openai-mcp

Use your ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription inside Claude Code, Codex, and any MCP client.

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What it does

openai-mcp exposes 15 MCP tools that forward requests directly to ChatGPT's backend API. No proxy process. No separate account. Your token, your quota.

Works with Claude Code, Codex CLI, and any client that speaks the MCP protocol over stdio.

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Install

pip install openai-mcp

Or with pipx for an isolated install:

pipx install openai-mcp

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Setup

openai-mcp setup

The wizard will:

1. Look for an existing Codex auth token at ~/.codex/auth.json
2. If not found, prompt you to paste a ChatGPT session token
3. Save credentials to ~/.openai-mcp/token.json

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Configure in Claude Code

Add the following to ~/.claude.json (under mcpServers):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "openai": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "openai-mcp",
      "args": ["run", "--stdio"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code after saving. Tools appear under the openai namespace.

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Tools

Tool	What it does
chat	Chat with GPT-5.x, Pro models, o3, o3-pro
deep_research	Web-augmented search answer (~30 s)
deep_research_heavy	Long-form Deep Research via gpt-5-5-pro (5–30 min, uses monthly quota)
account_status	ChatGPT plan and enabled features
list_models	All models available to your account
memory_list	List ChatGPT memories (PII redacted)
memory_search	Search ChatGPT memories by keyword
custom_instructions_get	Retrieve your ChatGPT custom instructions
list_codex_envs	List Codex environments
list_codex_tasks	List recent Codex tasks
list_custom_gpts	List your custom GPTs
list_conversations	Recent ChatGPT conversations
list_tasks	Scheduled ChatGPT tasks
list_apps	Connected apps and connectors

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Architecture

Native Python implementation — no proxy. The server calls /backend-api/conversation (SSE) directly using curl_cffi for TLS impersonation. Vendored POW and Turnstile solvers handle the OpenAI Sentinel challenge. See NOTICES for attribution.

~/.codex/auth.json  (or ~/.openai-mcp/token.json)
        |
   openai-mcp  (stdio MCP server)
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   curl_cffi  →  chatgpt.com /backend-api/conversation  (SSE)
        |
   14 read tools + 1 heavy DR tool

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Limitations

• Deep Research quota: 248 requests/month on Pro; lower on Plus.
• image_gen: stub is present but not yet wired to a working endpoint.
• memory_add: read-only — the write endpoint returns 405; tool is not registered.
• Requires an active ChatGPT Plus or Pro subscription.

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Development

python -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
pip install -e ".[dev]"
pytest

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License

MIT. See NOTICES for third-party attributions.

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Acknowledgments

• lanqian528/chat2api — POW and Turnstile solver code (MIT)
• basketikun/chatgpt2api — survey of ChatGPT backend API patterns
• 7836246/cursor2api — survey of Cursor API patterns