ChatGPT's Operator Framework: How the New App Integrations Actually Work

OpenAI launched six native app integrations for ChatGPT on March 14, 2026 — DoorDash, Spotify, Uber, Canva, Figma, and Expedia. Everyone covered what they do. I want to cover how they work, because the underlying architecture is what matters for developers. The Operator Framework This isn't a plugin marketplace revival. OpenAI built a structured operator framework — a standardized way for third-party apps to expose actions to ChatGPT with proper authentication and user consent flows. The key design decisions: Scoped OAuth tokens, not broad permissions. The Uber integration gets booking permissions, not your ride history. DoorDash gets ordering permissions, not direct payment method access. Sensitive data stays with the source app; ChatGPT receives action tokens. Explicit user consent per action category. You're prompted before ChatGPT completes a transaction, not after. Each integration requires a one-time OAuth flow (~30 seconds per app), and consent is scoped to the specific action c