ChatGPT Apps Builder
Complete workflow for building, testing, and deploying ChatGPT Apps from concept to production.
Commands
/chatgpt-apps new- Create a new ChatGPT App/chatgpt-apps add-tool- Add an MCP tool to your app/chatgpt-apps add-widget- Add a widget to your app/chatgpt-apps add-auth- Configure authentication/chatgpt-apps add-database- Set up database/chatgpt-apps validate- Validate your app/chatgpt-apps test- Run tests/chatgpt-apps deploy- Deploy to production/chatgpt-apps resume- Resume working on an app
Table of Contents
1. Create New App
Purpose: Create a new ChatGPT App from concept to working code.
Workflow
Phase 1: Conceptualization
Ask for the app idea "What ChatGPT App would you like to build? Describe what it does and the problem it solves."
Analyze against UX Principles
- Conversational Leverage: What can users accomplish through natural language?
- Native Fit: How does this integrate with ChatGPT's conversational flow?
- Composability: Can tools work independently and combine with other apps?
Check for Anti-Patterns
- Static website content display
- Complex multi-step workflows requiring external tabs
- Duplicating ChatGPT's native capabilities
- Ads or upsells
Define Use Cases Create 3-5 primary use cases with user stories.
Phase 2: Design
Tool Topology
- Query tools (readOnlyHint: true)
- Mutation tools (destructiveHint: false)
- Destructive tools (destructiveHint: true)
- Widget tools (return UI with _meta)
- External API tools (openWorldHint: true)
Widget Design For each widget:
id- unique identifier (kebab-case)name- display namedescription- what it showsmockData- sample data for preview
Data Model Design entities and relationships.
Auth Requirements
- Single-user (no auth needed)
- Multi-user (Auth0 or Supabase Auth)
Phase 3: Implementation
Generate complete application with this structure:
{app-name}/
├── package.json
├── tsconfig.server.json
├── setup.sh
├── START.sh
├── .env.example
├── .gitignore
└── server/
└── index.ts
Critical Requirements:
Serverclass from@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/server/index.jsStreamableHTTPServerTransportfor session managementWidget URIs:
ui://widget/{widget-id}.htmlWidget MIME type:
text/html+skybridgestructuredContentin tool responses_metawithopenai/outputTemplateon tools
Phase 4: Testing
Run setup:
./setup.shStart dev:
./START.sh --devPreview widgets:
http://localhost:3000/previewTest MCP connection
Phase 5: Deployment
Generate Dockerfile and render.yaml
Deploy to Render
Configure ChatGPT connector
2. Add MCP Tool
Purpose: Add a new MCP tool to your ChatGPT App.
Workflow
Gather Information
- What does this tool do?
- What inputs does it need?
- What does it return?
Classify Tool Type
- Query (readOnlyHint: true) - Fetches data
- Mutation (destructiveHint: false) - Creates/updates data
- Destructive (destructiveHint: true) - Deletes data
- Widget - Returns UI content
- External (openWorldHint: true) - Calls external APIs
Design Input Schema Create Zod schema with appropriate types and descriptions.
Generate Tool Handler Use
chatgpt-mcp-generatoragent to create:- Tool handler in
server/tools/ - Zod schema export
- Type exports
- Database queries (if needed)
- Tool handler in
Register Tool Update
server/index.tswith metadata:typescript { name: "my-tool", _meta: { "openai/toolInvocation/invoking": "Loading...", "openai/toolInvocation/invoked": "Done", "openai/outputTemplate": "ui://widget/my-widget.html", // if widget } }Update State Add tool to
.chatgpt-app/state.json.
Tool Naming
Use kebab-case: list-items, create-task, show-recipe-detail
Annotations Guide
| Scenario | readOnlyHint | destructiveHint | openWorldHint |
|---|---|---|---|
| List/Get | true | false | false |
| Create/Update | false | false | false |
| Delete | false | true | false |
| External API | varies | varies | true |
3. Add Widget
Purpose: Add inline HTML widgets with HTML/CSS/JS and Apps SDK integration.
