In early October, OpenAI introduced the ChatGPT Apps SDK, a new way to build interactive apps that run directly inside ChatGPT using the Model Context Protocol. This is a huge step to unlocking interactive experiences inside ChatGPT! However, the DX left much to be desired, and so we decided to build a starter kit to make your life easier from local dev to component writing to deployment.

Build Apps that run inside ChatGPT

The ChatGPT Apps SDK allows developers to expose logic, data, and interfaces that ChatGPT can use directly. Apps can define custom tools, resources, and widgets that render natively in the chat interface.

To help you get started, we’ve released a TypeScript starter template allowing you to build a minimal TS application that integrates with the OpenAI Apps SDK. It includes an Express-based MCP server that exposes tools and resources directly usable in ChatGPT, with native widget rendering and examples of both UI and non-UI tools.

This project uses Vite for React widget development with full HMR support, allowing you to see changes in real-time, directly within ChatGPT conversation, without restarting the server.
- Unified dev server with Vite and Hot Module Reload (HMR) piggy-backed on your MCP server Express server

It also integrates our open-source framework, Skybridge, for No manual component wiring thanks to our Skybridge framework, an abstraction layer we built to map MCP tool invocations to React widgets automatically
- One-click deploy so you can build and ship your MCP server and UI assets to prod in a single command on Alpic

This is our way of getting you up and running as easily as possible. Skip the complexity of adapting full-stack frameworks. Just bring your MCP server, write your React components, and get your app live in minutes.

Deploy your app easily on Alpic

Today, you can start building and deploying those apps on Alpic just like any other MCP. Alpic takes care of hosting, scaling, and environment management, so you can focus on the part that matters: building the app itself.

When you're ready to go live, simply log in to Alpic to deploy. We provide dedicated hosting and deployment workflows tailored for MCP projects:

• Instant deployment: From GitHub to a live URL in one click

• Multiple environments: Preview, staging, and production with isolated settings

• Automatic scaling: No manual configuration or server setup

Start deploying now on app.alpic.ai!