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CustomGPTs Can’t Be Embedded Yet

by | Mar 26, 2025 | AI Tools + Training

CustomGPTs roadblock
This incomplete freeway overpass represents how this AI-powered creator feels about OpenAI's missing CustomGPT API.

CustomGPTs Can't Be Embedded Yet — Here's What You Need to Know

Good News, Bad News

OpenAI’s CustomGPT’s can be truly amazing—goosebumps amazing—if they’re well-crafted.

Sadly, you can’t use them wherever you want — like on your own website or inside your digital community.

I figured this out the hard way. So I’m sharing my experience here to help save you some time — and hopefully nudge OpenAI to close this important feature gap by enabling API access to CustomGPTs.

The Setup

I did the work: Created the GitHub repo. Wrote the code. Configured the Cloudflare worker. Connected my OpenAI account using secret API keys. Deployed everything.

I was building this for my community, Creative Powerup, to bring my CustomGPT — Cosmo AI — to life.

The page rendered in WordPress. The chat interface responded. The connection was live.

But, with the very first response, the truth was clear…

A Generic ChatGPT Instance

No custom instructions. No special tone or training. None of the gentle, wisdom-mirroring voice that makes Cosmo… Cosmo. 😔

Despite a fully working API pipeline, what I’d reached was just vanilla GPT — the base model.

Why?

Because — as of now (March 2025) — OpenAI does not support API access to CustomGPTs.

If you’re trying to embed your CustomGPT in platforms like WordPress, Circle, Mighty Networks, or Webflow, heads-up:

❌ You can’t currently access your CustomGPT through the OpenAI API.

Ask Cosmo AI (but not really)…

Why This Matters for Builders, Creators, and Community Leaders

For creators and builders eager to integrate AI into their websites, communities, and products, this limitation is more than just an inconvenience — it’s a major roadblock. The inability to embed CustomGPTs on your own website, WordPress platform, or private network limits creative potential, restricts user experience, and forces workarounds that dilute the unique voices CustomGPTs were designed to embody.

Right now, without direct CustomGPT API access, you can’t fully bring your customized AI assistant into your native digital spaces. Whether you’re trying to offer members a customized AI coach, integrate a branded ChatGPT experience into your product, or use your CustomGPT to facilitate learning communities, you hit the same wall: OpenAI’s API only connects to base GPT models.

This distinction is crucial. A base GPT, even with clever prompting, is not the same as a finely tuned CustomGPT trained to reflect your brand voice, community ethos, or specialized knowledge.

What to Watch For

OpenAI is evolving quickly. API access to CustomGPTs could unlock in future updates, massively expanding what’s possible for developers, entrepreneurs, and educators seeking deeper ChatGPT integration into their platforms.

Until then, awareness is your advantage. Share your CustomGPT links thoughtfully, rebuild functionality manually if needed, and stay ready to pivot the moment embedding CustomGPTs becomes a reality.

What Can You Do Instead? 

💡 Share your CustomGPT link directly — and invite users to log in to ChatGPT to use it there.

💡 Rebuild your GPT manually using the OpenAI API — replicating its tone, training, and instructions through system prompts.

💡 Or… do what I’m doing: Turn this roadblock into a moment of shared learning. Help others avoid this current roadblock. And help prepare the ground for what’s coming…

Deepen Your Creative Journey

Want to go further? These articles and resources expand on the ideas behind our glossary — from ethical inquiry to hands-on tools for creative experimentation.