Connect to ChatGPT

Enable Developer mode

Custom MCP connectors are not listed under Account → Apps until Developer mode is enabled. On personal Plus/Pro accounts, open chatgpt.com → Settings → Apps, scroll to Advanced settings at the bottom, and turn on Developer mode.

On Business, Enterprise, and Edu workspaces, workspace policy comes first — especially on Enterprise/Edu, where an admin must enable the Connected data toggle before Advanced settings or Create appear (see the sections below).

Enterprise and Edu workspaces — enable access first

On Enterprise and Edu, Lodestar will not appear under Account → Apps until a workspace admin enables custom MCP connectors for the organization. Individual Advanced settings and Create stay hidden until this step is done.

As a workspace admin or owner, open chatgpt.com/admin (Admin workspace settings). Go to Workspace settings → Permissions & roles → Connected data. Turn on Developer mode / Create custom MCP connectors — this is the workspace-level toggle you must enable before anyone can connect Lodestar.

Enterprise/Edu admins can also use RBAC in the same admin area to grant Developer mode to specific members rather than the whole workspace. After access is granted, each authorized user still turns on Developer mode in their own Settings → Apps → Advanced settings.

Create the Lodestar connector from Workspace settings → Apps → Create (paste your connector URL, choose OAuth, scan tools). The app saves as a draft under Workspace settings → Apps → Drafts. Only admins/owners can publish it; after publishing, members see it under Settings → Apps → Enabled apps with a custom label.

Business workspaces

On ChatGPT Business, only workspace admins and owners can use Developer mode — it cannot be enabled for individual members by an admin. Each admin/owner must turn on Developer mode for themselves under Settings → Apps → Advanced settings, or when creating an app from Workspace settings → Apps → Create.

After testing, publish from Workspace settings → Apps → Drafts so the connector is available to the workspace.

Don't see Advanced settings or Create?

You are likely on a Business, Enterprise, or Edu workspace and the workspace policy has not been configured yet, or you are using the desktop app before setup is complete.

Enterprise/Edu: ask a workspace admin to enable Developer mode / Create custom MCP connectors under chatgpt.com/admin → Workspace settings → Permissions & roles → Connected data, then grant you access if RBAC applies.

Business: you must be a workspace admin or owner — enable Developer mode yourself, then create the connector from Workspace settings → Apps.

Plus and Pro (personal accounts): Advanced settings should appear at the bottom of Settings → Apps on chatgpt.com once you are on an eligible paid plan.

Create the connector

After Developer mode is on (workspace and user level on Enterprise/Edu), create the Lodestar app from Workspace settings → Apps → Create, or from Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Create on personal Plus/Pro accounts. Paste your connector URL from https://app.getlodestar.ai/settings?tab=integrations. Choose OAuth — ChatGPT opens Lodestar in your browser to sign in and approve access. No API key goes into ChatGPT.

Click Scan tools after pasting the URL. If your server uses OAuth, complete the Lodestar sign-in prompt and wait for the scan to finish, then save. On Enterprise/Edu and Business, publish the draft from Workspace settings → Apps → Drafts when you are ready for members to use it.

ChatGPT requires a public HTTPS MCP endpoint. It cannot connect to http://localhost. For local development, expose your MCP server with ngrok, Cloudflare Tunnel, or OpenAI's Secure MCP Tunnel before pasting the URL.

Enable the connector in each chat

Connectors are off by default in new conversations. Open a new chat on chatgpt.com, click + near the message composer, choose More, and enable your Lodestar connector (or published custom app) for that conversation.

On Enterprise/Edu and Business, members only see connectors after an admin has published the app. Unpublished drafts are for admin testing only.

Verifying the connection

After enabling the connector in chat, ask: "What needs my attention today?" ChatGPT should call Lodestar MCP tools and return data from your workspace.