# Programming ChatGPT Plugins

> Source: https://aiwiki.ai/wiki/programming_chatgpt_plugins
> Updated: 2026-06-24
> Categories: ChatGPT, OpenAI, Software Development
> From AI Wiki (https://aiwiki.ai), a free encyclopedia of artificial intelligence. Quote with attribution.

*See also: [ChatGPT Plugins](/wiki/chatgpt_plugins), [Software Development ChatGPT Plugins](/wiki/software_development_chatgpt_plugins), [ChatGPT Plugin Categories](/wiki/chatgpt_plugin_categories) and [Programming](/wiki/programming)*

**Programming ChatGPT Plugins** were a now-deprecated category of third-party extensions that let [ChatGPT](/wiki/chatgpt) call external developer tools, code repositories, computational engines, and runtime environments during a conversation. They are historical: the entire [ChatGPT plugin](/wiki/chatgpt_plugins) platform was a beta that [OpenAI](/wiki/openai) launched on March 23, 2023, stopped accepting new plugin conversations on March 19, 2024, and fully shut down on April 9, 2024.[^openai-plugins][^plugin-shutdown] None of the plugins described below are installable today. OpenAI replaced them first with [Custom GPTs](/wiki/custom_gpt) and the [GPT Store](/wiki/gpt_store) (launched January 10, 2024), and then with built-in connectors, GPT Actions, agentic coding tools such as Codex, and the cross-vendor [Model Context Protocol](/wiki/model_context_protocol) (MCP), which OpenAI adopted in March 2025.[^gpt-store][^mcp-openai]

> "We will be winding down the plugins beta on April 9, as GPTs offer a better way to reach ChatGPT users." OpenAI Help Center notice, 2024.[^plugin-shutdown]

The category covered plugins for code search across [GitHub](/wiki/github), live execution of [Python](/wiki/python) and other scripts, repository question answering, diagram generation, and integration with notebook services. Programming plugins were among the most actively used categories during the plugin beta. They gave ChatGPT a path out of pure text generation and into operations that required deterministic computation, file access, version-controlled code, and runtime feedback. The same use cases now drive a much larger ecosystem of AI coding tools, including [GitHub Copilot](/wiki/github_copilot), [Cursor](/wiki/cursor), [Windsurf](/wiki/windsurf), [Claude Code](/wiki/claude_code), and [Aider](/wiki/aider). This article documents the category as history and points to the successor tools.

This page covers the code-execution and computation side of the plugin ecosystem. The closely related [Software Development ChatGPT Plugins](/wiki/software_development_chatgpt_plugins) page covers the broader engineering life cycle (version control, repository analysis, issue tracking, CI/CD, and deployment); the two categories overlapped in the original store, so plugins such as AskTheCode and Noteable appear on both pages.

## What were Programming ChatGPT Plugins?

When OpenAI introduced the ChatGPT plugin system on March 23, 2023, it described plugins as "tools designed specifically for language models with safety as a core principle" that help ChatGPT "access up-to-date information, run computations, or use third-party services."[^openai-plugins] The launch shipped with two first-party plugins from OpenAI, a web browsing tool and a code execution sandbox, plus a starter set of third-party plugins from Expedia, FiscalNote, Instacart, Kayak, Klarna, Milo, OpenTable, Shopify, Slack, Speak, Wolfram, and Zapier.[^techcrunch-launch][^venturebeat-launch] Access opened to all ChatGPT Plus users on May 12, 2023, and within a few months the directory grew past 1,000 plugins.[^siliconangle-rollout]

For programming work, the category mattered because base ChatGPT had no way to read a repository, run code, query a real interpreter, or fetch a current package version. Plugins closed those gaps. The user could enable up to three plugins per conversation, and the model decided when to call each one based on the plugin's manifest description.

## Which programming plugins were notable?

The table below lists widely used plugins in the programming category. All of them ceased operating inside ChatGPT when the plugin store closed on March 19, 2024 and existing plugin chats stopped on April 9, 2024.[^plugin-shutdown]

