ChatGPT Desktop

ChatGPT Desktop supports Streamable HTTP MCP servers with Bearer-token and OAuth authentication. It shares MCP configuration with Codex clients on the same host.

Recommended: Bearer token

Create or copy your Plushcap API key from your account. Make it available to the ChatGPT Desktop process as PLUSHCAP_API_KEY, then add this to ~/.codex/config.toml:

[mcp_servers.plushcap]
url = "https://mcp.plushcap.com/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "PLUSHCAP_API_KEY"

Restart ChatGPT Desktop after changing the environment or configuration. This method remains connected until the API key is regenerated, deleted, or expired. The configuration stores only the environment-variable name, not the key.

OAuth quick start

1. Open ChatGPT Desktop Settings and select MCP servers.
2. Select Add server.
3. Enter Plushcap, choose Streamable HTTP, and use https://mcp.plushcap.com/mcp as the server URL.
4. Save and restart the app.
5. Select Authenticate beside Plushcap and complete authorization in your browser.

OAuth is convenient for a first connection. Plushcap supports refresh tokens, but the app may eventually require another authorization.

Verify

Type /mcp in the composer and confirm that Plushcap is connected, then ask:

Use Plushcap to compare the latest trends for AI agents and MCP.

If Bearer authentication fails, confirm that PLUSHCAP_API_KEY is available to the desktop app process, not only to an unrelated terminal session.

Official documentation

• OpenAI MCP documentation

Last verified: July 29, 2026.