Setup guide

Connect Giraffe to ChatGPT.

ChatGPT gets you to an answer; Giraffe is where the answer stays. @-mention Giraffe in any chat to read a project back, or to save what you just worked out. It asks before each save. Whether saving works at all depends on your plan and your workspace: “Who can connect”, below, sets that out with OpenAI’s own sources.

See what a project looks like →

Set up ChatGPT, step by step

Two different jobs, so pick the one you’re actually doing — they don’t share the same steps.

Which route applies to you

Giraffe is not in ChatGPT's plugin directory yet, so searching for it there will not find it. You add it yourself as a custom app in Developer mode. That is the route below.

If Giraffe is listed in the directory later, connecting will be a single Connect button and none of the Developer mode steps will be needed.

Availability depends on your ChatGPT plan and workspace settings. Free and Go cannot connect; on paid plans it works through Developer mode on the web. Who can connect

In a hurry

  1. Check you're on a paid plan: Free and Go can't connect.
  2. Turn on Developer mode, a free switch in your ChatGPT settings.
  3. Go to Settings, then Apps, and click Create.
  4. Paste Giraffe's connection address and pick OAuth to sign in.
  5. Click Scan Tools and sign in to Giraffe, then click Create.
  6. In a chat, @-mention Giraffe or use + then More to use it.

Giraffe’s address

You’ll paste this in during setup.

Giraffe's connection address

https://mcp.withgiraffe.com/mcp

Setting up

  1. Turn on Developer mode

    Web

    Developer mode is a free switch in your own settings. It is not an upgrade, and it only lets you add tools OpenAI has not listed itself. It sits in one of two places depending on your account: look under Settings, then Apps, then Advanced settings first; if it is not there, look under Settings, then Security and login.

    If neither matches what you see, search your ChatGPT settings for "Developer mode". OpenAI's own pages list both locations, so either can be right depending on your account.

  2. Settings, then Apps, then Create

    Web

    Go to Settings, choose Apps, and click Create to start a new app connection.

    What you should see: A blank app form asking for a name, an icon, and a server address.

    The Apps section of ChatGPT settings — diagram, not a screenshot

  3. Name it Giraffe and paste the address

    Web

    Type Giraffe as the name, and paste the connection address into the server field.

    Giraffe's connection address

    https://mcp.withgiraffe.com/mcp

    New app form — diagram, not a screenshot

  4. Give it Giraffe's icon (optional)

    Web

    ChatGPT never fetches an icon from Giraffe, so without one the app shows a generic plug. If the form you're on offers an icon upload, use the file below. If it doesn't, you can set it afterwards: while an app is in developer mode its owner can edit the name and logo from the app's own Manage menu in Apps settings.

    Download Giraffe's icon (512×512 PNG)

    Nothing is broken if you skip this. It only changes how the app looks in ChatGPT's own list.

  5. Choose OAuth as the sign-in method

    Web

    Pick OAuth from the authentication options. That is what lets ChatGPT sign in to your Giraffe account rather than asking you for a key.

    What you should see: The form accepts it without asking for any extra credentials.

  6. Click Scan Tools, then sign in

    Web

    Scan Tools is what triggers the sign-in prompt. Approve the connection with your Giraffe account when it appears.

    What you should see: A list of what Giraffe can do, pulled in after the sign-in succeeds.

    New app form, ready to scan — diagram, not a screenshot

  7. Click Create

    Web

    Finish by clicking Create. Your app now appears under Enabled Apps with a Dev label.

After you connect

Adding Giraffe isn’t the same as using it. This part is easy to miss and the reason a fresh connection can feel like it’s “not working.”

  1. Find it under Settings, then Plugins

    Web

    You set it up under Apps and you will find it afterwards under Plugins. That is not a mistake in these instructions. OpenAI renamed this area to Plugins on 9 July 2026 and both names are still in the interface. (It is unrelated to the separate, retired 2023 "plugins" feature.)

  2. @-mention it, or use + then More

    Any platform

    ChatGPT doesn't reach for your app on its own. Type @ and the app's name in a message, or click + then More and select it. For a developer-mode draft app, choose Developer mode from the + menu first, then select it.

    This is the step people skip. Creating the app without invoking it means ChatGPT never touches Giraffe.

    The + menu inside a ChatGPT conversation — diagram, not a screenshot

  3. Expect an approval prompt on saves

    Any platform

    The default approval level is "Important actions": ChatGPT reads freely but asks before it writes anything. For a raw developer-mode app, that choice is remembered for the current conversation only; a new conversation asks again. That's expected, not a bug. Change the level to Always ask, Any changes, or Never ask in the app's own settings if you'd rather.

Giraffe is already in my ChatGPT apps?

Then work with the app you already have rather than creating a second one. Creating again is what produces a name clash and leaves you no better off. Everything below acts on the existing entry.

  1. Open Settings, then your existing Giraffe app

    Web

    In ChatGPT on the web, open Settings and find Giraffe in your list of apps. Depending on your account this area is labelled Apps or Plugins. OpenAI merged the two in July 2026 and both names are still in the interface. Either one is the right place.

    What you should see: Giraffe listed among your existing apps, usually with a Dev label next to it.

