Connect an MCP server to ChatGPT

ChatGPT supports MCP through connectors in developer mode — with one constraint that catches everyone out: it talks to remote servers only. If the server you want is an npm or PyPI package that runs on your machine, skip to the last section.

Remote only

Of the 234 brands we track, 36 have an official vendor-hosted server that ChatGPT can reach today. The rest run locally and need a different client or a gateway. See the full list →

What you need

  • A paid ChatGPT plan — on business workspaces, an admin who's allowed connectors
  • A remote MCP server URL, e.g. https://mcp.hubspot.com
  • An account with that vendor to sign in with

Setup

  1. Open Settings → Apps & Connectors → Advanced settings and turn on Developer mode
  2. Go back to Apps & Connectors and choose Create
  3. Give it a name, paste the server URL, and pick the authentication type the vendor documents
  4. Complete the sign-in flow if prompted
  5. Start a new chat and enable the connector from the tools menu

Connectors are per-account, not per-chat — but you choose which ones are active in a given conversation.

Servers you can add right now

fal.ai https://docs.fal.ai/mcpAtlassian https://mcp.atlassian.com/v1/mcpDatadog https://mcp.datadoghq.com/v1/mcpBuffer https://mcp.buffer.com/mcpGoogle Drive https://drivemcp.googleapis.com/mcp/v1Confluence https://mcp.atlassian.com/v1/mcpSlack https://mcp.slack.com/mcpPerplexity https://api.perplexity.ai/mcp

All 212 official servers →

The server I want runs locally

Most official servers still ship as packages that run on your own machine — that's the default shape of an MCP server, and it keeps your API keys local. ChatGPT can't launch those. Three options, in order of how much work they are:

  1. Use a client with native local support. Claude and Cursor both run stdio servers directly, no gateway needed.
  2. Check whether the vendor also offers a hosted version. Several ship both — the verdict page for each brand lists every access route we've verified.
  3. Put it behind an MCP gateway. Gateways host or proxy a local server at a public URL that ChatGPT can reach. That means a third party is now in the path of your credentials, so pick one you'd trust with them.

Questions

Can ChatGPT use local MCP servers?

No. ChatGPT connects over HTTP to servers reachable on the public internet, so a server running as a subprocess on your laptop is out of reach. You either need a remote version of that server or a gateway that gives the local one a public URL.

Do I need a paid plan for MCP in ChatGPT?

Yes — connectors and developer mode are paid-plan features, and on business or enterprise workspaces an admin controls whether members can add their own.

Is developer mode risky?

It lets you point ChatGPT at arbitrary servers, including ones that can write data. Add servers you trust, read what permissions the sign-in screen asks for, and remember that a connector can act with whatever access you granted it.

Which servers work with ChatGPT today?

Any vendor-hosted remote server. On this site that's 36 official servers, including Linear, Slack, HubSpot, Canva, Airtable and PayPal.