building AI tools, this is your distribution channel—600,000+ engaged users already reading about AI daily through newsletters like ours.

What you should do

If you’re a developer, start researching use cases and building your MCP server now. The apps that ship early will have a first-mover advantage as ChatGPT starts recommending them in conversations. Once it’s ready, you can deploy your app and submit it through the OpenAI Platform.

The app directory is already live at chatgpt.com/apps, and the race to build the most useful ChatGPT apps just started. And if you aren’t gonna make your own? You can still go to the apps page and check out all the cool tools now available to you inside GPT.

Editor’s note: This content originally ran in the newsletter of our sister publication, The Neuron. To read more from The Neuron, sign up for its newsletter here.
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