Install in ChatGPT

OpenAI calls this feature Apps & Connectors (you may see it labeled just “Apps” in marketing copy). Installation requires Developer Mode on the ChatGPT web app. Mobile apps are not documented for custom MCP app setup.

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. Click your avatar (bottom-left) → Settings.
3. Open Apps & Connectors (depending on the plan you may also see it labeled Connectors).
4. Scroll to Advanced settings and toggle Developer mode on. Accept the beta warning.
5. Return to Apps & Connectors and click Create (sometimes + Create or Add custom connector).
6. Fill in the modal:
   • Name: YouTube Transcript
   • Description: Fetch YouTube transcripts in ChatGPT
   • MCP Server URL: https://api.youtubevideotranscript.io/mcp
   • Authentication: OAuth
   • Check “I trust this application” (required).
7. Click Create.
8. 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.
9. 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.

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 JSON schema for the MCP tool object (field names for auth, label, scopes, and approval flags) has evolved across the 2025 and 2026 rollout, so consult platform.openai.com/docs/mcp for the current shape before pasting code.

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 in whichever field OpenAI’s current schema uses for remote MCP auth.

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

Gotchas

• 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.