# The ChatGPT App Directory is now the Plugin Directory

> On July 9, 2026 OpenAI replaced the ChatGPT App Directory with the Plugin Directory. What changed, what stayed the same, and what users and builders should do.

Published: 2026-07-10 · Updated: 2026-10-04 · By: Divy Chaurasia · Tags: plugins, news

On July 9, 2026, OpenAI replaced the ChatGPT App Directory with the Plugin Directory. Every existing app was packaged into a plugin, existing app connections keep working, and a plugin can now bundle skills, apps and app templates in one listing. If you already use apps in ChatGPT, you don't need to do anything; if you build them, your app now ships inside a plugin.

The change landed on the same day as [ChatGPT Work](https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-for-your-most-ambitious-work), OpenAI's new agent for long-running tasks, and a new desktop app that combines Chat, Work and Codex. That context explains the rename: the directory now serves several surfaces, not just chat.

## What changed on July 9

OpenAI's help article [Plugins in ChatGPT and Codex](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001256-plugins-in-chatgpt-and-codex) and the [ChatGPT release notes](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/6825453-chatgpt-release-notes) describe the change. In short:

- **New name, new unit.** The Plugin Directory replaces the App Directory. The thing you browse and install is now a plugin.
- **Plugins are bundles.** A plugin listing can include one or more apps, skills and app templates. Apps are still the integrations that connect ChatGPT or Codex to external data and actions; the plugin is the package that makes a workflow easy to turn on.
- **Existing apps were repackaged.** All apps from the old directory were packaged into plugins. New app submissions are packaged as plugins too.
- **One directory for ChatGPT and Codex.** OpenAI's docs describe a "universal plugin directory": a public plugin is published once and is discoverable from both products, though individual capabilities can be surface-specific ([plugin architecture](https://developers.openai.com/plugins/concepts/plugins)).
- **Availability depends on context.** Whether you can install or use a given plugin depends on your plan, workspace settings, role, surface, region and the apps it includes.

## What stayed the same

| | Before July 9 | After July 9 |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Your connected accounts | Connected through apps | Still connected; no need to re-authenticate |
| The integration itself | An app (MCP server, optional UI) | Still an app, now inside a plugin |
| Building an integration | Apps SDK on MCP | Same foundation; the app is packaged as a plugin |
| Testing your own server | Developer mode | Developer mode |
| Getting listed | Submission and review via OpenAI | Submission and review via OpenAI |
| Where you browse | App Directory | Plugin Directory (Plugins tab) |

The technical base did not change. Apps are still MCP servers that define tools, handle authentication and can render UI. OpenAI's plugin IDs show the lineage: listings for Apps SDK apps keep a `plugin_asdk_app_...` identifier in their URL, and listings that began as connectors use `plugin_connector_...`.

## What it means for users

Mostly nothing changes in day-to-day use.

- **Find things in the Plugins tab.** Search or browse, select the plus button to install, and connect an account if asked. Some plugins ask you to sign in at install, others at first use ([OpenAI docs](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/plugins)). Our walkthrough: [How to install plugins in ChatGPT](/tutorials/install-plugins-in-chatgpt).
- **You may get more than a connection.** Because plugins can include skills, installing one can also teach ChatGPT a workflow. The [Notion plugin](/plugins/notion), for example, bundles the Notion connection with skills for knowledge capture, meeting prep, research documentation and turning specs into tasks.
- **Call a plugin directly with `@`.** Type `@` in the composer to pick a plugin or one of its skills, or just describe the task and let ChatGPT choose.
- **Check permission settings.** Since June 12, 2026 you can choose when connected apps ask for permission: always, before making changes, or only before important changes ([plugin changelog](https://developers.openai.com/plugins/changelog)). Business and Enterprise admins set the workspace defaults.

> **plugin:** [Notion](https://chatgptplugins.directory/plugins/notion): Notion workflows for specs, research, meetings, and knowledge capture
## What it means for workspace admins

Admins still control which plugins and tools members can use. Importing or enabling a plugin does not by itself connect anyone's account or grant access to a service: the underlying app must also be enabled for the member's role, and the member needs access in the connected service ([plugin controls](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/enterprise/apps-and-connectors)). OpenAI's admin guidance is to start with read actions and review MCP server scopes before turning on write actions.