5 Widget Patterns
Card Grid - Multiple items in grid
Stats Dashboard - Key metrics display
Table - Tabular data
Bar Chart - Simple visualizations
Detail Widget - Single item details
Workflow
Gather Information
- Widget purpose and data
- Visual design (cards, table, chart, etc.)
- Interactivity needs
Define Data Shape Document expected structure with TypeScript interface.
Add Widget Config
typescript const widgets: WidgetConfig[] = [ { id: "my-widget", name: "My Widget", description: "Displays data", templateUri: "ui://widget/my-widget.html", invoking: "Loading...", invoked: "Ready", mockData: { /* sample */ }, }, ];Add Widget HTML Generate HTML with:
- Preview mode support (
window.PREVIEW_DATA) - OpenAI Apps SDK integration (
window.openai.toolOutput) - Event listeners (
openai:set_globals) - Polling fallback (100ms, 10s timeout)
- Preview mode support (
Create/Update Tool Link tool to widget via
widgetId.Test Widget Preview at
/preview/{widget-id}with mock data.
Widget HTML Structure
(function() {
let rendered = false;
function render(data) {
if (rendered || !data) return;
rendered = true;
// Render logic
}
function tryRender() {
if (window.PREVIEW_DATA) { render(window.PREVIEW_DATA); return; }
if (window.openai?.toolOutput) { render(window.openai.toolOutput); }
}
window.addEventListener('openai:set_globals', tryRender);
const poll = setInterval(() => {
if (window.openai?.toolOutput || window.PREVIEW_DATA) {
tryRender();
clearInterval(poll);
}
}, 100);
setTimeout(() => clearInterval(poll), 10000);
tryRender();
})();
4. Add Authentication
Purpose: Configure authentication using Auth0 or Supabase Auth.
When to Add
Multiple users
Persistent private data per user
User-specific API credentials
Providers
Auth0:
Enterprise-grade
OAuth 2.1, PKCE flow
Social logins (Google, GitHub, etc.)
Supabase Auth:
Simpler setup
Email/password default
Integrates with Supabase database
Workflow
Choose Provider Ask user preference based on needs.
Guide Setup
- Auth0: Create application, configure callback URLs, get credentials
- Supabase: Already configured with database setup
Generate Auth Code Use
chatgpt-auth-generatoragent to create:- Session management middleware
- User subject extraction
- Token validation
Update Server Add auth middleware to protect routes.
Update Environment ```bash
Auth0
AUTH0_DOMAIN=your-tenant.auth0.com AUTH0_CLIENT_ID=... AUTH0_CLIENT_SECRET=...
# Supabase (from database setup) SUPABASE_URL=... SUPABASE_ANON_KEY=... ```
- Test Verify login flow and user isolation.
5. Add Database
Purpose: Configure PostgreSQL database using Supabase.
When to Add
Persistent user data
Multi-entity relationships
Query/filter capabilities
Workflow
Check Supabase Setup Verify account and project exist.
Gather Credentials
- Project URL
- Anon key (public)
- Service role key (server-side)
Define Entities For each entity, specify:
- Fields and types
- Relationships
- Indexes
Generate Schema Use
chatgpt-database-generatoragent to create SQL with:id(UUID primary key)user_subject(varchar, indexed)created_at(timestamptz)updated_at(timestamptz)- RLS policies for user isolation
Setup Connection Pool ```typescript import { createClient } from '@supabase/supabase-js';
const supabase = createClient( process.env.SUPABASE_URL!, process.env.SUPABASE_SERVICE_ROLE_KEY! ); ```
- Apply Migrations Run SQL in Supabase dashboard or via migration tool.
Query Pattern
Always filter by user_subject:
const { data } = await supabase
.from('tasks')
.select('*')
.eq('user_subject', userSubject);
6. Generate Golden Prompts
Purpose: Generate test prompts to validate ChatGPT correctly invokes tools.
