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# Connect ChatGPT via remote MCP

[Neotoma with ChatGPT](/neotoma-with-chatgpt) · Connect ChatGPT via remote MCP tunnel, developer mode, and Neotoma MCP server URL.

Looking for custom GPT with OpenAPI instead? See [Connect via custom GPT with OpenAPI](/neotoma-with-chatgpt-connect-custom-gpt).

## Setup

ChatGPT connects to MCP servers over the network via [developer mode](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461). To configure remote access:

1.  **Install a tunnel provider:** Neotoma's `--tunnel` flag needs either [ngrok](https://ngrok.com/download) or [Cloudflare Tunnel (cloudflared)](https://developers.cloudflare.com/cloudflare-one/connections/connect-networks/downloads/) installed on your machine. Install one:
    
    Code snippet
    
    Copy the exact snippet shown below.
    
    ```
    # ngrok (via Homebrew)
    brew install ngrok
    ngrok config add-authtoken <YOUR_NGROK_TOKEN>
    
    # or Cloudflare Tunnel
    brew install cloudflared
    ```
    
    ngrok requires a free account and auth token from [dashboard.ngrok.com](https://dashboard.ngrok.com/get-started/your-authtoken). You can set the token as an environment variable instead of running `ngrok config`:
    
    Code snippet
    
    Copy the exact snippet shown below.
    
    ```
    # In your shell profile or .env
    export NGROK_AUTHTOKEN=<YOUR_NGROK_TOKEN>
    ```
    
    Cloudflare Tunnel works without an account for quick tunnels. If both providers are installed, Neotoma auto-detects which to use; pass `--tunnel-provider ngrok` or `--tunnel-provider cloudflare` to choose explicitly.
    
2.  **Start the API server with a tunnel:** the `--tunnel` flag auto-provisions a public HTTPS URL via ngrok or Cloudflare (whichever is installed)
    
    Code snippet
    
    Copy the exact snippet shown below.
    
    ```
    neotoma api start --env prod --tunnel
    ```
    
    The tunnel URL is printed to the console and written to `/tmp/ngrok-mcp-url.txt`. You can also use a reverse proxy or your own domain instead of `--tunnel`.
    
    Your Neotoma API host
    
    https://
    
    Optional. Enter host only; URLs below use `https://` + this host.
    
3.  **Enable developer mode** in ChatGPT, then go to [Settings → Apps → Advanced settings → Developer mode](https://help.openai.com/en/articles/12584461). On Business plans only admins/owners can enable it; you can also enable it when creating an app via Workspace settings → Apps → Create.
4.  **Add Neotoma as a remote MCP server** in ChatGPT's developer mode settings, add your tunnel URL (e.g. `https://<tunnel-host>/mcp`). ChatGPT authenticates via OAuth; the Neotoma API supports the [MCP OAuth authorization flow](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/specification/2025-03-26/basic/authorization).

[Back to Neotoma with ChatGPT](/neotoma-with-chatgpt) · [Install guide](/install) · [MCP reference](/mcp)