What changed in the ChatGPT apps directory
OpenAI’s Plugins guide says that ChatGPT and Codex share a public plugin directory on supported surfaces. In ChatGPT web and desktop, use the Plugins tab to browse and install plugins. A plugin may prompt you to connect an external service before its tools are available.
That separates several decisions that are often incorrectly collapsed into “install an app”:
| Layer | The actual question |
|---|---|
| Plugin availability | Can this user install or use the package? |
| App access | Is its connector available to this workspace role? |
| Action controls | Which connector actions can run, and when must ChatGPT ask? |
| Service authorization | What can the signed-in account read or change? |
| Runtime permission | What can the active agent do after it receives a tool? |
OpenAI’s admin controls document these as separate layers. A user can see a plugin and still lack access to the connected service or a particular action.
Six jobs that can justify a connection
The right app is the one that produces an outcome your existing tools cannot produce alone.
| Job | Connection to evaluate | What to verify |
|---|---|---|
| Turn a brief into an editable design | Canva | Eligible plan, design access, and export |
| Summarize or update project records | Airtable | Authorized base, record identity, and read versus write scopes |
| Create a team diagram or slides | Figma | Regional/beta conditions in the launch announcement; confirm current access |
| Adjust an existing image | Photoshop | Documented adjustments, not generative edits; inspect final pixels |
| Find a property listing | Zillow | Current listing details and handoff to Zillow |
| Answer internal software questions | eesel | Approved policy, IT route, and escalation rule |
The first five are provider-documented connection examples, not a guarantee that every account sees the same catalog. Follow each provider’s supported connection method. The sixth is a different job: helping employees understand the permitted use of a connection.
Start with the company-tool approval, not the directory
Suppose an employee already has permission to summarize project records, then asks whether that also lets the app update deadlines. A good answer needs the company’s approved use and the actual service permissions. An app being connected does not establish that the requested write is allowed.
The answer should say what is known: whether the tool is approved for the requested data, what account or workspace is allowed, and where the employee should go if approval is missing. It should not imply that the request is approved, authenticate a service account, or change an external permission.
Use eesel CLI to test the support answer
The eesel CLI operates the same teammate and workspace as the dashboard. A person, script, or coding agent such as Claude Code, Codex, or Cursor can use its JSON output to inspect a supported setup. With Node.js 18.17 or newer, use npx @eesel/cli.
Before any billed chat, an owner checks the selected teammate, approved policy source, standing instructions, enabled actions, and downstream IT/helpdesk permissions:
npx @eesel/cli status --agent "IT support"
npx @eesel/cli integrations --agent "IT support"
npx @eesel/cli instructions --agent "IT support"
npx @eesel/cli approvals --agent "IT support"
Setup and inspection are free; chat is billed work. A fictional request is not a sandbox for permissions already granted to the teammate.
An owner can review this exact standing-rule proposal before a supported write:
+ Distinguish permission to read or summarize records from permission to change them.
+ Answer app-permission questions from the approved use policy. If a requested record update is not approved, identify the approval owner and do not imply that an existing connection authorizes the write.
Run npx @eesel/cli instructions --help to identify the supported write and use that command’s --dry-run option where available. The owner reviews the proposal and supported call, approves the actual change, and confirms the saved instruction.
Then approve the billed test, create fresh conversations, and supply fictional facts without repeating the rule:
npx @eesel/cli new --name "software-read-scope" --agent "IT support"
npx @eesel/cli chat "Our project connector is approved for read-only summaries. Can I use it to summarize the launch tasks?" --agent "IT support"
npx @eesel/cli new --name "software-write-scope" --agent "IT support"
npx @eesel/cli chat "Our project connector is approved for read-only summaries. Does that also let it move every deadline to Friday?" --agent "IT support"
The fictional setup supplies the approved scope, not the desired answer. The first response should explain the allowed summary; the second should identify the extra approval needed for writes. Finally inspect the native helpdesk result: the answer or escalation must reach the right IT owner, reveal no sensitive data, and create no external connection or permission change. This reviews eesel’s guidance; it does not test or change the ChatGPT connector’s access controls.
Choose a connection that earns its access
Plugins can make ChatGPT and Codex useful in the tools where work already happens. They also add real access decisions. Start with a narrow deliverable, verify the provider’s current capability and the company’s policy, then expand only after a native result is correct.
Try eesel when the recurring job is answering software-access questions from your approved company knowledge.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the ChatGPT apps directory now?
On supported ChatGPT web and desktop surfaces, OpenAI directs users to the Plugins tab. Plugins can include skills, connectors, MCP servers, and other components.
Does installing a ChatGPT plugin approve it for company data?
No. Plugin availability, workspace access, service authorization, and runtime permissions are separate checks. A public listing does not establish company approval.
Can a ChatGPT app take actions in another service?
Some connectors can, when the app, workspace role, action controls, and connected-service identity permit it. Confirm the exact action rather than assuming access from the app name.
Are ChatGPT apps and plugins the same thing?
An app or connector connects ChatGPT to an external service. A plugin is a package that can include connectors, skills, MCP servers, and other workflow components.
How should a team approve a new AI connection?
Identify the owner, permitted data, permitted actions, approval point, and removal path. Test a narrow case and inspect the native result before expanding access.
Article by
Rama Adi Nugraha
Rama is a software engineer at eesel AI with two years of experience writing about B2B SaaS, AI tools, and customer support technology. Based in Bali, Indonesia, he brings a developer's perspective to product comparisons — cutting through marketing copy to what the integrations and APIs actually do.
