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How-to

How to connect the ChatGPT desktop app to a local MCP server

In the ChatGPT desktop app, open Settings, select MCP servers, then Add server. Give it a name, choose STDIO, enter the command that starts the server, save, and select Restart. The desktop app shares this configuration with Codex in ~/.codex/config.toml. Type /mcp in the composer to confirm it is connected. This is a desktop-app feature: OpenAI's documentation says ChatGPT on the web does not read local configuration files.

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Steps

  1. 01

    Open MCP settings

    In the ChatGPT desktop app, open Settings and select MCP servers.

  2. 02

    Add a STDIO server

    Select Add server, enter a name, choose STDIO, and paste the command that starts the server.

  3. 03

    Save and restart

    Save the server, then select Restart so the app launches it.

  4. 04

    Confirm the tools

    Type /mcp in the composer to see connected servers and check that the expected tools are listed.

What OpenAI's documentation says

OpenAI documents MCP for the ChatGPT desktop app, the Codex CLI and the IDE extension together: configuration lives "in config.toml", by default "~/.codex/config.toml", and "The ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and IDE extension share this configuration."

Two server kinds are supported: "STDIO servers: Servers that run as a local process (started by a command)" and "Streamable HTTP servers: Servers that you access at an address." A local connector is the STDIO kind.

What a local server does and does not keep local

The server runs on your Mac and reads only what its tools are written to read. When ChatGPT calls a tool, the tool's result enters the conversation and is processed by OpenAI like anything else you type or attach. So the question to ask of any local server is what its tools can return. A server with general file-system tools can return any file you can open; a narrow one returns only what it was built to return.

  • Check the server's tool list after connecting (type /mcp)
  • Prefer servers whose tools are scoped to specific files or documents
  • Restart the app after changing the configuration
  • Keep existing entries when you edit config.toml by hand

Where PiBye fits

How PiBye handles this

PiBye includes a local STDIO connector for the ChatGPT desktop app and Claude Desktop. In PiBye's Settings you choose the app, tick the approved copies it may read, and copy the setup it shows into ChatGPT's MCP servers screen; PiBye never edits ChatGPT's settings itself.

Its three tools can list the approved copies you allowed, read one, and hand a generated draft back to PiBye. They never return originals, file paths or the key to the stand-ins. Locking PiBye or revoking access disconnects the assistant, and access expires within 60 seconds if PiBye closes. The AI sees the case, not the client.

PiBye approved copy ready for a local AI connection
PiBye approved copy ready for a local AI connection

Actual PiBye views rendered at 3× resolution with fictional sample data. Open full-resolution image ↗

Download PiBye for macOSRequirements and install steps

1.0.1 · macOS 14.8.5 or later · Apple Silicon · 1.1 GB

Frequently asked questions

Does this work in ChatGPT in a browser?

No. OpenAI's documentation says ChatGPT web does not read local Codex configuration files; it uses plugins with remote tools instead.

Is the file uploaded when ChatGPT reads it through a local server?

The file itself is not uploaded, but the text a tool returns becomes part of the conversation that OpenAI processes. Share through a tool only what you would paste.

Can I add the server by editing config.toml?

Yes. The desktop app shares ~/.codex/config.toml with the Codex CLI and IDE extension, so a STDIO server added there appears in the app after a restart.

Sources

  1. Model Context Protocol (ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI and IDE extension), OpenAI (ChatGPT Learn). Checked 25 September 2026.