ChatGPT MCP: how to connect MCP servers to ChatGPT
ChatGPT connects to remote MCP servers as custom MCP servers, added from Plugins on the web. Here’s which plans support it, how to add one step by step, what read and write limits apply, and what you can ask once your marketing data is connected.
By the Caybl.ai team · Checked against OpenAI’s help center on 23 October 2026
Quick answer
- In ChatGPT on the web, open Plugins, select +, then Add custom MCP server.
- Name it, enter the server’s public HTTPS URL - for Caybl.ai,
https://api.caybl.ai/mcp- and set up authentication. - Tick I understand and want to continue, select Create as a plugin, and review the tools it finds.
- In a new chat, type @, pick the plugin, and ask your question.
Full MCP, including write actions, is for ChatGPT Business and Enterprise/Edu. OpenAI says Pro users can connect custom MCP servers with read/fetch permissions. Menu names change often, so if yours look different, check OpenAI’s current article.
How MCP works in ChatGPT
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to outside tools. An MCP server offers a list of tools - “run a GA4 report”, “pull search terms” - and ChatGPT calls them when a question needs them, then answers from what comes back. The same server works in ChatGPT, Claude, Cursor and other clients.
ChatGPT’s vocabulary has moved around. What were called connectors became apps, and the current settings area is Plugins: an app connects ChatGPT to a service, and a plugin can bundle one or more apps or skills. A custom MCP server you add becomes a plugin. Older guides - including some of ours - mention Developer mode; OpenAI now says you don’t need to turn it on first in the Plugins experience.
A few behaviours worth knowing before you start:
- Remote servers only. ChatGPT connects to public HTTPS MCP endpoints (or a private server through OpenAI’s Secure MCP Tunnel). It can’t run a local server on your laptop.
- Select per message. You pick an app with @ for a message; follow-ups can discuss its results without re-selecting, but need another @ for fresh data.
- Confirmations. ChatGPT may ask before read or write actions, depending on the app’s permission setting (for example Always ask or Allow read actions).
- Deep research is read-only. Deep research can use custom apps for read/fetch actions, not writes.
Which ChatGPT plans support MCP
| Plan | Custom MCP servers | Write actions | Who can add them |
|---|---|---|---|
| Business | Yes, web | Yes | Admins and owners create and publish for the workspace |
| Enterprise / Edu | Yes, web | Yes, with per-action controls | Admins, owners, and members granted access by RBAC; only admins publish |
| Pro | Yes | No - read/fetch only | You, for your own account |
| Other plans | Not covered by OpenAI’s custom MCP article - check whether Plugins offers Add custom MCP server on your account | ||
From OpenAI’s help center article “Connecting custom MCP servers in ChatGPT”, checked 23 October 2026.
Add Caybl.ai to ChatGPT, step by step
Caybl.ai is a hosted MCP server for Google Analytics 4, Google Ads, Search Console, Bing Webmaster Tools, Microsoft Advertising, Tag Manager, YouTube and PageSpeed Insights. Data is fetched live from Google, Microsoft and Bing when you ask, and not stored.
Connect your data
Sign in to Caybl.ai with Google and connect GA4 (free). On Pro, add Ads, Search Console, Bing, Microsoft Advertising, Tag Manager or YouTube.
Add the server
ChatGPT → Plugins → + → Add custom MCP server. Name it Caybl.ai and enter https://api.caybl.ai/mcp.
Sign in with OAuth
Choose OAuth, tick the risk acknowledgement, select Create as a plugin, and approve access when Caybl.ai asks.
Ask
Type @Caybl.ai in a new chat: “What were my top traffic sources last month?”
On an older account that still shows the legacy flow, go to Settings → Apps → Create instead, enter the same URL, choose OAuth, select Scan Tools, sign in, then Create. Prefer a guided version? See connect Google Analytics to ChatGPT or connect Google Ads to ChatGPT.
Business and Enterprise workspaces
In a workspace, connecting a custom MCP server is an admin decision. On Business, only admins and owners can create and publish plugins for custom MCP servers. On Enterprise and Edu, admins can grant selected members permission to create connections, and choose who can use each app once it’s vetted.
