Last updated 08-15-2026
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ChatGPT Plugins
ChatGPT Plugins was OpenAI's 2023 extension system that let ChatGPT call third-party APIs for live data, calculations, and external services. Plugins appeared as tools the model could invoke during a conversation after users enabled them in ChatGPT. OpenAI's March 2023 announcement listed launch partners including Expedia, Instacart, KAYAK, Klarna, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Wolfram, and Zapier.
The beta also shipped OpenAI-built plugins for web browsing via Bing, a sandboxed Python code interpreter, and an open-source retrieval plugin for private document search. Developers published plugins through a manifest file and OpenAPI spec, and ChatGPT Plus subscribers were the first users to enable them in chat.
OpenAI deprecated the plugin beta in favor of custom GPTs. The official blog page now states plugins have been deprecated, and OpenAI ended new plugin conversations on March 19, 2024, with full shutdown on April 9, 2024. GPTs with custom actions replaced the integration model for developers and ChatGPT users.
Third-party plugins from 12 launch partners including Shopify, Slack, and Wolfram
OpenAI web browsing plugin using the Bing search API with source citations
Sandboxed Python code interpreter for math, data analysis, and file conversion
Open-source retrieval plugin supporting vector databases like Pinecone and Milvus
Plugin manifest plus OpenAPI spec defined each integration for the language model
Users chose which enabled plugins appeared in each ChatGPT conversation
Let ChatGPT pull live web, code, and app data instead of relying on training cutoff knowledge.
Launch roster covered travel, shopping, productivity, and computation use cases in one chat.
Open-source retrieval plugin let teams self-host private document search integrations.
Browsing plugin cited sources, helping users verify answers against live pages.
Product is discontinued and no longer works in ChatGPT as of April 2024.
Access was limited to waitlisted developers and ChatGPT Plus users during the beta.
Required trusting third-party plugins with user-initiated API calls inside conversations.
Are ChatGPT Plugins still available?
No. OpenAI deprecated ChatGPT Plugins and the official blog page states plugins have been deprecated. New plugin conversations ended March 19, 2024, and all plugin functionality shut down April 9, 2024.
What did ChatGPT Plugins do?
ChatGPT Plugins let the model call external tools during a chat to fetch live data, run Python code, browse the web, or query third-party services like travel, shopping, and productivity apps through developer-built integrations.
Who could use ChatGPT Plugins?
During the beta, OpenAI rolled out plugin access first to ChatGPT Plus subscribers and invited plugin developers from a waitlist. Users selected which enabled plugins were active in each conversation on chatgpt.com.
What replaced ChatGPT Plugins?
OpenAI replaced ChatGPT Plugins with custom GPTs and the GPT Store, which support similar third-party actions with broader features. Developers now build GPTs with custom actions instead of standalone ChatGPT plugins.
Which companies launched ChatGPT Plugins?
OpenAI's March 2023 ChatGPT Plugins announcement named Expedia, FiscalNote, Instacart, KAYAK, Klarna, Milo, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Speak, Wolfram, and Zapier as the first third-party plugin partners.
How did developers build ChatGPT Plugins?
Developers created an API with OpenAPI documentation and a plugin manifest file describing capabilities for the model. OpenAI published documentation for invited waitlist developers to register plugins with ChatGPT.