What happens to my custom GPTs when OpenAI shuts them down?
OpenAI is shutting down custom GPTs and converting them into a new format called plugins. According to Jason Pantana, your written instructions carry over automatically, but custom actions (connections to outside tools) must be rebuilt, and OpenAI says custom GPTs will be fully retired by early to mid-December. Back up each GPT you rely on now and check every place you’ve shared its link.
Your GPTs still work today, so this isn’t an emergency. Take ten minutes now: open each GPT your business depends on and copy its instructions somewhere you control before the switch happens.
Losing a tool you’ve folded into your week costs you time to rebuild it. The bigger risk is public. If you’ve handed a GPT link to clients or prospects, a broken link makes you look careless. A little prep now keeps both problems off your plate.
Do custom GPT instructions transfer to plugins automatically?
Yes. Your written instructions carry over on their own when a GPT converts to a plugin. Custom actions do not. Jason Pantana explains that any custom actions, “meaning any connections to outside tools,” will “have to get rebuilt, unfortunately.”
| Part of your GPT | What happens when it converts |
|---|---|
| Written instructions | Carry over automatically |
| Custom actions (connections to outside tools) | Don’t carry over and must be rebuilt |
| Shared links to the GPT | OpenAI plans to redirect them to the new plugin version |
For most agents, the custom actions issue won’t come up. As Pantana puts it, “you probably never added any custom actions because it was a pretty technical procedure.” Still check. If one of your GPTs connects to another tool, plan time to rebuild that connection.
How should you back up your custom GPTs before the switch?
Open every GPT you rely on and copy its instructions into a document you own. Jason’s advice is direct: “spend 10 minutes today or tomorrow where you open each of your GPTs that you rely on, and then copy its instructions into a document that you own and control.”
Here’s the full checklist:
- Open each GPT you depend on. Skip the experiments you never used and focus on the ones that are part of your routine.
- Copy the instructions into your own document. Save the reference files and any prompts you use to test the GPT, too.
- Note which GPTs use custom actions. Those are the ones you’ll need to rebuild.
- Make sure any GPT you want to migrate is published. It doesn’t have to be shared publicly.
- Watch for the migrate button. A migration option is expected to appear inside your custom GPTs. Personal accounts should look for the notice inside ChatGPT, because OpenAI says availability and timing may vary by plan.
- Test the new plugin after you migrate. Check its sharing settings and confirm your shared links still work.
The backup is the step that matters most. Once your instructions live in a document you control, a platform change can’t take them from you.
Will shared links to your custom GPTs break?
They shouldn’t, but don’t count on it. Pantana notes that ChatGPT “says they are planning to redirect the URLs that link to your custom GPTs to the new updated plugins” once the migration happens.
A planned redirect isn’t a promise, so audit anywhere you’ve posted a GPT link. Jason’s list covers the usual spots: “any newsletter, ad, QR code, link in bio, any place where you might have shared a link to a custom GPT so that it doesn’t break for your audience.”
Printed QR codes need the most care because you can’t edit them after they’re out in the world. After you migrate, scan or click each one yourself and confirm it lands where it should.
Frequently Asked Questions
Are my custom GPTs already gone?
No. The custom GPTs you’ve already built keep working for now. They’ll eventually be converted to plugins, and OpenAI says custom GPTs will be fully retired by early to mid-December.
Do I lose my GPT instructions when it becomes a plugin?
No. Your written instructions carry over automatically during the conversion. Jason Pantana still recommends copying them into a document you own and control as a backup.
What are custom actions, and why do they matter here?
Custom actions are connections from a GPT to outside tools. They won’t carry over automatically and will need to be rebuilt. Most agents never added any because setting them up was a technical process.
How do I start migrating a custom GPT?
Watch for a migrate button inside your custom GPTs. Once it appears for your account, migrate the GPT, test the new plugin, check its sharing settings, and confirm your shared links still work.
Keep your marketing running while the tools change
Platform shifts like this one are a reminder that your marketing shouldn’t hinge on a single feature you don’t control. Ai Marketing Academy, co-founded by Jason Pantana and Tom Ferry, shows real estate agents how to put AI to work through step-by-step trainings and live sessions, and its Automations side runs parts of your marketing for you with done-for-you apps. Explore Ai Marketing Academy and choose the Academy or the Academy + Automations bundle.
