Create a plugin with Plugin Creator

You don’t create a plugin by filling out a form like the GPT Builder. Instead, you converse with a dedicated assistant called Plugin Creator. This process requires no coding. This lesson walks you through it step by step, using the document summarization plugin example from OpenAI’s documentation.

Before you start

You need three things: a specific task you perform regularly, an example of a good result, and the reference files the plugin will use—a document template, a rubric, or a style guide. Regarding permissions, you must have the Use plugins permission, and Plugin Creator must be available in your workspace. To modify an existing plugin, you also need edit rights. If the creation option doesn’t appear, it’s often a workspace setting issue; ask your administrator.

The four steps of creation

1. Invoke Plugin Creator. First, install it from the Plugins directory if you haven’t already. Then, in a conversation in Chat or Work mode, type @, search for “Plugin Creator,” and select it. Alternatively, go to Plugins, then Add (+).

2. Describe the workflow. A good brief covers four points: the goal (the recurring task and when you’ll use the plugin), the inputs (what you’ll provide and how to use each file), the output (who it’s for, what format, length, and tone), and the rules (mandatory steps, what needs review, and how to handle missing information). Ask for reusable instructions: today’s document should serve as a test example, not fixed content.

“Create a plugin called Document Summary. Summarize the documents I provide in three sections: Overview, Key Points, Open Questions. Use the attached template for formatting. Rely only on the document. If requested information is missing, state ‘not provided.’ Never modify the source document.”

3. Add context and refine. Attach the template, example, or reference file, answer Plugin Creator’s questions, and request adjustments until the instructions match the task. Keep the first version focused on a single workflow: a clear name and description will help your colleagues know when to use it.

4. Review and finish. Check the name, description, instructions, and files before relying on it. A new workspace plugin starts in private mode: you can test it before sharing.

Add an app

A plugin can rely solely on skills if you paste text or attach a file. Add an app when the work needs to fetch a document from another service or perform an action there. Choose an app authorized in your workspace, explain to Plugin Creator what it should read or do and what you want to review first, then follow the connection prompts. One important security point: a plugin grants no additional access. It sees only the files, data, and actions your account already has access to within the app, nothing more. For a service without an existing app, the documentation provides for connecting a custom MCP server.

Test, modify, share

Test in a new conversation: install the plugin if prompted, select it with @, and give it a task you know well. Check the format, the use of the correct reference files, and the handling of missing information, then try an incomplete document. If you plan to use it in both Chat and Work modes, test both: the available tools and apps may differ. Keep a few test queries to replay after each modification.

To modify a plugin, open Plugins, select it, then choose Edit Plugin: a conversation opens where you describe what needs to change and what must be preserved. To share it, its sharing settings let you choose people or groups; you need the Share plugins permission, and publishing to the workspace directory requires the Publish plugins to workspace permission. Sharing isn’t installing: each recipient must install the plugin unless an administrator has done it for them, and they must have access to the apps it uses. Include a sample query with the link and indicate who maintains the plugin.

Your turn

Your first plugin. Reuse the design sheet from Lesson 4 or the migration plan from Lesson 15. Write the brief in four points (goal, inputs, output, rules), create the plugin with Plugin Creator, then test it with @ on three typical requests and one incomplete case. If your account doesn’t offer Plugin Creator yet, just write the brief: it will be ready when the option becomes available.

Official sources: Build plugins (ChatGPT documentation: Plugin Creator, permissions, testing, sharing) · Plugins in ChatGPT (OpenAI Help Center: installing Plugin Creator, sharing)

Key takeaways

• You create a plugin by conversing with Plugin Creator, no code required; you need the Use plugins permission
• A good brief specifies the goal, inputs, output, and rules, with a test example
• A plugin grants no additional access to apps: it acts with your own permissions
• Test in Chat and Work, then share (Share plugins) or publish (Publish plugins to workspace); each recipient installs the plugin