Custom GPTs Are Going Away: What Creators Need to Know Before December 11

If you've built Custom GPTs for yourself, your customers, or your audience, an important change is coming.

OpenAI plans to retire Custom GPTs on December 11, 2026, replacing them with a system built around plugins, skills, reference files, and connected apps.

The good news? Migrating many GPTs will be relatively simple.

But there's a catch—especially if you've been sharing or selling GPTs.

Your GPT may be easy to migrate. Your audience may not be.

Here's what you need to know and how to prepare.

1. Your Custom GPTs Have a Retirement Date

OpenAI currently plans to retire Custom GPTs on December 11, 2026. Certain Enterprise workspaces may receive an extension until February 11, 2027.

Your existing GPTs should continue working until your applicable retirement date.

And although your previous GPT conversations will remain accessible, the GPTs themselves will no longer be available.

That makes now a good time to review what you've built.

2. Migrating a GPT Is Surprisingly Simple

For GPTs built primarily with instructions and knowledge files, OpenAI has streamlined the process.

When migration becomes available on your account:

1. Open My GPTs.

2. Select the GPT you want to migrate.

3. Choose Migrate to plugin.

4. Review and test the replacement.

Your instructions become a skill, knowledge files become reference files, and connected apps are added to the plugin.

However, Custom Actions and your original model selection won't automatically transfer.

Important: Migration uses your latest published GPT, not an unpublished draft.

Before migrating, review your instructions, publish essential changes, and save copies of important materials.

Then test the plugin with familiar prompts to confirm it still performs as expected.

A successful migration doesn't necessarily mean identical behavior.

3. The Biggest Catch: Public GPTs Don't Automatically Become Public Plugins

This is where things get more complicated.

Perhaps you've shared a GPT as:

• A lead magnet or free resource

• A course bonus

• A customer tool

• A resource mentioned in a book

• A product people have purchased

Migrating that GPT does not automatically preserve public access.

Your replacement plugin begins private. Making it publicly available requires a separate submission and approval process.

That process can involve developer verification, package validation, security checks, listing requirements, and OpenAI review.

And OpenAI currently provides no guaranteed approval timeline.

There's also the question of your existing GPT links.

OpenAI plans to redirect migrated GPT links to replacement plugins after retirement—but only for people who have access.

A working redirect doesn't guarantee a working customer experience.

If you've distributed GPT links through emails, courses, websites, PDFs, or customer resources, you'll need to review your distribution strategy.

4. You Have More Than One Migration Option

If you've built GPTs primarily for personal use, migrating to ChatGPT plugins may be the simplest choice.

But if you've created GPTs for customers or a broader audience, it's worth considering your alternatives.

One option is to convert your GPT into a Claude Skill.

Claude Skills use packaged instructions and supporting resources to teach Claude how to perform specialized tasks.

A basic Skill includes a SKILL.md file containing its name, description, and instructions. Additional reference files and resources can be included.

You package the Skill into a ZIP file and upload it through Claude's Skills interface.

Much of the work you've already invested in your GPT can become the foundation of that Skill:

• Instructions and workflows

• Knowledge and reference documents

• Decision-making logic

• Examples and output requirements

• Rules and guardrails

You're not necessarily rebuilding everything.

You're reorganizing what you've already created into a different format.

There is one important distinction: Creating a Claude Skill doesn't automatically solve public distribution. You still need to determine how your audience will receive, install, and use it.

The right choice depends on how your GPT works, who uses it, and how you want to deliver it.

5. What Should You Do Before December 11?

You don't need to rush into rebuilding everything.

Start with a simple audit.

First, identify your important GPTs.

Which ones do you use regularly? Which ones have customers or subscribers depending on them?

Second, preserve your work.

Review your instructions, knowledge files, workflows, and integrations. Publish any essential GPT changes before migrating.

Third, choose the right destination.

A ChatGPT plugin may be ideal for personal workflows. A Claude Skill may offer another way to package your expertise. Some creators may benefit from both.

Finally, test the replacement.

Don't assume the new version works simply because the migration completed.

Test real tasks, review the results, and make sure your users can access what they need.

The Most Important Thing to Preserve Isn't the GPT

Here's the bigger lesson.

Platforms change. Features disappear. Distribution rules evolve.

But the most valuable part of your GPT was never the GPT itself.

It was the thinking behind it.

Your expertise. Your instructions. Your workflows. Your frameworks. The experience you designed to help someone accomplish something meaningful.

That's the business asset worth protecting.

And it shouldn't have to disappear when a platform changes direction.

Want to Turn Your Custom GPT Into a Claude Skill?

If you've decided that Claude is a good destination for one of your GPTs, I've created The Custom GPT to Claude Skill Migration Kit™ to help you make the transition.

The kit walks you through organizing your GPT's instructions, knowledge, and workflows into a properly structured Claude Skill.

You'll have a practical process for moving from:

Custom GPT → Organized Skill → Tested Claude Skill

Instead of figuring out the structure from scratch, you can focus on preserving the work you've already done.

Get The Custom GPT to Claude Skill Migration Kit™ for $9.

Because the smartest AI assets aren't just useful today.

They're built to remain valuable when the technology changes.