ChatGPT Plugins Just Got a Major Upgrade With App-Like UIs and Automations

OpenAI is giving ChatGPT plugins a major upgrade at DevDay 2026, turning them into more complete app-like experiences that can live directly inside ChatGPT. Developers can now build dedicated sidebar apps, interactive panels and file viewers instead of relying only on conversational tool calls.

ChatGPT plugins can now bring full interfaces into conversations

The new experience gives developers more room to build interfaces around their existing tools. Plugins can now provide a dedicated sidebar home, interactive panels alongside a conversation and file viewers for supported formats.

That means a user could work with an app without constantly jumping between ChatGPT and another website. OpenAI’s developer documentation confirms that plugins can expose server-backed capabilities through MCP while optionally rendering a web component directly inside ChatGPT.

OpenAI is also making plugin discovery easier. Developers are getting a new Plugin Creator workflow, while the company is changing how plugins are surfaced and recommended in the directory and inside conversations. Users can also approve access requirements individually when connecting a plugin.

OpenAI is adding event-driven automations

The update goes beyond UI. OpenAI is adding support for the proposed MCP Events specification, allowing plugins to react to events from connected applications and trigger automations. The company is also making automations easier to create and manage, giving developers another way to turn ChatGPT plugins into tools that can continue working after a conversation has ended.

ChatGPT Sites can also host these plugins, meaning developers can build lightweight experiences that can be shared with other people while still allowing those users to work with their own connected data and permissions.

OpenAI already supports apps that can provide interactive experiences such as maps and cards, but the new plugin extensions push that idea further by giving developers more control over the interface that appears inside ChatGPT. Last but not least, OpenAI has also introduced the $500 plan, expands agents API with computer use and AWS support, and upgraded Codex with some major features.