OpenAI opens ChatGPT app submissions and launches in-app directory

ChatGPT wants to stop being a place where you just chat and start being the place where you actually get things done.

OpenAI just opened up app submissions for ChatGPT, inviting developers to build tools that live right inside the chatbot's interface. Alongside the rollout, the company launched an in-chat app directory—already being dubbed an AI app store—where users can search, browse, and connect third-party services.

OpenAI first teased this at DevDay back in October with heavyweight partners like Expedia, Spotify, Zillow, and Canva. Now, any developer can get in line via the OpenAI Developer Platform, with the first wave of approved apps scheduled to hit the directory gradually in the new year.

Bringing apps into the prompt

Users can find the new directory under the tools menu or head directly to chatgpt.com/apps. Developers can also use deep links from external sites to route people straight to their listing.

Once an app is connected, users can trigger it in conversation by simply @ mentioning its name or picking it from the tools menu. OpenAI is also experimenting with automatically suggesting relevant apps mid-chat based on context and past habits.

To help devs build, OpenAI released a beta Apps SDK, an open-source UI library tailored for chat interfaces, sample apps, and quickstart docs. Submissions require MCP connectivity specs, testing instructions, directory metadata, and country availability details.

Monetization, however, is still very bare-bones. For now, developers can only link out to their own websites or native apps to finish transactions for physical goods. OpenAI noted it is exploring monetization for digital goods down the road.

Why it matters

This is OpenAI's clearest bid yet to turn ChatGPT into an operating system rather than just an answer engine. While the earlier GPTs felt mostly like system prompts with extra files attached, the Apps SDK and MCP integrations actually let ChatGPT trigger real-world actions like ordering groceries or pulling apartment listings.

For developers, the early real estate in the directory is tempting, especially if OpenAI begins proactively recommending apps inside user chats. But we think the immediate upside is limited for most builders: without native billing or support for digital goods, turning prompt traffic into actual revenue still requires pushing users off-platform.

For the broader industry, it poses a direct challenge to standalone tool platforms and vertical aggregators. If users can complete tasks seamlessly in one conversational thread, the incentive to open separate tabs plummets. Still, OpenAI faces a tricky UX balance: proactive app suggestions could easily feel like spammy ads if not handled carefully.