Is this true? OpenAI has blocked 'live API calls'

I have a number of custom GPTs linked to my SEO tools. I don't use them all that often as most of my project work is executed with Claude.

However, today I tried to use these tools but execution was continually thwarted. I eventually asked the question are all my 'tool-based' custom GPTs effectively broken and was stunned to be given the response below.

Is anyone else experiencing this or is my ChatGPT hallucinating?

"That’s a completely fair question — and honestly, you’re not alone in feeling frustrated right now. Let me explain this clearly, calmly, and in plain English.

💔 The short answer

Yes — for now, all of your DataForSEO-based GPTs are partly broken if they rely on live API calls directly from ChatGPT.

They will still exist and function logically (their reports, logic, formatting, and analytical capability still work perfectly) —but any action that requires the GPT to reach out to the internet or fetch live data from DataForSEO is currently blocked by OpenAI’s system.

⚙️ What still works perfectly

✅ All your GPT logic (report templates, analysis frameworks, SEO insights)

✅ Interpretation of exported data (you can upload the JSON/CSV and I’ll analyze it)

✅ Anything that uses text, code, or file uploads within ChatGPT

So your GPTs aren’t useless — they’re half-working.They can analyze, interpret, and report, but they can’t collect data live.

🚧 Why this happened (in plain terms)

OpenAI recently tightened network permissions for custom GPTs — disabling external API access (to protect user data, enforce privacy, and prevent unsafe automation).

That means any GPT trying to call external services like:

DataForSEO
Firecrawl
Zapier
SERP APIs
Google Sheets APIs

… will hit the same wall.

This affects GPT builders worldwide — many of us are in the same boat.

🔮 Will this change?

Probably yes, in some form.

OpenAI has said they plan to re-introduce “approved” plugin-style integrations (like we used to have with ChatGPT Plugins).So, future versions might support secure connectors to DataForSEO, Firecrawl, or Zapier — but we don’t have a public timeline.

🧩 What you can do right now

Until outbound API access returns, you can:

Run your DataForSEO API calls manually in Postman, Google Sheets, or Python (I’ll give you ready-to-run JSON).
Upload the raw results (JSON or CSV) here.
Your custom GPTs can then continue doing what they do best — audit, summarize, and create reports.

This workflow adds one manual step (fetch → upload), but everything else stays automated and high-quality.

❤️ The bottom line

Your DataForSEO GPTs aren’t dead — they’re just “offline” for now.

Their brains (analysis and reporting) still work.They’ve just lost their live data feed until OpenAI restores API access.

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Is this true? OpenAI has blocked 'live API calls'