# Plugin (ChatGPT)

> A package that adds a workflow to ChatGPT, bundling one or more skills, app connections, or both.

**Category:** ChatGPT

**A plugin is the box a workflow ships in.** It can hold [skills](/glossary#chatgpt-skill) (how to do a job), [apps](/glossary#chatgpt-app) (connections to tools like Slack, Google Drive, or a CRM), or both. You find them in the **Plugin Directory** in the sidebar.

ChatGPT uses a plugin automatically when it helps, or you call it with an @mention or the + menu. Some carry an **OpenAI Verified** badge, a quality check rather than a security approval. Plugins cannot bypass the permissions you or your admin set. Custom GPTs are being replaced by plugins.

## At work

Your sales team keeps prepping calls by hand? A sales plugin with a CRM connection and a call-prep skill does the gathering for them.

## Often confused with

An app. An app is one connection to an outside tool; a plugin is the package that can contain apps and skills together.

## Related terms

- Skill (ChatGPT)
- App (ChatGPT)
- MCP (Model Context Protocol)

## See it in a lesson

[Skills and plugins](/en/learn/chatgpt/working-smart/skills-and-plugins)

## Further reading

- [Plugins in ChatGPT](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/20001256-plugins-in-chatgpt): The Plugin Directory and how plugins work.
- [Plugin architecture](https://developers.openai.com/plugins/concepts/plugins): The technical view of a plugin.
- [Moving your custom GPT workflows to plugins](https://learn.chatgpt.com/docs/migrate-custom-gpts): What replaces custom GPTs.

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Last updated: 14/10/2026  
Source: Rollo Academy glossary