Why Important
Measure precision/recall
Enable iteration
Post-launch monitoring
3 Categories
Direct Prompts - Explicit tool invocation
- "Show me my task list"
- "Create a new task called..."
Indirect Prompts - Outcome-based, ChatGPT should infer tool
- "What do I need to do today?"
- "Help me organize my work"
Negative Prompts - Should NOT trigger tool
- "What is a task?"
- "Tell me about project management"
Workflow
Analyze Tools Review each tool's purpose and inputs.
Generate Prompts For each tool, create:
- 5+ direct prompts
- 5+ indirect prompts
- 3+ negative prompts
- 2+ edge case prompts
Best Practices
- Tool descriptions start with "Use this when..."
- State limitations clearly
- Include examples in descriptions
Save Output Write to
.chatgpt-app/golden-prompts.json:json { "toolName": { "direct": ["prompt1", "prompt2"], "indirect": ["prompt1", "prompt2"], "negative": ["prompt1", "prompt2"], "edge": ["prompt1", "prompt2"] } }
7. Validate App
Purpose: Validation suite before deployment.
10 Validation Checks
Required Files
- package.json
- tsconfig.server.json
- setup.sh (executable)
- START.sh (executable)
- server/index.ts
- .env.example
Server Implementation
- Uses
Serverfrom MCP SDK - Has
StreamableHTTPServerTransport - Session management with Map
- Correct request handlers
- Uses
Widget Configuration
widgetsarray exists- Each has id, name, description, templateUri, mockData
- URIs match pattern
ui://widget/{id}.html
Tool Response Format
- Returns
structuredContent(not justcontent) - Widget tools have
_metawithopenai/outputTemplate
- Returns
Resource Handler Format
- MIME type:
text/html+skybridge - Returns
_metawith serialization and CSP
- MIME type:
Widget HTML Structure
- Preview mode support
- Event listeners for Apps SDK
- Polling fallback
- Render guard
Endpoint Existence
/health- Health check/preview- Widget index/preview/:widgetId- Widget preview/mcp- MCP endpoint
Package.json Scripts
- Has
build:server - Has
startwith HTTP_MODE=true - Has
devwith watch mode - NO web build scripts (web/, ui/, client/)
- Has
Annotation Validation
- readOnlyHint set correctly
- destructiveHint for delete operations
- openWorldHint for external APIs
Database Validation (if enabled)
- Tables have required fields
- user_subject indexed
- RLS policies enabled
Common Errors
| Error | Fix |
|---|---|
| Missing structuredContent | Add to tool response |
| Wrong widget URI | Use ui://widget/{id}.html |
| No session management | Add Map |
| Missing _meta | Add to tool definition and response |
| Wrong MIME type | Use text/html+skybridge |
Critical: Check file existence FIRST before other validations!
8. Test App
Purpose: Run automated tests using MCP Inspector and golden prompts.
4 Test Categories
MCP Protocol
- Server starts without errors
- Handles initialize
- Lists tools correctly
- Lists resources correctly
Schema Validation
- Tool schemas are valid Zod
- Required fields marked
- Types match implementation
Widget Tests
- All widgets render in preview mode
- Mock data loads correctly
- No console errors
Golden Prompt Tests
- Direct prompts trigger correct tools
- Indirect prompts work as expected
- Negative prompts don't trigger tools
Workflow
Start Server in Test Mode
bash HTTP_MODE=true NODE_ENV=test npm run devRun MCP Inspector Test protocol compliance:
- Initialize connection
- List tools
- Call each tool with valid inputs
- Check responses
Schema Validation Verify schemas compile and match implementation.
Golden Prompt Tests Use ChatGPT to test prompts:
- Record which tool was called
- Compare to expected tool
- Calculate precision/recall
Generate Report
json { "passed": 42, "failed": 3, "categories": { "mcp": "✅", "schema": "✅", "widgets": "✅", "prompts": "⚠️ 3 failures" }, "timing": "2.3s" }
Fixing Failures
For each failure, explain:
What failed
Why it failed
How to fix (with code example)
9. Deploy App
Purpose: Deploy ChatGPT App to Render with PostgreSQL and health checks.