- Publishing. After testing, an admin opens the Admin Console, selects the workspace, opens Plugins, then Manage Legacy Apps → Drafts → Publish. Members then find it in Settings → Plugins.
- Frozen tool list. ChatGPT keeps a snapshot of a published server’s tools. When a server adds tools, an admin refreshes the tool list from workspace app settings before members see them.
- Per-action control. Enterprise and Edu admins can turn individual actions on or off, for example allowing Caybl.ai’s reporting tools while leaving its Google Ads write tools disabled.
If you can’t get approval, you can ask the same questions in Caybl.ai’s built-in assistant, which needs no ChatGPT setup. Our blocked connector guide has a note to send your admin.
What you can ask once it’s connected
- GA4“Which landing pages lost the most organic sessions month over month?”
- GA4“Show the checkout funnel for last week and where people drop off.”
- Google Ads“Which search terms cost money last month without converting?”
- Google Ads“Which campaigns are losing impression share to budget?”
- Search Console“Which queries have high impressions but a CTR under 1%?”
- Bing“What are my top Bing queries, and which pages have crawl errors?”
- Microsoft Advertising“Which Microsoft Advertising search terms spent money without converting?”
Changes, safely. On plans with write actions, ChatGPT can act through Caybl.ai - add negative keywords, adjust a budget, submit a sitemap. Write access is a switch on each connected account in Caybl.ai; changes can be dry-run so Google validates them without applying anything, and new campaigns and ads are created paused. On Pro’s read/fetch access, ChatGPT can report and recommend but not apply.
ChatGPT vs Claude for MCP
| ChatGPT | Claude | |
|---|---|---|
| Add a custom MCP server | Business, Enterprise/Edu; Pro with read/fetch | Free (one custom connector), Pro, Max, Team, Enterprise |
| One-click directory listing for Caybl.ai | No - add by URL | Yes - Claude’s connector directory |
| Where you add it | Web only | claude.ai, Claude Desktop, Claude Code |
| Using it in a chat | Select with @ per message | Available in every chat once enabled |
| Terminal / scripting | Not covered here | Claude Code, with free skills |
Neither is better at reading the data: both call the same Caybl.ai tools. The differences are who can set it up and how much friction there is day to day. If you use both, connect Caybl.ai to each - one Caybl.ai account covers both. More on Claude’s side in the best Claude connectors for marketing.
See what each source covers on the Google Analytics MCP, Google Ads MCP and Search Console MCP pages, or check pricing.
Connect your marketing data to ChatGPT
Google Analytics is free. Google Ads, Search Console, Bing, Microsoft Advertising, Tag Manager and YouTube are on Pro.
Get started free →FAQ
Yes. ChatGPT connects to remote MCP servers as custom MCP servers, added from Plugins. Full MCP support, including write actions, is available on ChatGPT Business and Enterprise/Edu on the web. OpenAI says Pro users can connect custom MCP servers with read/fetch permissions.
Mostly naming. OpenAI renamed connectors to apps, and the current settings menu is Plugins, where an app connects ChatGPT to an external service and a plugin can package one or more apps or skills. A custom MCP server you add becomes a plugin.
Not in the current Plugins experience, according to OpenAI: you add a custom MCP server directly from Plugins and acknowledge a risk warning. Older accounts may still show the legacy route under Settings, Apps, Create.
No. OpenAI's help center says connecting custom MCP servers is web only. Once a plugin is installed, availability in other ChatGPT interfaces depends on the plugin and your plan.
Only where your ChatGPT plan allows write actions (Business and Enterprise/Edu, per OpenAI) and only if write access is switched on for that Ads account in Caybl.ai. ChatGPT may ask for confirmation, and Caybl.ai can dry-run changes so Google validates them before anything applies.
Ask an admin to add and publish Caybl.ai for the workspace, or ask the same questions inside Caybl.ai's built-in assistant, which needs no ChatGPT setup. Our guide on blocked custom connectors has a note you can send your admin.