AI tool register · ChatGPT
What can ChatGPT see and do once you connect your tools?
ChatGPT connectors work under the permissions of the account that connected them, and fetch what they need when asked. Admins on eligible workspaces can also set up a sync that indexes chosen content in advance. Apps can read and, where supported, change things. A permission setting decides when ChatGPT has to ask first.
Apps (connected apps), bundled in plugins. Some OpenAI pages still call them connectors.
Availability depends on the app, plan, region, workspace, and role. Business and Enterprise include apps that connect to internal tools. Custom MCP apps with write actions: Business, Enterprise, Edu.
- Google Drive
- SharePoint
- Microsoft Teams
- Outlook Email and Calendar
- Slack
- GitHub
- Box
- Notion
What a connector can see, and what it can do
What a connector can see
Live app connections fetch from the connected account under that account's permissions. Separately, admins of eligible workspaces can set up sync, which indexes selected Google Drive, SharePoint, or Teams content in advance. Source permissions still apply.
Source (opens in a new tab)What it can do
Apps can read and, where supported, create or update information. A permission setting decides when ChatGPT asks first: always ask, allow read actions, allow low-risk actions, or allow all actions.
Source (opens in a new tab)Who switches it on
Business: apps are on by default and admins can turn them off. Enterprise and Edu: a selected set is on for new workspaces, other new apps stay off until an admin enables them. Each user then connects an account.
Source (opens in a new tab)Whether that data trains the model
Business, Enterprise, Edu: information accessed through apps is not used for training by default. Free, Go, Plus, Pro: it may be used if "Improve the model for everyone" is on.
Source (opens in a new tab)Custom connectors
Custom MCP apps with write actions are in beta for Business, Enterprise, and Edu, on web only. Admins or owners enable developer mode and publish. Pro gets read and fetch only. OpenAI does not verify custom apps.
Source (opens in a new tab)
Our take
Before you connect anything
Leave the permission on “always ask” to begin with, and connect one source at a time. On Business, apps are on by default, so decide which ones your firm wants before people start connecting accounts.
- Tidy permissions first. A connector can reach whatever the person who connected it can.
- Treat reading and acting as 2 separate decisions.
- Put the approved connectors in your AI use policy.
Compare and decide
- ChatGPT: data handling by planIs ChatGPT safe for confidential information?
- Claude connectorsWhat can Claude see and do through connectors?
- Microsoft Copilot connectorsWhat can Microsoft Copilot see and do through connectors?
- Google Gemini connectorsWhat can Gemini see and do in your Google Workspace?
- What can AI see when I connect a tool?The general answer, without the product names.
- AI agentsWhat comes after connecting: an agent with a job.
How this was checked
Every fact on this page is taken from OpenAI’s own documentation as it read on . Vendors change these terms often, sometimes monthly. Check the linked page before you rely on it.
- OpenAI enterprise privacy (training, retention, staff access, SOC 2) (opens in a new tab)
- How your data is used to improve model performance (consumer training, feedback) (opens in a new tab)
- Data controls in ChatGPT (opt-out setting, temporary chats) (opens in a new tab)
- Chat and file retention in ChatGPT (deletion within 30 days) (opens in a new tab)
- ChatGPT pricing comparison table (admin controls and certifications per plan) (opens in a new tab)
- Connected apps in ChatGPT (what apps see and do, training) (opens in a new tab)
- Admin controls, security, and compliance for plugins and apps (opens in a new tab)
- Administrator-managed apps with sync (indexing) (opens in a new tab)
- Developer mode and MCP apps (custom apps) (opens in a new tab)
- Data residency and inference residency for ChatGPT (opens in a new tab)
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