Save the Bots: Move Your Custom GPT or Gem to BoodleBox

BOTS NEED A HOME

Their habitat is shrinking.

If you've built a custom GPT or a Gem, a deadline is coming. OpenAI is replacing GPTs with plugins and Google is converting Gems into Skills. Your work isn't deleted, but a converted bot isn't always the same bot.

Custom GPTs

Critically endangered

Native habitat: ChatGPT. Being replaced by plugins.

Sep 11, 2026Retirement announced. Creators are pointed to a new plugin format.

NowNew GPT creation is closed on personal plans and winding down for Enterprise workspaces.

Dec 11, 2026Scheduled retirement. GPTs and their pages become inaccessible. Some workspaces have later dates, so check with your admin.

Left behind in migration: past conversations, custom actions, your chosen model, and sharing settings.

Gems

Endangered

Native habitat: Gemini. Being converted to Skills.

Nov 17, 2026Personal-account Gems begin converting to Skills automatically.

Mar 2027Google Workspace business, enterprise, and nonprofit accounts follow.

Jun 2027Google Workspace for Education accounts make the move.

What changes: Skills are invoked in-chat with a slash command, capped at 100 active, and some Gem tools aren't supported yet.

Two platforms, one lesson: bots built inside a single company's chatbot live on that company's schedule.

Before you begin

✓

You'll need a BoodleBox account. Log in if you have one or create one for free.

✓

You'll need the account that created the GPT or Gem. Only the creator can see its instructions.

✓

Export before you migrate. OpenAI makes a GPT read-only once you click "Migrate to plugin."

✓

Actions and connected apps don't transfer. Note them down and ask your BoodleBox admin about alternatives.

Rescue your bot, earn the badge. Finish the three steps, then report your rescue →

Export

Rescue.

Which kind of bot are you rescuing?

Open your GPT in the editor. Go to chatgpt.com/gpts/mine and click the pencil next to your GPT. Don't click "Migrate to plugin" yet.
Copy its instructions, word for word. On the Configure tab, click inside Instructions, select all, and copy. This is your bot's DNA, so paste it somewhere safe today.
Gather its knowledge files. Syllabi, rubrics, handbooks, style guides: everything it was trained to reference. ChatGPT doesn't let you open or download them from the editor, so use the copies saved on your computer or drive.
Note its markings. Write down its name, conversation starters, the model it ran on, and any actions it calls.
Have your GPT write a handover. Start a chat with your GPT and paste the handover prompt. Click Copy on the code block it writes, save it as handover.md, and replace the placeholder line with the instructions you copied.

Open your Gem in the editor. Go to gemini.google.com, click the Gems icon in the left sidebar, find your Gem under My Gems, and click the pencil.
Copy its instructions, word for word. Click inside Instructions, select all, and copy. This is your bot's DNA, so paste it somewhere safe today.
Download its knowledge files. Syllabi, rubrics, handbooks, style guides: everything it was trained to reference. Click a file to preview it, then click the download icon, and use the right arrow to move to the next one. Gemini may add a short code to file names, so rename them back to the originals.
Note its markings. Write down its name, conversation starters, the model it ran on, and any tools it calls.
Have your Gem write a handover. Go back to Gem manager, click your Gem's name to start a chat, and paste the handover prompt. Download the code block as a .md file or click Copy, save it as handover.md, and replace the placeholder line with the instructions you copied.

Get the handover prompt

Paste this into a chat with your GPT or Gem. It works on both platforms. It leaves a placeholder for the instructions on purpose, because you'll paste those in yourself from the editor.

Paste into your GPT or Gem

I'm moving this assistant to another AI platform and need a handover document to set it up there. Put the ENTIRE document inside ONE markdown code block so I can copy it in one click.

Use these sections:

# Bot Handover: <assistant name>

## 1. Purpose
One or two sentences on who this assistant serves and what it helps with.

## 2. Instructions
Write exactly this placeholder line: [PASTE INSTRUCTIONS FROM THE EDITOR HERE]

## 3. Knowledge files
A table listing every knowledge file this assistant uses, with: file name, what it contains, and when to use it.

## 4. Tone and response format
Bullet points on how answers should be written and formatted.

## 5. Rules and guardrails
Bullet points listing what the assistant must always or never do.

## 6. Conversation starters
3 to 4 example questions a user might ask.

## 7. Test questions
3 questions, each with the correct answer drawn from the knowledge files, so I can check the new bot works.

To save the result: Gemini can download the code block as a .md file. In ChatGPT, click Copy on the code block, paste it into a plain-text editor, and save it as handover.md or handover.txt. BoodleBox accepts both.

