How to Connect MCP Servers to ChatGPT
On the ChatGPT website, ChatGPT connects only to remote MCP servers, over a public HTTPS address. Open Plugins, select the plus button, choose Add custom MCP server, and enter the server's URL (usually ending in /mcp). Pick an authentication option, acknowledge the risk warning, select Create as a plugin, then install it and type @ in a chat to use it. There's no config file to edit, because you add the server in ChatGPT itself.
What you'll have at the end
A remote MCP server listed under your plugins in ChatGPT, installed, and available in any chat through @. ChatGPT calls the server's tools when your request needs them.
ChatGPT makes the connection from OpenAI's side, so the server must be reachable from the internet. A server that runs only on your laptop won't work without a tunnel (see Local servers and private networks).
Before you start
- A ChatGPT account, used on the web. Custom MCP servers can't be added in the ChatGPT mobile apps. See which plans can add a server before you start.
- A remote MCP server with a public HTTPS URL. If you don't have one yet, Build an MCP server covers the server code and Deploy a remote MCP server covers hosting it.
- An account with the service the server connects to, if the server uses OAuth sign-in.
- Optional: Node.js 22.19 or later, to run the MCP Inspector check in step 1.
Which plans can add a server
Access depends on your plan and your workspace. OpenAI's Help Center describes it like this:
| Plan | What OpenAI's help says |
|---|---|
| Business | Full MCP support, including write actions, is in beta. Only admins and owners can create and publish custom MCP servers for the workspace. |
| Enterprise and Edu | Full MCP support, including write actions, is in beta. Admins can grant selected members permission to create connections, and only admins and owners can publish them. |
| Pro | You can connect custom MCP servers with read and fetch permissions. Write actions aren't listed for Pro. |
| Plus and Free | The Help Center article doesn't list these plans. If the Add custom MCP server option doesn't appear on your Plugins page, it isn't available to your account. |
If you're on a Business or Enterprise workspace and can't see the option, ask an admin to check the Create plugins with MCPs permission in the workspace settings.
Older OpenAI instructions tell you to turn on Developer mode under Settings > Apps first. The current Plugins flow doesn't need it, so skip that step.
1. Check the server from your computer
ChatGPT reports a failure if it can't connect, so check the URL first. MCP Inspector runs the same initial handshake and tool listing from your computer. From a terminal, run:
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector@2.11.0 --cli https://mcp.example.com/mcp --protocol-era modern --method tools/list
Replace https://mcp.example.com/mcp with your server's URL. Inspector treats a URL ending in /mcp as Streamable HTTP. If the command fails, fix the server before you add it to ChatGPT. OpenAI recommends this check for a public HTTPS endpoint.
2. Add the server in ChatGPT
- Go to Plugins in ChatGPT on the web.
- Select the plus button, then select Add custom MCP server.
- Enter a name and, optionally, a description.
- Under Connection, enter your server's public HTTPS URL. Use the URL with its
/mcppath. - Under authentication, choose one of the options in the table below.
- Select I understand and want to continue after reading the risk warning.
- Select Create as a plugin, then look through the tools and details ChatGPT found on the server.
| Field | What to enter | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Name | The name you'll see in the @ menu | Acme Docs |
| Description | Optional. What the server does | Search the Acme onboarding documents |
| Connection | The public HTTPS URL, or Tunnel for a private server | https://mcp.example.com/mcp |
| Authentication | OAuth, No authentication, or OAuth or no authentication | OAuth |
The authentication options work like this:
- OAuth is for servers that need you to sign in to the service. ChatGPT starts the sign-in the first time a tool needs it.
- No authentication is for servers that don't ask for an account.
- OAuth or no authentication lets ChatGPT list the tools without signing in. Each tool then uses OAuth or no authentication, depending on how the server describes it.
Only add servers you trust. OpenAI's guidance is that an untrusted server can access information shared in your chats, or trick ChatGPT into changing or deleting data.
3. Install it and use it in a chat
The server only works in a conversation after you install its plugin.
- Install the plugin from the Plugins page.
