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Connect AnythingMCP to ChatGPT

Setup guide for using AnythingMCP tools with ChatGPT.

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Overview

ChatGPT on the web can add a custom remote MCP server as a plugin, so you can use your AnythingMCP tools directly in ChatGPT conversations. No developer mode is needed. On Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces the Create plugins with MCPs permission controls who can add one.

Prerequisites

  • ChatGPT on the web. On a Business workspace only admins and owners can add custom MCP servers; on Enterprise and Edu an admin can grant the Create plugins with MCPs permission under Workspace settings → Permissions & roles
  • AnythingMCP deployed and accessible via a public HTTPS URL (ChatGPT connects from the cloud)
  • MCP tools configured in your AnythingMCP instance

Important: ChatGPT connects to MCP servers from the internet. Your AnythingMCP instance must be accessible via a public URL with HTTPS. A localhost URL will not work.

Step 1: Deploy AnythingMCP Publicly

If you haven't already, deploy AnythingMCP with a public HTTPS URL. See the Deployment Guide for instructions on setting up a reverse proxy with TLS.

Your MCP endpoint will be:

https://mcp.yourdomain.com/mcp

Step 2: Configure MCP Auth

ChatGPT's custom MCP server dialog offers OAuth, No authentication, or OAuth or no authentication. It has no field for a bearer token or API key, so use OAuth. Set the auth mode in your .env (oauth2 is the default; both also keeps legacy tokens and API keys working for other clients) and set SERVER_URL to your public HTTPS URL, which OAuth uses for its metadata and redirects:

MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth2    # or 'both' for OAuth2 + legacy tokens / API keys
SERVER_URL=https://mcp.yourdomain.com

Step 3: Add MCP Server in ChatGPT

  1. Open Plugins in ChatGPT on the web: chatgpt.com/plugins
  2. Click +, then Add custom MCP server
  3. Enter a name (e.g. AnythingMCP) and an optional description
  4. Under Connection, enter the Server URL: https://mcp.yourdomain.com/mcp (on AnythingMCP Cloud, the endpoint URL shown on your server's page)
  5. Set Authentication to OAuth
  6. Review the risk warning and select I understand and want to continue
  7. Select Create as a plugin and sign in to AnythingMCP when asked

The plugin appears under your personal plugins (chatgpt.com/plugins?view=personal). Install it there, and ChatGPT discovers the tools from your AnythingMCP instance.

Step 4: Use Tools in Conversations

Once installed, type @ in a chat, pick the plugin, and ask ChatGPT to use your MCP tools naturally:

  • "Use the CRM to look up customer John Smith"
  • "Query the database for orders from last week"
  • "Search our product catalog for wireless headphones"

ChatGPT will call the appropriate MCP tool and show you the results.

Authentication Options

Method Configuration
OAuth2 (recommended) MCP_AUTH_MODE=oauth2 or both; choose OAuth in ChatGPT's custom MCP server dialog
Bearer Token Not supported by ChatGPT's dialog (no token field); use it from the Responses API or other MCP clients
API Key Not supported by ChatGPT's dialog; use a per-user MCP API key from the Responses API (below) or other MCP clients

OpenAI Responses API

An agent built on the Responses API can reach an MCP server with a per-user MCP API key (mcp_…, generated on the server's page). Send it as authorization, which arrives as Authorization: Bearer mcp_…, or as an X-API-Key header:

"tools": [
  {
    "type": "mcp",
    "server_label": "anythingmcp",
    "server_url": "https://cloud.anythingmcp.com/mcp/<server-id>",
    "authorization": "mcp_your_key",
    "require_approval": "never"
  }
]

Troubleshooting

Issue Solution
"Cannot connect to server" Ensure your AnythingMCP URL is publicly accessible via HTTPS
"Authentication failed" Check that MCP_AUTH_MODE is oauth2 or both and that SERVER_URL is your public HTTPS URL
"No tools found" Check that connectors and tools are configured in AnythingMCP
Timeout errors Check that your reverse proxy doesn't have aggressive timeout settings; MCP uses long-lived connections

Security Considerations

When exposing AnythingMCP to the internet for ChatGPT:

  1. Always use HTTPS — Never expose MCP over plain HTTP
  2. Use strong tokens — Generate long, random Bearer Tokens
  3. Enable rate limiting — Set MCP_RATE_LIMIT_PER_MINUTE in .env
  4. Use roles — Create a restricted MCP role for ChatGPT with only the tools it needs
  5. Monitor audit logs — Review tool invocations in the AnythingMCP audit log

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