How to Add and Use Plugins in ChatGPT

By Eric Parker, founder of TrueCal. Published October 1, 2026. Sources checked October 1, 2026.

Written with AI assistance from the cited studies. Every claim was checked against its source. Editorial policy.

Key takeaways

To add a plugin, go to Settings, then Plugins, then Install plugin, then Connect. To use it, type the at sign and its name in a chat, or pick it from the plus button.¹²
The directory has been renamed twice. Connectors started appearing in it as apps on December 18, 2025, and the Plugin Directory replaced the App Directory on July 9, 2026, with existing app connections unaffected.³
OpenAI's troubleshooting page says Free and Go users can browse the directory, but plugin extensions aren't available on those plans. That hasn't been confirmed for every plugin, so check the listing.⁵
People find a plugin through a direct link to its listing or by searching its name. Directory placement and proactive suggestions go only to plugins OpenAI picks.⁶

How do you add a plugin to ChatGPT?

OpenAI's help pages describe the install path as Settings, then Plugins, then Install plugin, then Connect. The directory is also in the sidebar, and you call a plugin in a chat by typing the at sign and its name or by using the plus button.¹²

As of October 2026, open Settings > Plugins in ChatGPT, or open the plugin directory from the sidebar.
Search for the plugin by name and open its listing.
Select Install plugin > Connect, and finish any sign-in the plugin shows.
In a chat, type the at sign and the plugin's name, or pick it from the plus button.

What happened to ChatGPT apps and connectors?

The names changed twice in under a year. Apps in ChatGPT launched on October 6, 2025. On December 18, 2025, the app directory opened, and connectors started appearing in it as apps. On July 9, 2026, the Plugin Directory replaced the App Directory.⁴³

If you connected an app before the rename, you don't need to redo it. OpenAI says existing app connections were unaffected.³

Date	What changed
October 6, 2025	Apps in ChatGPT launch⁴³
December 18, 2025	The app directory opens, and connectors appear in it as apps³
July 9, 2026	The Plugin Directory replaces the App Directory, and existing app connections are unaffected³

Which ChatGPT plans can use plugins?

OpenAI's troubleshooting page says the directory is on every plan, and Free and Go users can browse it, but plugin extensions aren't available on those plans. We haven't confirmed how that applies to each plugin, so check the listing before you count on it.⁵

Adding your own MCP server in developer mode is a separate path. It's for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, on the web.⁹

How do people find a plugin?

OpenAI's developer docs say people find a plugin by clicking a direct link to its listing or by searching for it by name. Plugins with strong real-world use and high user satisfaction may get directory placement or proactive suggestions.⁶

Proactive suggestions go only to plugins OpenAI picks, and since August 21, 2026, recommendations favor plugins people keep using.⁶³

Each listing is a public page that loads without signing in. It shows the plugin's subtitle, an Install plugin button, starter prompts, the developer, category, version, and privacy and terms links.¹³

Permissions, reading versus writing, and disconnecting

OpenAI's plugin guidelines say a plugin must tell you about every permission it requests, keep those requests to what it needs to work, and gather only the minimum data it needs.⁸

In developer mode, OpenAI treats any tool that isn't marked read-only as a write action, and write actions ask for your confirmation by default.⁹

Read the listing's privacy and terms links before you connect. To disconnect a plugin later, follow OpenAI's Connected apps in ChatGPT help page, listed in the sources below.

Health plugins versus Health in ChatGPT

Health in ChatGPT has its own connections, separate from the plugin directory. Today it connects to Apple Health on iPhone, U.S. provider portals, One Medical and Function Health, and OpenAI says nutrition apps reach it only through Apple Health.¹⁰

Health and fitness plugins such as MyFitnessPal, WeightWatchers and Peloton sit in the directory's Healthcare category.¹¹

Adding a food tracker

TrueCal is not in the ChatGPT plugin directory yet. On ChatGPT Plus or a higher plan, you can add it yourself on the web with developer mode, and the TrueCal in ChatGPT guide has the steps.¹²

Once it's connected, you can ask TrueCal to log a meal from text, log water or weight, show today's diary, show your weekly trend, or find a past meal.¹²

Worked example

Say you want to log meals by describing them in ChatGPT. A food tracker in the directory would be installed from its listing with Install plugin and Connect. TrueCal is not in the ChatGPT plugin directory yet, so on ChatGPT Plus or a higher plan you'd add it yourself on the web with developer mode, then type, TrueCal, log two eggs and a slice of toast for breakfast. TrueCal saves the meal to the same food log you see on iPhone, Android and the web.¹¹²

A closer look

OpenAI's developer docs say people find a plugin by clicking a direct link to its listing or by searching for it by name. Only plugins with strong real-world use and high user satisfaction may get extra placement in the directory or proactive suggestions, so a plugin you've heard of may not show up until you search for it.⁶

Questions and answers

Are ChatGPT plugins the same as apps and connectors?

Mostly, yes. Connectors started appearing in the directory as apps on December 18, 2025, and the Plugin Directory replaced the App Directory on July 9, 2026.³

Do I need ChatGPT Plus to use plugins?

OpenAI's troubleshooting page says Free and Go users can browse the directory, but plugin extensions aren't available on those plans. That hasn't been confirmed for every plugin, so check the listing.⁵

Can I add a plugin that isn't in the directory?

Yes, with developer mode, if the service has an MCP server. Developer mode is for ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise and Edu, on the web.⁹

Is TrueCal in the ChatGPT plugin directory?

TrueCal is not in the ChatGPT plugin directory yet. On ChatGPT Plus or a higher plan, you can add it yourself on the web with developer mode.¹²

Try TrueCal for your food log

Describe a meal in plain words and TrueCal saves it to the same log on iPhone, Android and the web.

Get TrueCal on the App Store Get TrueCal on Google Play

Sources

Plugins in ChatGPT. OpenAI. 2026.
Connected apps in ChatGPT. OpenAI. 2026.
ChatGPT release notes. OpenAI. 2026.
Introducing apps in ChatGPT. OpenAI. 2025.
Troubleshooting plugins in ChatGPT. OpenAI. 2026.
Plugin review. OpenAI. 2026.
ChatGPT Plugins directory. OpenAI. 2026.
Plugin guidelines. OpenAI. 2026.
Developer mode guide. OpenAI. 2026.
Health in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center. OpenAI. 2026.
ChatGPT Plugins, Healthcare category. OpenAI. 2026.
TrueCal in ChatGPT. TrueCal. 2026.
MyFitnessPal, ChatGPT Plugins. OpenAI. 2026.