| Plugin | Developer | Purpose |
| --- | --- | --- |
| [Code Interpreter](/wiki/code_interpreter) | [OpenAI](/wiki/openai) | First-party sandboxed [Python](/wiki/python) execution environment for running code, analyzing data, and reading or writing files in a chat. |
| Wolfram | Wolfram Research | Bridge to [Wolfram Alpha](/wiki/wolfram_alpha) and the [Wolfram Language](/wiki/wolfram_language) for symbolic math, computation, curated data, and code generation. |
| AskTheCode | Dmytro Somok | GitHub repository analyzer that let ChatGPT read repository structure, fetch file contents, and answer questions about a project's code. |
| ChatWithGit | Surya Dantuluri | GitHub code search plugin that returned matching code snippets across public repositories using the GitHub Search API. |
| Noteable | [Noteable](/wiki/noteable) | Created and ran [Jupyter](/wiki/jupyter_notebook) notebooks in Python, [SQL](/wiki/sql), and Markdown directly from ChatGPT, with R kernel support and shareable notebook output. |
| [Replit](/wiki/replit) | Replit | Hosting and runtime path for ChatGPT plugins, widely used for prototyping plugins and bridging ChatGPT to projects in the Replit cloud IDE. |
| Show Me Diagrams | RedstarPlugin | Generated and edited Mermaid diagrams (flowcharts, sequence diagrams, ER diagrams, mind maps) inline in chat. |
| Zapier | Zapier | Connected ChatGPT to thousands of apps for automated workflows, frequently used by developers to chain ChatGPT to ticketing, CI, and notification systems. |

### Code Interpreter

Code Interpreter was a first-party plugin built by OpenAI. It launched in alpha in March 2023 and rolled out to all ChatGPT Plus users on July 6, 2023.[^pcguide-ci][^searchenginejournal-ci] The plugin gave the model a working Python interpreter inside a sandboxed, firewalled environment with no network access. Users uploaded files up to 100 MB, and the model would write Python, run it, read errors back, and iterate. Capabilities included data analysis, chart plotting, file format conversion, and image manipulation. OpenAI renamed the feature Advanced Data Analysis in September 2023, then rolled the capability into ChatGPT as a built-in tool for paid users rather than an installable plugin, an early signal of where the whole platform was heading.[^searchenginejournal-ci]

### Wolfram

The Wolfram plugin, announced in March 2023 by Stephen Wolfram and OpenAI, gave ChatGPT access to Wolfram Alpha for natural language computational queries and the Wolfram Language for precise programmatic computation.[^wolfram-superpowers][^newstack-wolfram] Wolfram described it as giving ChatGPT "computational superpowers," letting the model offload deterministic math, unit conversions, real-time data lookups, and Wolfram Language code execution.[^wolfram-superpowers] For programming use cases it was especially useful for converting pseudocode into Wolfram Language and running symbolic mathematics that base ChatGPT often got wrong.

### AskTheCode

AskTheCode was a third-party plugin that connected ChatGPT to public GitHub repositories.[^askthecode-docs] A user pointed it at a repository URL, and the plugin let ChatGPT walk the directory tree, retrieve file contents, and answer questions about the project's code. It was widely used to onboard onto unfamiliar codebases without cloning them locally. After the ChatGPT plugin store closed, AskTheCode continued as a Custom GPT in the [GPT Store](/wiki/gpt_store) with the same core functionality.

### ChatWithGit

ChatWithGit, by Surya Dantuluri, performed code search across all public GitHub repositories.[^chatwithgit] Users typed a natural language query and the plugin returned matching code snippets with repository, file, and language metadata, using the GitHub Search API. Queries supported `language:`, `repo:`, and `path:` filters and required at least one keyword. The plugin was popular for finding reference implementations and example usage of libraries.

### Noteable

The Noteable plugin was a tight integration with the Noteable collaborative notebook platform, which served more than 200,000 users at its peak.[^noteable-pr][^noteable-medium][^noteable-shutdown] It let ChatGPT create new notebooks, run cells in Python or R kernels, render plots inline, and share results as a link. The pitch was making notebooks accessible to non-developers: describe a workflow in natural language and let the model generate, run, and revise cells. Noteable as a company terminated its platform in December 2023, before the broader plugin shutdown, after an investor pulled out in September 2023.[^noteable-shutdown]

### Replit

Replit had two roles in the plugin ecosystem. It was a popular hosting target for plugin authors, since plugins are HTTP services and Replit's free hosting and Python templates made it the path of least resistance.[^replit-tutorial] Replit also shipped its own integration that let ChatGPT reference Replit projects and run code in Replit's runtime. The relationship continued past the plugin shutdown: in 2025 Replit shipped a deeper integration that lets ChatGPT create, update, and deploy Replit Apps directly from chat using the ChatGPT Apps framework.[^replit-blog]

### Show Me Diagrams

Show Me Diagrams (originally branded "Show Me") rendered diagrams inline in chat.[^showme-medium] It used Mermaid as its preferred diagramming language and supported flowcharts, sequence diagrams, ER diagrams, Gantt charts, and mind maps. Users could revise the diagram with follow-up questions, and the plugin returned editable Mermaid source plus a rendered image. It was widely used for system design and schema visualizations.

