Connect with ChatGPT (Step-by-Step Guide with Screenshots)

What this guide covers

We will make the MCP server running on your local (in-house) machine usable from ChatGPT — without opening any inbound ports. The flow has 4 parts: create a canal in WireCanal → start the Agent → create an app in ChatGPT → approve the connection.

check_circleA WireCanal account (MCP canals can be created on any plan)
check_circleAn MCP server running locally (Streamable HTTP, e.g. http://localhost:9310/mcp)
check_circleA ChatGPT Plus / Pro / Team / Enterprise plan (developer mode is required)

First, set things up on the WireCanal side

Create a canal — choose "MCP" as the type

On the dashboard, click "Create a new canal", choose MCP as the type, and click "Next".

Canal creation wizard: choosing MCP as the type — Select "MCP" in the creation wizard

Check "ChatGPT" under "Which AI will you use?"

Just pick the AI you will use, and the connection settings for that AI are prepared automatically. Here, check ChatGPT.

Which AI will you use: checking ChatGPT — Select ChatGPT under "Which AI will you use?"

Choose the public address

For the public address (hostname), the "auto-assigned subdomain" is fine. You can also reserve a name of your choice or use a custom domain.

Choosing the public address — Leaving it on "auto-assigned subdomain" is fine

Set the forwarding target to your local MCP server

For the forwarding target, enter the address of the MCP server running on your machine (e.g. localhost:9310).

Entering the forwarding target — Set the forwarding target to your local MCP server

Review and create

Confirmation screen — Review the type, public address, forwarding target, and AI selection, then click "Create"

lightbulbNo need to note down the client ID and secret

Right after creation, the "MCP connection" tab shows client credentials — but for ChatGPT, you connect by simply pasting the canal URL (the necessary settings are configured automatically). The client credentials are only for cases where you want to configure things manually.

Decide which tools to expose, and start the Agent

Download the configuration file wirecanal.json from the "Setup" tab, and list only the tool names you are willing to show to the outside AI in tools.allow (the default is deny-all). For the syntax and all options, see the wirecanal.json configuration reference.

wirecanal.json on the Setup tab — The "Setup" tab. This local json is the one and only allowlist

{
  "access_key": "ck_...",
  "forward_target": "localhost:9310",
  "mode": "mcp",
  "tools": { "default": "deny", "allow": ["get_time", "echo"] }
}

Start the Agent on the same machine. No inbound ports need to be opened. If you have not installed the Agent yet, or want to keep it running as a service (auto-start), see the OS-specific setup guides.

wirecanal.exe -config wirecanal.json

When the startup log shows a line saying that canal <ID> will deliver access to https://<hostname> to your local forwarding target, the connection is established.

That completes the WireCanal side. Now, over to ChatGPT.

Setting up on the ChatGPT side

Turn on developer mode

On chatgpt.com, open Settings → Security & login and turn on the "Developer mode" switch. This setting is required to add your own connectors.

Turning on ChatGPT developer mode — Settings → Security & login → Developer mode

Click "Create app" on the plugins screen

Open "Plugins" in the sidebar, switch to the "Personal" tab, and click the "+" (Create app) button.

The ChatGPT plugins screen — The "Personal" tab of the plugins screen. Create a new app with the "+" (Create app) button

Enter a name and the URL, then create it

check_circleName: anything you like (e.g. "WireCanal in-house MCP")
check_circleConnection (server URL): the canal's public URL + /mcp (e.g. https://<hostname>/mcp)
check_circleAuthentication: OAuth (leave the default)
check_circleCheck "I understand and want to continue", then click "Create"

lightbulbNo need to open "Advanced OAuth settings"

Once you enter the URL, auto-detection runs and client registration and the choice of authentication method are all configured automatically. Only if you want to configure them manually, open "Advanced OAuth settings" and paste the client ID / secret from the canal's "MCP connection" tab (the token endpoint authentication method is client_secret_post).

The new plugin creation form in ChatGPT — Enter the name and URL, then click "Create". No need to open the advanced settings

Sign in to start the connection

After creation, an "Add to ChatGPT" dialog appears. Click "Sign in with ..." and WireCanal's connection-consent screen opens in a new tab.

The Add to ChatGPT dialog — Click "Sign in" to go to WireCanal's consent screen

Approve the connection

Review the details and simply click "Approve". Only the canal owner can grant approval.

lightbulbStay logged in on the same browser

Log in to both ChatGPT and WireCanal in the same browser (same profile). If they are split across profiles, a login screen will open instead of the consent screen.

WireCanal's connection-consent screen — WireCanal's consent screen. Click "Approve" and the connection is complete

Try it out

Just mention the connector by name in a chat and call the tool. For example, ask "Use get_time to tell me the current time in Japan" — and the real data returned by your local MCP server is used in ChatGPT's answer.

Calling the tool from a ChatGPT chat — If real data from your local MCP server comes back, it works

verified_userTools you have not allowed do not get through, even if called

If a tool is not in tools.allow, the local Agent refuses it on the spot even when the AI tries to call it. The decision about which tools to show always stays on your side (two-key).

Create an MCP canal for free Back to MCP & AI integration

Use your in-house MCP server from ChatGPT