Install in ChatGPT

Connect the remote MCP server through Developer Mode on ChatGPT web. The setup path below follows OpenAI's Developer Mode guide, checked on 10 September 2026.

Install on ChatGPT.com

  1. Sign in at chatgpt.com on a plan that exposes Developer Mode (see the callout above for current availability).
  2. Open Settings.
  3. Open Security and login and enable Developer mode.
  4. Go to ChatGPT Plugins and use the plus button to create a developer-mode app.
  5. Fill in the modal:
    • Name: YouTube Transcript
    • Description: Search YouTube, read transcripts and comments, and collect transcripts in bulk
    • MCP Server URL: https://api.youtubevideotranscript.io/mcp
    • Authentication: OAuth
    • Check “I trust this application” (required).
  6. Click Create.
  7. ChatGPT opens our consent page in a popup. Sign in with the Google account you use for YouTube Video Transcript, review the permissions, and click Allow.
  8. In a new chat, click + in the composer → More → Developer mode, then toggle YouTube Transcript on for the conversation.

Try it

ChatGPT’s model picks tools based on what you ask. Name the connector explicitly the first time so the model knows to use it instead of falling back to its built-in browsing.

text
Use the YouTube Transcript connector to fetch the transcript
of https://youtu.be/dQw4w9WgXcQ and return the first 200 words.

OpenAI Responses API (developers)

If you are building with the OpenAI API directly, you can attach remote MCP servers as tools in a Responses request. The exact configuration and approval flow are documented in OpenAI's MCP and Connectors guide.

When you wire it up, set:

  • server URL: https://api.youtubevideotranscript.io/mcp
  • auth credential: your yvt_live_* API key from your API keys page, passed as the authorization token. Keep it on your server, not in client-side browser code.

Same plan, same credits: calls from the Responses API charge your YouTube Video Transcript account exactly like the consumer ChatGPT path does.

Gotchas

  • Refresh after tool additions. Open the app's details in settings and refresh its tools. The current server exposes the full tool list, not only transcripts.
  • Per-conversation enable. Developer Mode connectors do not stay on across chats. Toggle YouTube Transcript on at the start of every new conversation that needs it. This is the single biggest friction item for ChatGPT MCP users.
  • Custom GPTs are different. Custom GPTs (the GPT Builder) use OpenAPI-based Actions, not MCP. You cannot attach our MCP server to a Custom GPT today.
  • OAuth-only on the consumer UI. There is no field to paste a static Bearer key. If you want key auth, use the Responses API (above).
  • Web only. OpenAI’s current documentation covers MCP setup on web. Mobile apps are not documented for custom MCP app setup.

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