### Zapier

The Zapier plugin connected ChatGPT to more than 5,000 apps. Developers used it to wire ChatGPT into engineering workflows: opening Jira tickets, posting Slack messages, triggering GitHub Actions, and dispatching emails. Zapier sunset its ChatGPT plugin on the same dates as the rest of the platform (no new conversations after March 19, 2024, existing conversations ending April 9, 2024) and pointed users to its AI Actions for OpenAI GPTs as the replacement, which exposes more than 20,000 actions across over 9,000 apps to a [Custom GPT](/wiki/custom_gpt) through GPT Actions.[^zapier-sunset]

## What were programming plugins used for?

Programming plugins covered workflows that base ChatGPT could not handle on its own.

| Use case | Plugins commonly used |
| --- | --- |
| Run Python and analyze data | Code Interpreter, Noteable, Replit |
| Verify computations and generate plots | Wolfram, Code Interpreter |
| Search and read code in GitHub | AskTheCode, ChatWithGit |
| Generate diagrams from code or specs | Show Me Diagrams |
| Trigger external app workflows | Zapier |
| Convert between file formats | Code Interpreter |

A frequent pattern was chaining plugins. ChatWithGit could surface a function definition, and Code Interpreter could run a reproduction against sample data. Show Me Diagrams plus AskTheCode produced architecture diagrams of an unfamiliar repository without leaving chat. Because a single conversation could enable at most three plugins, complex pipelines that needed code search, code execution, and diagramming together hit the cap immediately.

## Why were programming plugins deprecated?

OpenAI wound down the ChatGPT plugin beta in early 2024. The plugin store and new plugin conversations closed on March 19, 2024, and existing plugin chats stopped on April 9, 2024.[^plugin-shutdown][^community-march19] OpenAI stated that it was "winding down the plugins beta on April 9, as GPTs offer a better way to reach ChatGPT users."[^plugin-shutdown]

Several factors drove the deprecation:

1. **Discovery was poor.** The plugin store was a flat list with limited search. Despite more than 1,000 plugins, real usage stayed concentrated among power users.
2. **The three-plugin limit per conversation hurt complex tasks.** Workflows that needed code search, code execution, and diagramming together hit the limit immediately.
3. **Custom [GPTs](/wiki/custom_gpt) replaced the developer story.** Launched in November 2023 with the GPT Builder, Custom GPTs let any user assemble a configured ChatGPT with instructions, knowledge files, and optional Actions. Actions are the technical successor to plugins: they call external APIs from an OpenAPI specification, but live inside a single GPT rather than a global store.
4. **The [GPT Store](/wiki/gpt_store) replaced the plugin directory** with categories, search, featured slots, and revenue sharing for builders. When OpenAI opened the store on January 10, 2024, users had already created more than 3 million Custom GPTs, dwarfing the roughly 1,000 plugins in the old directory.[^gpt-store]
5. **The market moved toward IDE-native AI tools.** Inline assistants like [GitHub Copilot](/wiki/github_copilot), full AI editors like [Cursor](/wiki/cursor) and [Windsurf](/wiki/windsurf), and terminal agents like [Claude Code](/wiki/claude_code) and Codex CLI offered a more direct path than chat-based plugins.

## What replaced programming ChatGPT plugins?

The category of "AI tool that helps you code" has expanded far beyond what ChatGPT plugins offered. Most of the work that programming plugins enabled now happens in dedicated tools that run alongside or inside the developer's editor and shell.

| Tool | Vendor | Surface | Released |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [GitHub Copilot](/wiki/github_copilot) | GitHub / Microsoft | IDE extension, web chat, CLI, code review | Public preview October 2021, GA June 2022 |
| [Cursor](/wiki/cursor) | Anysphere | Standalone AI-first code editor (originally a [VS Code](/wiki/visual_studio_code) fork) | 2023 |
| [Windsurf](/wiki/windsurf) | Originally Codeium, now Cognition AI | Standalone agentic IDE | November 2024 |
| [Claude Code](/wiki/claude_code) | [Anthropic](/wiki/anthropic) | Terminal coding agent with IDE and browser surfaces | Research preview February 2025, GA May 2025 |
| Codex CLI | [OpenAI](/wiki/openai) | Open-source terminal coding agent built in Rust | April 2025 |
| [Aider](/wiki/aider) | Paul Gauthier and contributors | Open-source CLI for AI pair programming with git integration | 2023 |

### GitHub Copilot

[GitHub Copilot](/wiki/github_copilot) predates the ChatGPT plugin era. It entered public preview in October 2021 and reached general availability in June 2022. Copilot started as inline autocomplete in [Visual Studio Code](/wiki/visual_studio_code) and JetBrains IDEs, then expanded into Copilot Chat, Copilot Workspace, the Copilot CLI, and code review. By 2025 Copilot supported models from OpenAI, Anthropic, and Google.