Build

Rehabilitate.

Start a new bot. In BoodleBox, click Bots in the left sidebar, then Build Bot, and give it the same name as your GPT or Gem.

Let Vibe Bot Builder set it up. In the Vibe Build tab, click the paperclip and upload your handover.md and all your knowledge files together. When they finish processing, send this message. It runs on any leading model, or let BoodleBot pick the right one for each prompt.

Get the Vibe Build message

Send this in the Vibe Build chat once your files finish processing.

Paste into Vibe Build

Build this bot from the attached handover.md. Use section 2 as the bot's instructions exactly as written, and add the other attached files as the bot's knowledge.

Check its work. Vibe Bot Builder replies with a summary of what it set up. Open the Configure tab and make sure the instructions match the ones you copied word for word and every knowledge file is listed.

TEST, PUBLISH, & SHARE

Release.

Test it. Click Test Bot and ask the three test questions from your handover. Compare each answer with the expected one.

Publish and share it. Click Publish, then share it with a class, a team, or a GroupChat.

Report your rescue. Tell us which bot you saved and download your Safe Bot badge.

Share your rescue! Share your badge and this page with a colleague, a department, or your campus. Custom GPTs retire December 11, and every bot saved is someone's best thinking, kept.

Report my rescue

A sanctuary that doesn't depend on any one AI company.

BoodleBox puts every major model behind one roof. When a vendor changes course, your bots don't have to move again.

150+

colleges and universities

130

companies

120K+

educators, students, & professionals

Want to bring BoodleBox to your team, org, or school?

Book a demo

Every model, one habitat

GPT, Claude, Gemini and more in a single interface. No single-vendor bet.

Protected by design

FERPA- and SOC 2-compliant, built for campuses and the organizations they serve.

Bots that build AI skills

Coach Mode flags over-reliance and weak fact-checking, so your bot helps people think, not just copy.

Bots in good company

GroupChats put people and multiple bots in one thread, together.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions.

What carries over, and how does it get to BoodleBox?

Part of your bot	How it gets to BoodleBox
Instructions	Copy them straight from the GPT or Gem editor and paste them into the handover. Don't rely on the bot to repeat its own instructions. Bots often shorten them or refuse.
Knowledge files	Upload your original files to BoodleBox. Gemini lets you download each file from the Gem editor. ChatGPT doesn't allow downloads, so use the copies saved on your computer or drive.
Purpose, tone, rules, starters	The bot writes these into the handover document for you.
Test questions	The handover includes three questions with correct answers so you can check the new bot.
Actions and connected apps	These don't transfer. Note them down and ask your BoodleBox admin about alternatives.

Do I really need to export before I migrate?

Yes. If you use OpenAI's "Migrate to plugin" button, OpenAI makes the GPT read-only once it has been migrated. Finish the export first.

Does it cost anything?

BoodleBox is free to start. No credit card required.

Are Enterprise and Edu GPTs retired on December 11 too?

Some workspaces have later dates, so check with your admin. Dates reflect public announcements as of October 2026 and may change.

What's the difference between a bot, a skill, and a plugin?

A skill is something an AI can do. A bot is a named thing a group can share. On BoodleBox, a bot isn't tied to the model it was built on. The same instructions and knowledge run on GPT, Claude, Gemini, and whatever ships next.

What happens to custom actions and connected apps?

They don't transfer, and at OpenAI many will need to be rebuilt as MCP servers. Note them down before you export, and ask your BoodleBox admin about alternatives.

What if something goes wrong?

"I'm having a hard time fulfilling your request." Your bot may be refusing to repeat its own instructions. Use the handover prompt exactly as written. It doesn't ask for them.

Gemini is still loading after a minute. Stop the response, switch the model menu from Pro to Flash, and send the prompt again in a new chat.

The reply is empty or there's no file. Make sure the prompt asks for a code block, not a file. If you can't save a file, paste the handover text straight into the Vibe Build chat.

Vibe Bot Builder only lists steps. You're probably in a regular chat. Start from Bots, then Build Bot, so Vibe Bot Builder can edit the bot directly.

Answers don't match the test questions. Check that every knowledge file is listed under Configure, then Knowledge, and test again. Still stuck? Contact BoodleBox support through the Help Center.

Save the Bots.

Preserve the bots you built, and the expertise inside them.

Their habitat is shrinking.

Custom GPTs

Gems

Found a stranded bot? Stay calm. Step away from the delete button.

Rescue.

Rehabilitate.

Release.

A sanctuary that doesn't depend on any one AI company.

BoodleBox will not retire custom bots.

Saved a bot? Tell us and share your badge.

Frequently asked questions.

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Customers

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