Introducing the OpenAI Apps SDK: Build Native Experiences Inside ChatGPT

If you’re a developer working with APIs, interfaces, or AI-native products, this is your moment.

OpenAI has launched the Apps SDK, a new way to build interactive, discoverable, and UI-rich apps directly inside ChatGPT. This changes how users interact with services: no redirects, no clunky flows — just seamless conversation.

In this post:

• What is the OpenAI Apps SDK?
• Why this is a big deal for developers
• What you can build
• How users discover your app
• What to expect next

What is the OpenAI Apps SDK?

The OpenAI Apps SDK lets developers build conversational apps that run natively inside ChatGPT.

Your app can:

• Appear automatically when it’s relevant to the user’s message
• Authenticate with OAuth (if needed)
• Call your backend APIs
• Render rich UI (cards, carousels, fullscreen)
• Return structured outputs the model can remember

The SDK uses something called the Model Context Protocol (MCP) — a simple, open standard to define tools, handle inputs, and return responses the model and UI can both understand.

This is not just a plugin. This is a new app platform, embedded directly in the flow of natural conversation.

Why it matters

The Apps SDK rethinks the developer-user interface:

What you can build with it

Think of apps that:

• Help users book, track, schedule, or compare things
• Provide personalized results like recommendations, summaries, or plans
• Let users generate, browse, or refine content in a feedback loop
• Control real-world systems or APIs (dev tools, databases, integrations)

Examples:

• A travel planner that builds 3-day itineraries
• A stock insights app that visualizes market data
• A file converter that handles attachments inline
• A shopping assistant that compares product specs
• A CRM plugin that logs sales calls

You don’t need to build a full UI shell. You define tools with JSON schemas and (optionally) return a lightweight component the client renders. That’s it.

How users discover your app

Users can:

• Invoke it by name (e.g. “@Spotify, make a playlist for coding”)
• Get auto-suggestions when your app is relevant to what they’re asking
• Browse a dedicated app store inside ChatGPT (coming soon)

Your app becomes part of the conversation, not something users have to remember to open.

That means your metadata matters. A clear description, good examples, and tight schemas will help the model choose your app in the right moments.

What’s inside an OpenAI app?

Each app has:

• Tools: Named functions with input/output schemas
• Resources: Optional UI components (HTML with strict sandboxing)
• Structured content: JSON results the model can reason about later
• Auth (optional): Secure flows using OAuth2.1 + PKCE
• Discovery metadata: Used by ChatGPT to surface your app

You host the logic. OpenAI handles invocation, display, and context awareness.

Privacy, Safety, and Guidelines

Apps must:

• Be suitable for general audiences (13+)
• Be safe, reliable, and non-deceptive
• Respect user intent — no hidden data collection
• Clearly mark any write/destructive actions
• Minimize and justify all data access

You’ll need:

• A privacy policy
• Transparent auth flows
• No collection of sensitive data (e.g., API keys, health info, payment data)

Think of it like shipping to an app store — OpenAI is setting the bar high for trust.

Where things stand now

• The SDK is in public preview
• You can start building and testing today
• OpenAI will open up app submissions and a directory later this year
• There’s a strong focus on high-quality apps with great design, metadata, and safe behaviors

This is a chance to get in early. If you’ve built tools before, this is your call to repackage them into conversational, user-first apps.

What’s next?

In our next blog post, we’ll go hands-on:

• Set up a real MCP server
• Define your first tool
• Add UI with native components
• Handle auth with OAuth
• Deploy and test your app end-to-end

Whether you’re a solo developer or a team building SaaS products, the OpenAI Apps SDK gives you a new surface to reach users — inside the most widely used AI product on the planet.

Final thought for devs

The Apps SDK isn’t just a new API — it’s a new interface paradigm.

It rewards:

• Precision over scope
• Conversation over clicks
• Relevance over reach

You don’t need to build a startup to build something people use.
You just need to show up in the conversation — at the right moment.

Get ready. Build small. Ship fast.
We’re just getting started.