### Cursor

[Cursor](/wiki/cursor) is an AI-first code editor built by [Anysphere](/wiki/anysphere). It launched in 2023 as a fork of VS Code, preserving most shortcuts, themes, and extensions while replacing the AI surface. Core features include Tab completion, multi-file Composer mode, an Agent Mode that can run terminal commands, and Background Agents on a remote VM. Cursor crossed a billion-dollar annualized revenue run rate by early 2026.

### Windsurf

[Windsurf](/wiki/windsurf) launched in November 2024 as the first "agentic IDE," originally under [Codeium](/wiki/codeium). Codeium completed the rebrand to Windsurf in April 2025. The product centers on Cascade, an in-editor AI agent that reads full codebases, performs multi-file edits, and runs terminal commands. After an acquisition saga involving OpenAI, Google, and Cognition AI, the Windsurf product is now owned by Cognition AI.

### Claude Code

[Claude Code](/wiki/claude_code) is [Anthropic](/wiki/anthropic)'s agentic coding tool. It launched as a research preview in February 2025 and went generally available in May 2025. Claude Code lives in the terminal, reads the local codebase, edits files, runs commands, and manages git workflows through natural language. Anthropic reported a billion-dollar annualized run rate for Claude Code in the final months of 2025.

### Codex CLI

Codex CLI is [OpenAI](/wiki/openai)'s open-source terminal coding agent, written in Rust. It runs in the user's local directory, can read and edit files, run shell commands, fetch web pages, accept image attachments, and connect to other tools through the Model Context Protocol. It is included with ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Edu, and Enterprise plans on macOS, Windows, and Linux.

### Aider

[Aider](/wiki/aider) is an open-source command line tool for AI pair programming on a local git repository. Created by Paul Gauthier in 2023, it is now developed under the Aider-AI organization on GitHub. Aider builds a repo map of the codebase, supports most popular programming languages, automatically commits changes with descriptive messages, and works with most major LLM providers including Anthropic, OpenAI, DeepSeek, and local models via Ollama.

## How do programming plugins relate to the Model Context Protocol?

The Model Context Protocol ([MCP](/wiki/model_context_protocol)) is the standard that emerged after both ChatGPT plugins and GPT Actions. [Anthropic](/wiki/anthropic) introduced MCP on November 25, 2024, and OpenAI adopted it in March 2025, when CEO Sam Altman announced support for MCP in the OpenAI Agents SDK; OpenAI later expanded MCP support inside ChatGPT through a Developer Mode in late 2025.[^mcp-anthropic][^mcp-openai] Most programming use cases that ChatGPT plugins covered now have an MCP server equivalent: GitHub access, filesystem access, shell execution, database queries, and web browsing. MCP servers are reusable across [Claude Code](/wiki/claude_code), [Cursor](/wiki/cursor), [Windsurf](/wiki/windsurf), VS Code, Codex CLI, and ChatGPT Apps, removing the per-vendor lock-in that ChatGPT plugins had.

## Summary

Programming ChatGPT plugins were the first widely available bridge between a frontier chat model and the developer's actual stack: code, runtimes, repositories, computational engines, and notebooks. The category lasted from March 2023 to April 2024 and previewed where AI tooling for software development was heading. The plugins are gone, but the workflows they pioneered now live inside [Custom GPTs](/wiki/custom_gpt), the [GPT Store](/wiki/gpt_store), and a larger ecosystem of dedicated AI coding tools led by [GitHub Copilot](/wiki/github_copilot), [Cursor](/wiki/cursor), [Windsurf](/wiki/windsurf), [Claude Code](/wiki/claude_code), Codex CLI, and [Aider](/wiki/aider).