If your workspace used custom apps or connectors before July 9, check that they appear as expected under the new plugin settings and that role-based access carried over.

## What it means for builders

If you shipped an app through the Apps SDK, it is now distributed as a plugin. Three practical consequences:

1. **Your listing can do more.** You can add skills next to your MCP server so ChatGPT and Codex know how to use your tools for common workflows, not just which tools exist. See [Write a skill for ChatGPT and Codex](/tutorials/write-a-skill-for-chatgpt-and-codex).
2. **Codex users can find you.** Because the directory is shared, a public plugin is discoverable from Codex as well as ChatGPT. Test how your tools behave in a coding context, not only in chat. See [Use plugins in Codex](/tutorials/use-plugins-in-codex).
3. **Packaging matters.** A plugin has a manifest (`plugin.json`) that points to its skills and MCP configuration. Our guide [Publish a ChatGPT plugin](/tutorials/publish-a-chatgpt-plugin) covers the structure and the submission flow.

If you are starting from scratch, [Build your first ChatGPT app](/tutorials/build-your-first-chatgpt-app) still begins with an MCP server; packaging it as a plugin is the last step, not the first.

## Why OpenAI made the change

OpenAI has not published a long rationale, but the timing points to two reasons. First, plugins had already existed in Codex since March 2026, bundling skills and app connections; running two directories with overlapping content made little sense once the desktop app merged Chat, Work and Codex. Second, many useful workflows need more than a connection. A Google Drive connection lets ChatGPT find a file; a Google Drive plugin can also carry instructions for editing Docs, Sheets and Slides properly.

> **plugin:** [Google Drive](https://chatgptplugins.directory/plugins/google-drive): Drive, Docs, Sheets or Slides
The word "plugins" has history in ChatGPT, and the 2026 version has nothing in common with the 2023 one beyond the name. For the full timeline, read [What happened to ChatGPT plugins?](/blog/what-happened-to-chatgpt-plugins).

## Update, October 4, 2026

A few things have happened since the rename:

- **Docs moved.** OpenAI's Apps SDK documentation now lives under Plugins on developers.openai.com, and old Apps SDK URLs redirect there.
- **Custom GPTs are being retired in favour of plugins.** OpenAI notified Enterprise admins on September 11, 2026; the [migration FAQ](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001519) lists December 11, 2026 as the Enterprise retirement date and says dates may change and other plans may follow.
- **DevDay 2026 extended plugins.** [Plugin Extensions](https://developers.openai.com/plugins/build/extensions) let plugins add sidebar apps, conversation panels, file viewers and editors, and richer forms, and [MCP Events](https://developers.openai.com/plugins/build/mcp-events) let ChatGPT react to updates from your server. Details in [DevDay 2026: what it means for plugin builders](/blog/devday-2026-what-it-means-for-plugin-builders).
- **The directory has tabs.** OpenAI's current docs describe tabs for plugins built by OpenAI, plugins provided by your workspace, and personal plugins, plus an Installed row.

For definitions of each term, see [Plugins vs apps vs MCP servers vs skills](/blog/plugins-vs-apps-vs-mcp-servers-vs-skills). Browse current listings at [/plugins](/plugins) and [/apps](/apps).

## Listings in this post

- [Notion](https://chatgptplugins.directory/plugins/notion.md): Notion workflows for specs, research, meetings, and knowledge capture
- [Notion](https://chatgptplugins.directory/apps/notion.md): Search, create and update Notion pages and databases
- [Google Drive](https://chatgptplugins.directory/plugins/google-drive.md): Drive, Docs, Sheets or Slides

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Source: https://chatgptplugins.directory/blog/app-directory-is-now-the-plugin-directory · Index: https://chatgptplugins.directory/llms.txt · Independent and community-run. Not affiliated with or endorsed by OpenAI. ChatGPT is a trademark of OpenAI.