OPENAI ANNOUNCEMENT — SEPTEMBER 2026
Your Custom GPT Is Being Retired.
OpenAI is retiring Custom GPTs and moving everyone toward a new system called Plugins. Here's what that actually means, and what to do before it happens.
>The real timeline — not just the headline
>What breaks in migration (it isn't copy-paste)
>What to save before anything goes away
01 / THE ANNOUNCEMENT
What's Actually Happening
Straight from OpenAI's own help center. No spin.
▸OpenAI is retiring Custom GPTs.
▸The replacement is called Plugins — a package of reusable instructions ("skills") plus connected outside services ("apps").
▸OpenAI says the transition affects all ChatGPT plans.
▸The dates published so far are specifically the Enterprise/Edu timeline.
"Custom GPTs are not just 'custom chatbots.' They are repeatable, bounded cognitive environments."
— FROM OPENAI'S OWN DEVELOPER COMMUNITY, REACTING TO THE NEWS
02 / THE TIMELINE
The Timeline
Confirmed dates apply to Enterprise/Edu workspaces. Other plans are expected to follow — OpenAI hasn't published those dates yet.
SEP 11
Admin noticeEnterprise admins told to prepare.
SEP 17
Migration tool targetNot guaranteed to appear for every workspace on this date.
SEP 25
New GPT creation endsEnterprise/Edu only.
DEC 11
Custom GPTs stop runningEnterprise/Edu retirement date.
Free / Plus / Pro / Business: no confirmed retirement date yet. OpenAI says these plans are expected to follow the same schedule.
03 / THE FINE PRINT
Migration Isn't Copy-Paste
OpenAI's own FAQ lists what does and doesn't carry over automatically.
CARRIES OVER (STILL NEEDS TESTING)
+Instructions become a Plugin "skill"
+Connected apps are added as Plugin "apps"
DOES NOT CARRY OVER AUTOMATICALLY
−Custom Actions
−The model you had selected
−Conversation starters and chat history
−Who has access — the new Plugin starts private
OpenAI says the migrated Plugin may respond differently, and needs to be tested before anyone relies on it again.
04 / SELF-CHECK
Is Your Business At Risk?
Tap what applies.
Customers or leads interact with our GPT directly
Our team relies on it as part of a daily workflow
It uses Custom Actions or connects to another tool
Losing access for even a few days would interrupt something real
We don't know who else on our team could rebuild it
Checking two or more? Worth planning for now, not in November.
05 / BEFORE IT'S RETIRED
Save This Now
Useful whether you move to Plugins or somewhere else entirely.
▸Export or copy your GPT's full instructions
▸Document every Custom Action and what it connects to
▸Save your knowledge files somewhere outside ChatGPT
▸List who currently has access, and who needs it after
▸Write down 5–10 real test questions to check the replacement against
06 / THE REAL QUESTION
This Isn't An Argument Against ChatGPT
A Custom GPT can be a smart way to test an idea. What it was never built to be is a customer experience.
▸It lives inside ChatGPT, not on your website
▸It doesn't hand a conversation off to your team
▸Its availability was always tied to OpenAI's roadmap, not yours
Use AI where it helps. Keep the customer path under your control.
— THAT'S THE GAP MIGRATION IS EXPOSING RIGHT NOW
07 / THE ALTERNATIVE
Built to Outlast the Roadmap
DFWBots Custom Brain
01Lives on your website, not inside someone else's app
02Deterministic logic — same question, same answer, every time
03No per-seat ChatGPT cost, no dependency on what OpenAI changes next
Can't build on ChatGPT anymore?
DFWBots never needed to.
08 / NEXT STEP
Let's Look At What You'd Keep
Leave your info and someone from DFWBots will reach out about what a business-owned version of your GPT could look like.
Got it.
Someone from DFWBots will reach out shortly.
DFWBOTS
Concierge systems that don't retire on someone else's schedule.