## See also

- [ChatGPT Plugins](/wiki/chatgpt_plugins)
- [Software Development ChatGPT Plugins](/wiki/software_development_chatgpt_plugins)
- [App Development ChatGPT Plugins](/wiki/app_development_chatgpt_plugins)
- [ChatGPT Plugin Categories](/wiki/chatgpt_plugin_categories)
- [Custom GPTs](/wiki/custom_gpt)
- [GPT Store](/wiki/gpt_store)
- [Code Interpreter](/wiki/code_interpreter)
- [Model Context Protocol](/wiki/model_context_protocol)

## References

[^openai-plugins]: OpenAI. "ChatGPT plugins." March 23, 2023. https://openai.com/index/chatgpt-plugins/

[^techcrunch-launch]: TechCrunch. "OpenAI connects ChatGPT to the internet." March 23, 2023. https://techcrunch.com/2023/03/23/openai-connects-chatgpt-to-the-internet/

[^venturebeat-launch]: VentureBeat. "OpenAI turns ChatGPT into a platform overnight with addition of plugins." March 23, 2023. https://venturebeat.com/ai/openai-turns-chatgpt-into-a-platform-overnight-with-addition-of-plugins

[^siliconangle-rollout]: SiliconANGLE. "OpenAI rolls out ChatGPT plugins for paid subscribers." May 14, 2023. https://siliconangle.com/2023/05/14/openai-rolls-chatgpt-plugins-paid-subscribers/

[^plugin-shutdown]: OpenAI Developer Community. "Plugin Store and New Chats With Plugins - Closed March 19 2024." https://community.openai.com/t/plugin-store-and-new-chats-with-plugins-closed-march-19-2024/689877

[^community-march19]: OpenAI Developer Community. "Have plugins been replaced completely?" https://community.openai.com/t/have-plugins-been-replaced-completely/475694

[^gpt-store]: OpenAI. "Introducing the GPT Store." January 10, 2024. https://openai.com/index/introducing-the-gpt-store/

[^pcguide-ci]: PC Guide. "How to use ChatGPT Code Interpreter." https://www.pcguide.com/apps/chatgpt-code-interpreter-what-is-this-plugin/

[^searchenginejournal-ci]: Search Engine Journal. "Code Interpreter Available For ChatGPT Plus Users After Maintenance." July 2023. https://www.searchenginejournal.com/code-interpreter-chatgpt-plus/490980/

[^wolfram-superpowers]: Stephen Wolfram. "ChatGPT Gets Its 'Wolfram Superpowers'!" March 23, 2023. https://writings.stephenwolfram.com/2023/03/chatgpt-gets-its-wolfram-superpowers/

[^newstack-wolfram]: The New Stack. "Wolfram ChatGPT Plugin Blends Symbolic AI with Generative AI." https://thenewstack.io/wolfram-chatgpt-plugin-blends-symbolic-ai-with-generative-ai/

[^askthecode-docs]: AskTheCode Documentation. https://docs.askthecode.ai/

[^chatwithgit]: ChatWithGit Plugin. https://plugins.sdan.io/git

[^noteable-pr]: PR Newswire. "Noteable Launches ChatGPT Plugin Revolutionizing Access to Data Analysis Regardless of Technical Ability." https://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/noteable-launches-chatgpt-plugin-revolutionizing-access-to-data-analysis-regardless-of-technical-ability-301821663.html

[^noteable-medium]: Elijah Meeks. "Notebooks for Everyone: How Noteable's ChatGPT Plugin Empowers.." Noteable on Medium. https://medium.com/noteableio/notebooks-for-everyone-af17bb548b56

[^noteable-shutdown]: Noteable Community. "Noteable is terminating its platform and services." December 2023. https://community.noteable.io/c/announcements-4da7da/noteable-is-terminating-its-platform-and-services

[^replit-tutorial]: Reuven Cohen. "How to Build and Deploy a ChatGPT Plugin in Python using Replit." LinkedIn. https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/tutorial-how-build-deploy-chatgpt-plugin-python-using-reuven-cohen

[^replit-blog]: Replit. "Now You Can Build with Replit in ChatGPT." https://blog.replit.com/replit-in-chatgpt

[^showme-medium]: David R. Oliver. "ChatGPT Show Me Diagrams Plugin." Medium. https://medium.com/@davidroliver/chatgpt-show-me-diagrams-plugin-2301290cc7f1

[^zapier-sunset]: Zapier. "Sunsetting the Zapier ChatGPT plugin: what you need to know." https://help.zapier.com/hc/en-us/articles/24785309335565-Sunsetting-the-Zapier-ChatGPT-plugin-what-you-need-to-know

[^mcp-anthropic]: Anthropic. "Introducing the Model Context Protocol." November 25, 2024. https://www.anthropic.com/news/model-context-protocol

[^mcp-openai]: OpenAI Agents SDK. "Model context protocol (MCP)." 2025. https://openai.github.io/openai-agents-python/mcp/