- Start a new chat. Type
@in the prompt box and select the plugin. - Ask for something that needs one of its tools, for example:
Use the Acme Docs tool to find the onboarding checklist.
By default, ChatGPT asks you to confirm write actions. A tool counts as read-only only when the server marks it with the readOnlyHint annotation. Any tool without that mark is treated as a write action. Before you approve, expand the tool call to see the full input and output. You can also choose to approve or deny a tool for the rest of that conversation. Only do that for tools you trust.
Turn tools on or off and refresh
Each app has a details page. Open it from your plugins to switch individual tools on or off. After the server's developer changes tool names, descriptions or inputs, select Refresh on the connection in the Plugins page to pull the new details. Then start a new conversation and try the tools again.
In a workspace, an admin has to approve changes to a server before they apply to everyone. OpenAI's Help Center says that changes made later by the developer aren't applied until an admin reviews and publishes them.
Sign-in with OAuth
When you use a tool that needs an account, ChatGPT opens the service's sign-in flow. After you approve, ChatGPT keeps the access token and sends it with later tool calls. If the access expires and the server didn't allow for refresh, you may need to sign in again. How sign-in works for OAuth servers explains what happens from your side and how to revoke access.
Local servers and private networks
ChatGPT on the web can't start a server on your computer. A server built with the stdio transport, like the one in Build an MCP server, needs a public HTTPS address before the ChatGPT website can use it. For a private server, OpenAI offers Secure MCP Tunnel, which connects a server on a private network without exposing it to the internet. OpenAI's MCP servers guide describes the tunnel.
The ChatGPT desktop app is different. OpenAI's ChatGPT docs say it can run local STDIO servers. Open Settings, select MCP servers, select Add server, choose STDIO, enter the server's command, save it, then select Restart. The steps earlier on this page are for the website.
Common problems
The server won't connect.
OpenAI lists transport, initialization, schema and authentication errors as the usual causes. Run the Inspector command from step 1 against the same URL. If it fails there too, check that the address is public HTTPS and ends in /mcp. For a tunnel, check that the tunnel is associated with your workspace and that the tunnel client is running.
You don't see Add custom MCP server. Your plan or workspace doesn't allow custom servers. See which plans can add a server.
The server is missing from the @ menu.
You added the server but didn't install its plugin. Open the Plugins page, install it, then start a new chat.
Tool calls fail after the server changed. The server's tool definitions changed, and ChatGPT is still using the old ones. Select Refresh on the connection in the Plugins page. In a workspace, an admin may need to refresh the tool actions from workspace settings.
The server doesn't work on your phone. Custom MCP servers are added and used on the web only.
FAQ
Can ChatGPT use a local MCP server on my computer?
Not on the ChatGPT website. It connects to remote MCP servers over HTTPS. The ChatGPT desktop app can run local STDIO servers through its MCP server settings. For a private server on the website, OpenAI offers Secure MCP Tunnel, which connects it without exposing it to the public internet.
Do I need a Business or Enterprise plan to add an MCP server?
Not always. OpenAI says Pro users can connect custom MCP servers with read and fetch permissions. Full MCP support, including write actions, is in beta for Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces. The Help Center article doesn't list Plus, so check whether your Plugins page shows Add custom MCP server.
Why doesn't ChatGPT show my server's updated tools?
ChatGPT uses the tool list it fetched last time. Open the connection on the Plugins page, select Refresh, then start a new conversation.
Does ChatGPT ask before it changes data through an MCP server?
By default, yes. ChatGPT asks you to confirm write actions, and it treats any tool without the readOnlyHint annotation as a write action. You can review the full input and output before you approve.
- Test with MCP InspectorUse the Inspector web interface and CLI to check tools before you connect a server.
- Sign in to OAuth serversWhat happens when a remote server asks you to sign in, and how to revoke access.
- Local vs remote serversWhy ChatGPT needs a remote server and when to use stdio instead.
- Fix MCP connection errorsCommon causes of servers that won't connect or won't show up.
- MCP clients comparedWhich AI apps support local servers, remote servers and OAuth.