How to add an MCP server to ChatGPT, step by step (November 2026)

Short answer: on ChatGPT web, open Plugins, select the plus button, choose Add custom MCP server, enter a name and your server's public HTTPS endpoint, configure authentication, accept the risk warning and select Create as a plugin. Whether you can do it depends on your plan: per OpenAI's help page, custom MCP servers are available for Business and Enterprise/Edu, and Pro can connect them with read and fetch permissions only. Everything below comes from OpenAI's documentation, checked on 9 November 2026.

What an MCP server is, in one line

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is the open standard that lets an assistant call tools on another service. An MCP server exposes those tools, and ChatGPT connects to it over HTTPS. If the idea is new to you, what is an email MCP server explains it with a concrete example.

What you need before you start

• A plan that allows it. OpenAI's help page says custom MCP server connections and full MCP support are available for Business and Enterprise/Edu on ChatGPT web. On Business, only admins and owners can create and publish them. On Enterprise/Edu, admins can let selected members create connections with role-based access control. Pro users can connect custom MCP servers with read and fetch permissions. The page does not mention Free or Plus.
• A remote server. ChatGPT connects to a public HTTPS MCP endpoint, usually ending in /mcp. A server on your own computer or private network needs the Secure MCP Tunnel instead.
• The web version. Custom MCP servers cannot be connected from the mobile apps.

The steps

As described by OpenAI for the current Plugins experience:

1. Go to Plugins in ChatGPT.
2. Select the plus button, then Add custom MCP server.
3. Enter a name and, optionally, a description.
4. Under Connection, enter your server's public HTTPS MCP endpoint URL, or select Tunnel and choose a Secure MCP Tunnel.
5. Configure authentication. OAuth is what OpenAI recommends for servers that need an account.
6. Read the risk warning and tick I understand and want to continue.
7. Select Create as a plugin and review the tools and metadata ChatGPT discovered.
8. Install the plugin, start a new conversation, type @ and select it.

You do not need to turn on Developer Mode first in this flow. Account and workspace policies still apply: on Business, the permission is called Create plugins with MCPs.

An older flow still exists for some accounts: Settings, then Apps, then Create, followed by Scan Tools. If you do not see Plugins, that is where to look, and your workspace admin may control it.

Worked example: an email server

Take Fezola, a hosted MCP server for mailboxes, Google Chat and Telegram. Once your mailboxes are added on the Fezola website, you create the server in ChatGPT with the URL https://api.fezola.com/mcp and OAuth. ChatGPT opens Fezola's sign-in and consent screen, lists the sources it will access, and the tools become available.

One honest caveat: Fezola reads mail and also saves drafts, which are write actions. A plan limited to read and fetch permissions may not allow the draft tools. We have not tested every ChatGPT plan, so tell us what you see on yours. It is only one example: the steps are the same for any remote MCP server.

Safety: what ChatGPT asks of you

• ChatGPT may ask for confirmation before write or modify actions, depending on the app's permissions and the action. Some very risky actions may be blocked.
• Deep research can use custom apps for read and fetch actions only, not for write actions.
• OpenAI warns that connecting untrusted servers increases exposure to security risks such as prompt injection. Connect only servers you trust.
• In a workspace, ChatGPT uses a frozen snapshot of the server's tools after an admin approves it: later server changes apply only after an admin reviews and publishes an update.

Troubleshooting

• No "Add custom MCP server" option. Your plan or workspace policy may not allow it. On Business, ask an admin or owner. On Pro, remember connections are limited to read and fetch.
• The server will not connect. Check that the endpoint is public HTTPS and ends in the right path (/mcp for most servers). A local address will not work without the tunnel.
• Sign-in works once, then fails after a while. OpenAI notes that OAuth providers must issue refresh tokens (often through the offline_access scope); otherwise ChatGPT can lose access when the first authorization expires and you must sign in again.
• Tools fail after the server changed. In a workspace, an admin must refresh the tool list from the app settings, because ChatGPT keeps a frozen snapshot.

For a real setup with a mailbox on your own domain, see how to connect a custom domain email to ChatGPT. To compare servers, see best email MCP servers, and for the Claude side, how to add a custom connector to Claude. The IMAP MCP server guide covers providers like OVH, IONOS and Fastmail.