Prerequisites
✅ Validation passed
✅ Tests passed
✅ Git repository clean
✅ Environment variables ready
Workflow
Pre-flight Check
- Run validation
- Run tests
- Check database connection (if enabled)
Generate render.yaml
yaml services: - type: web name: {app-name} runtime: docker plan: free healthCheckPath: /health envVars: - key: PORT value: 3000 - key: HTTP_MODE value: true - key: NODE_ENV value: production - key: WIDGET_DOMAIN generateValue: true # Add auth/database vars if neededGenerate Dockerfile
dockerfile FROM node:20-slim WORKDIR /app COPY package*.json ./ RUN npm ci --only=production COPY dist ./dist EXPOSE 3000 CMD ["node", "dist/server/index.js"]Deploy Option A: Automated (if Render MCP available) Use Render MCP agent to deploy.
Option B: Manual - Push to GitHub - Connect repo in Render dashboard - Set environment variables - Deploy
Verify Deployment
- Health check:
https://{app}.onrender.com/health - MCP endpoint:
https://{app}.onrender.com/mcp - Tool discovery works
- Widgets render
- Health check:
Configure ChatGPT Connector
- URL:
https://{app}.onrender.com/mcp - Test in ChatGPT
- URL:
10. Resume App
Purpose: Resume building an in-progress ChatGPT App.
Workflow
Load State Read
.chatgpt-app/state.json:json { "appName": "My Task Manager", "phase": "Implementation", "tools": ["list-tasks", "create-task"], "widgets": ["task-list"], "auth": false, "database": true, "validated": false, "deployed": false }Display Progress Show current status:
- App name
- Current phase
- Completed items (tools, widgets)
- Pending items (auth, validation, deployment)
Offer Next Steps Based on phase:
Concept Phase: - "Let's design the tools and widgets" - "Shall we start implementation?"
Implementation Phase: - "Add another tool?" - "Add a widget?" - "Set up authentication?" - "Set up database?"
Testing Phase: - "Generate golden prompts?" - "Run validation?" - "Run tests?"
Deployment Phase: - "Deploy to Render?" - "Configure ChatGPT connector?"
- Continue Work Based on user's choice, invoke the appropriate workflow section.
Best Practices
Always save state after each major step
Validate before moving forward (especially before deployment)
Use agents for code generation (chatgpt-mcp-generator, chatgpt-auth-generator, etc.)
Test at every phase (preview widgets, test tools, run golden prompts)
Keep it conversational - guide the user naturally through the workflow
Explain trade-offs when offering choices (Auth0 vs Supabase, etc.)
Show examples when introducing new concepts
State Management
The .chatgpt-app/state.json file tracks progress:
{
"appName": "string",
"description": "string",
"phase": "Concept" | "Implementation" | "Testing" | "Deployment",
"tools": ["tool-name"],
"widgets": ["widget-id"],
"auth": {
"enabled": boolean,
"provider": "auth0" | "supabase" | null
},
"database": {
"enabled": boolean,
"entities": ["entity-name"]
},
"validated": boolean,
"tested": boolean,
"deployed": boolean,
"deploymentUrl": "string | null",
"goldenPromptsGenerated": boolean,
"lastUpdated": "ISO timestamp"
}
Command Reference
# Setup
./setup.sh
# Development
./START.sh --dev # Dev mode with watch
./START.sh --preview # Open preview in browser
./START.sh --stdio # STDIO mode (testing)
./START.sh # Production mode
# Testing
npm run validate # Type checking
curl http://localhost:3000/health
# Deployment
git push origin main # Trigger Render deploy
Getting Started
When the user invokes any chatgpt-app command:
Check if
.chatgpt-app/state.jsonexistsIf yes → use Resume App workflow
If no → use Create New App workflow
Always guide users through the natural progression: Concept → Implementation → Testing → Deployment