OpenAI opens app submissions for review and publication in ChatGPT, where users can discover or search for apps in a new app directory
We're opening app submissions for review and publication in ChatGPT, and users can discover apps in the app directory. — Earlier this year at DevDay, we introduced apps in ChatGPT.
Context & Ripple Effects
OpenAI is moving its ChatGPT app effort from an October pilot with services such as Booking.com, Canva and Spotify toward a broader distribution channel. The company had already put an Apps SDK built on MCP into preview, giving developers a route to build for the assistant.
The directory makes discovery and review a distinct layer between development and user adoption. It extends the earlier in-ChatGPT app pilot rather than simply expanding the catalog of custom GPTs.
First-order effects
- Developers can now submit ChatGPT apps for OpenAI review and, if published, reach users through searchable directory placement.
- OpenAI becomes the immediate gatekeeper for which third-party apps are listed and how users encounter them inside ChatGPT.
Second-order effects
- For developers using the Apps SDK, product work now includes meeting publication requirements and competing for discovery, not just building an integration.
- The directory creates a real test of whether distribution improves use: subsequent coverage found more than 300 integrations but sluggish developer adoption and limited app functionality, suggesting a listing alone may not produce engagement.
Third-order effects
- If app discovery becomes a meaningful user entry point, ChatGPT can evolve from a standalone assistant into an assistant operating layer where third-party services compete for placement and interaction context.
- The limiting question shifts from the availability of integrations to platform governance and workflow usefulness; the reported adoption constraints indicate that outcome remains unsettled.
The trend: AI assistants are becoming governed application surfaces, with SDKs, review processes and directories determining how third-party workflows reach users.