    The apps list in ChatGPT settings with an existing entry — diagram, not a screenshot

  2. Open the entry and try Refresh first

    Web

    Open the existing Giraffe app and use Refresh. That re-reads Giraffe's address for the current list of tools, and is the cheapest thing that fixes an app which connects but behaves as though Giraffe can't do anything.

    OpenAI's published pages document a Refresh action on the app itself, but do not name a single "Reconnect" button for custom apps, so trust what your app's own menu offers over any label we print here.

  3. If access itself is broken, disconnect then connect again

    Web

    When the problem is authorisation itself, such as Giraffe refusing or an expired sign-in, disconnect the app in Settings, then connect it again and approve with your Giraffe account. OpenAI documents this as the way to re-authenticate; it keeps the app you already made.

    What you should see: A fresh row in Giraffe's own Settings, under Connections, dated today.

  4. Then @-mention it again in a chat

    Any platform

    Restoring access doesn't make ChatGPT reach for Giraffe on its own. In your next message type @ and pick Giraffe, the same step that's easy to miss on a first setup.

  5. Last resort: delete it, then create it again

    Web

    Only if none of that works. Delete the existing Giraffe app first, and only then create a new one with the address below. Deleting first is what keeps the name free. OpenAI's own docs note that some metadata changes can only be picked up by recreating an app.

    Giraffe's connection address

    https://mcp.withgiraffe.com/mcp

Who can connect

Availability depends on your ChatGPT plan and workspace settings. Free and Go cannot connect. On paid plans it works through Developer mode on the web, but whether saving works, and whether ChatGPT asks you to confirm each save, depends on your plan and, in a Business or Enterprise workspace, on your administrator.

Verified by Giraffe

  • Giraffe's own test: On 12 August 2026 we connected one real ChatGPT Plus account, on the web with Developer mode on, and it both read from Giraffe and saved to it. That is a single recorded run on a single account, not a guarantee for every Plus account: OpenAI can change availability, and a workspace administrator can restrict it. Two caveats we hit: it does not work inside a ChatGPT Project, and by default ChatGPT asks you to approve each save.

Per the provider's docs

  • Free and Go: Cannot connect. Developer mode is listed as unavailable on these plans. ChatGPT pricing
  • Saving on Plus and Pro: OpenAI's own pages disagree, so we will not tell you it definitely works or definitely does not. The help centre says full access, including saving, is Business, Enterprise and Edu only, and describes Pro as read-only. The developer documentation lists Plus and Pro as eligible and says read versus write is decided per tool by the server, not by plan. Both are current. Try it; if a save is refused, that is why. Developer mode and MCP apps (help centre)
  • The other side of that conflict: The developer documentation states developer mode gives full support for all tools, both read and write, subject to your confirmation settings. ChatGPT developer mode (developer docs)
  • On a phone: Developer mode and custom apps are web only. There is no mobile setup path. Developer mode and MCP apps (help centre)
  • Agent mode and Deep Research: Agent mode cannot use custom apps at all. Deep Research can read from Giraffe but cannot save to it. Developer mode and MCP apps (help centre)

Depends on your setup

  • Business, Enterprise and Edu: An administrator turns developer mode on and publishes the app; members cannot add one themselves. An admin can also restrict an app to read-only or switch it off entirely, whatever your plan otherwise allows.
  • Everyone: OpenAI labels this beta and says functionality, UI and permissions may change. If a step here does not match what you see, that is the most likely reason.

If something’s not working

I can't find the Developer mode toggle.

OpenAI's help centre and developer docs list two different locations: Settings, then Apps, then Advanced settings; or Settings, then Security and login. Check both, or search Settings for "Developer mode". You'll also need a plan that supports it. See "Who can connect" further down.

I'm on Pro and can't save anything to Giraffe.

This is the one genuinely ambiguous part. OpenAI's help centre says saving is Business, Enterprise and Edu only; its developer documentation says Plus and Pro can use every tool a server exposes, read or write. We have seen saving work on a real account, so it is worth trying, but if ChatGPT refuses, the plan limit in the first document is the likely reason, and a Business or Enterprise workspace is the documented way around it.

I'm on Plus: will saving work?

It did in our own test: on 12 August 2026 one Plus account on the web, with Developer mode on, both read and saved. OpenAI has not published a clear rule covering write access on Plus, so we cannot promise the same for your account. Availability can differ by account, workspace and date. Try it; Scan Tools will show you which tools ChatGPT can actually see.

I created the app but ChatGPT never uses it.

Creating an app doesn't mean ChatGPT will reach for it automatically. @-mention it by name, or use + then More. See "After you connect" above.

It keeps asking me to approve every save.

The default level is "Important actions": reads are free, writes ask first, and for a developer-mode app that approval resets each new conversation. Change it in the app's own settings if you want it to ask less, or more.

Can I set this up from my phone?

No, creating a developer-mode app is web only, per OpenAI's own FAQ. Set it up on a computer; using an already-created app afterwards may work depending on the ChatGPT app version.

Last verified Aug 13, 2026, against ChatGPT’s own documentation: Developer mode and MCP apps in ChatGPT, Plugins in ChatGPT and Codex, ChatGPT developer mode (developer docs), Connect and test your plugin, Apps in ChatGPT, ChatGPT pricing. Provider settings change without notice. If a step doesn’t match what you see, the underlying idea (add the address, then turn the connection on) still holds.

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