so i want to publish my GPT, but i have to submit a web URL. would it suffice if i use a free domain from .tk or not? or alternatively, can i even just use an IP and Port from a VPS?
#publishing GPTs
snow hedge
fiery ruinBOT
Hi @snow hedge. I'm kapa.ai, your friendly support bot. I will try to answer your question by searching through the knowledge base. :wave:
To publish your GPT applications, you need to have a domain name. The extracts do not specify whether a free domain from .tk or an IP and Port from a VPS would suffice. However, it's important to note that you need to verify ownership of the domain with OpenAI. This is done by adding a TXT record, provided by OpenAI, to your domain's DNS settings. Once your domain is verified, you can proceed to publish your GPT applications.
Here are the steps to verify your domain ownership:
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Create an OpenAI Account: If you haven’t done so already, sign up for an account with OpenAI. This will give you access to the necessary tools and resources.
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Access Builder Dashboard: Once you have an OpenAI account, log in and navigate to the ‘Builder’ dashboard. This is where you can manage your GPT applications.
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Create a New Project: Start a new project for your GPT application. You’ll be prompted to enter basic information about your project, like its name and description.
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Configure Domain Settings: To publish your GPTs publicly, you’ll need to have a domain name. If you don’t have one, purchase a domain from a registrar like GoDaddy, Namecheap, etc.
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Verify Domain Ownership: OpenAI will provide you with a TXT record. This is a type of DNS (Domain Name System) record used to prove domain ownership. Log in to your domain registrar’s control panel and navigate to the DNS settings section. Add a new TXT record, pasting the value provided by OpenAI. The exact steps for this may vary depending on your domain registrar, but generally, you’ll need to specify the TXT record type, enter ‘@’ in the host field (or your domain), and paste the value from OpenAI in the value field. Save your changes. It may take some time (up to 48 hours, usually less) for DNS changes to propagate.
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Wait for Verification: After adding the TXT record, return to the OpenAI Builder dashboard and confirm that you’ve added the record. OpenAI will then verify your domain, which may take a short while.
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Publish Your GPTs: Once your domain is verified, you can proceed to publish your GPT applications. Use the Builder tools to configure and customize your GPT model as per your requirements. After setting it up, you can publish your GPT application. It will now be accessible publicly through your domain.
Please refer to the source (https://community.openai.com/t/494371) for more details.
Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:
snow hedge
@pale gale maybe you know the answer to this? the source seems to be from the forum 
i just wanna know if i can use a free domain like .tk (where you can presumably upload a txt record)
or an ip:port to a dns server that has the txt record (i.e. a server behind that ip:port).
or does OAI somewhere state that they require actual Registrar-based webdomains?
p.s. i dont know enough to thumbsup or down this 😄 and the question just popped into my head cuz i want to do that but dunno if its possible 😄
pale gale
<@456226577798135808> maybe you know the answer to this? the source seems to be ...
afaik the only test performed is to check the .txt record conforms to the line they request you to add
snow hedge
hmmmm 🤔 interesting
pale gale
now, that's not to say there mighht not be an additional step where they check for "legit" domains.. that would be the sort of thing I'd do, but I'm not sure what the purpose of it is.. other than name obfuscation.. in which case they might not care
snow hedge
to be fair , presumably they want the weburl to get the maker of the GPT to offer some sort of customer support right?
snow hedge
maybe we need to ask Baugy cuz it kinda depends on that aspect of it i think..
for example i want to publish my gpt, but i dont neccesarily want to register a domain for it that costs money until i have a reason to have one like customer support and general information around the GPT.. or if i have more than one GPT to support.
ofcourse its just 1$ a month to get a domain, thats not really the point obviously 😛 its just the theoretics of it.
i'll thumbs up the kapa ai answer for being accurate at least 😄 thanks for the confirmation 🙂 👍
pale gale
I've got a .txt record setup for foxabilo.com if you just wanted to hide your name, welcome to use it if you wish
not sure if the record is account unique tho
snow hedge
nah i dont want to hide my name 🙂 thanks for the offer 👍 🍻
it'd kinda have to be i'd assume 🤔 why else have that restriction. possibly something we can test with the blessing of some OAI employee? 😄
@fiery ruin find for me the reason why we have to use TXT records and why we have to register a domain.
fiery ruinBOT
Let me check the knowledge base for you. One moment! :books:
TXT records are a type of DNS (Domain Name System) record. They are used to provide text information to sources outside your domain, that can be used for a variety of purposes. In the context of OpenAI's GPT applications, a TXT record is used to verify domain ownership. When you add a TXT record provided by OpenAI to your domain's DNS settings, it serves as proof that you control the domain. This is a common method used by many platforms to ensure that users have the necessary permissions to associate applications or services with a specific domain.
Registering a domain is necessary because it gives your GPT application a unique address on the internet where it can be accessed. When you publish your GPT application, it becomes publicly accessible through your domain. This is important for both usability and security reasons. From a usability perspective, a domain name is easier to remember and use than an IP address. From a security perspective, using a domain that you own and control helps prevent unauthorized individuals from misrepresenting your application or using it for malicious purposes.
Please refer to the source (https://community.openai.com/t/494371) for more details.
Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:
snow hedge
When you publish your GPT application,__ it becomes publicly accessible through your domain__. This is important for both usability and security reasons.
pale gale
that kinda hints at monetisation options hmmm
snow hedge
exactly now it all kinda makes sense.
that also makes me think we might want to use Subdomains right? to seperate GPT domains from the main domain where a website might be hosted. @fiery ruin
fiery ruinBOT
Let me check the knowledge base for you. One moment! :books:
Yes, you're correct. Using subdomains can be a good strategy to separate your GPT applications from your main website. A subdomain is a domain that is part of a larger domain. For example, if your main domain is example.com, you could create a subdomain like gpt.example.com for your GPT application.
However, it's important to note that verifying a main domain (also known as an apex domain) does not automatically verify its subdomains. If you want to use a subdomain for your GPT application, you'll need to verify it separately.
There's a discussion in the OpenAI community (https://community.openai.com/t/497835) where a user faced a similar situation. They were able to verify their apex domain but had trouble verifying a subdomain due to DNS restrictions. The solution they found was to use a service like Cloudflare to set up a URL redirect.
Remember, the process of verifying a subdomain is similar to verifying a main domain. You'll need to add a TXT record provided by OpenAI to the DNS settings of the subdomain. Once the subdomain is verified, you can publish your GPT application to it.
Note: you can ask me a follow up question by @ mentioning me again :speech_balloon:
pale gale
ahhhh, ok, then I could make you a mrsyntax.foxabilo.com entry and add yoru .txt to that
snow hedge
yeah thats how i understand it aswell 🤔
maybe we should have a puzzlers domain 😄 😱
snow hedge
could be useful for various puzzlers like Esk whom dont want their name out there for example perhaps we should move that idea to the puzzlers chat. 🙂
ima round it off in here and move back to puzzlers chat. getting annoyed by the 1 minute timer lol. 😛 @left briar your bot did amazing here. 🙂 🍻