MCP connection

MCP, short for Model Context Protocol, lets a compatible AI assistant connect to your CRM workspace. After you connect it, the assistant can use the workspace tools that your account is allowed to use—for example, searching records, reading activity, updating a deal, adding a note, or running a published workflow.

The connection is two-way in the practical sense: the assistant can read approved workspace information and, where the account and assistant support it, propose or perform changes. It does not create extra CRM access. Your workspace membership, group access, and administrator controls still apply.

This manual covers a remote MCP connection from ChatGPT or Claude. The setup is different for personal subscriptions and managed business workspaces, so follow the section that matches the account you are using.

Use cases

MCP is most useful when the assistant needs current CRM information to help with a real sales task, rather than when you only want a general answer.

Find the next sales action

Scenario: You have been doing outreach and meetings all week, but several open deals do not have a clear next step.

How to use it: Ask the connected assistant to find open opportunities without a next action, show the latest activity for each, and group the results by owner or stage. Check the records it used before asking it to update a field or add a reminder.

Benefit: A founder or small sales team can run a weekly pipeline review in ordinary language instead of opening many records one by one.

Prepare for a customer meeting

Scenario: You have a meeting with a prospect after an email campaign and want the important history in one place.

How to use it: Ask the assistant for the company, related contacts, recent emails or notes, open opportunity, previous commitments, and unanswered questions. Use the result to prepare your agenda, then verify dates, amounts, and commitments in the workspace.

Benefit: Outreach, meetings, proposals, and CRM records can be considered together without manually copying context into a separate conversation.

Turn a conversation into structured CRM work

Scenario: After a call, you know the prospect’s problem, budget, decision date, and next action, but those details are still in a note or transcript.

How to use it: Give the assistant the verified details and ask it to update the existing contact or opportunity, add a concise note, and set the next action. Name the target record clearly and review every proposed change before approving it.

Benefit: Important sales context becomes structured fields and related records, so it can be filtered, reported on, and found by the rest of the team.

Work with custom objects and fields

Scenario: Your sales process uses custom records such as partners, implementation projects, referrals, or renewal reviews in addition to contacts and opportunities.

How to use it: Ask the assistant to inspect the workspace structure first, then refer to the actual group and field names it finds. For example, ask it to find partner referrals created this month and update the next-action field for the ones awaiting a response.

Benefit: MCP uses the live workspace structure. The assistant can work with the objects and field choices that exist in your workspace instead of assuming that every company uses the same CRM template.

Run a repeatable workflow

Scenario: You have a published workflow for a recurring process, such as creating a follow-up task after a proposal is sent.

How to use it: Ask the assistant to list the available published workflows, choose the intended one, provide its required inputs, and show you what it will do. Approve the run only after checking the target records and any external side effects.

Benefit: A small team can start a controlled process from a conversation while keeping the repeatable rules in the workflow itself.

Manage workspace work with the right level of access

Scenario: An administrator needs to inspect groups, views, members, or the workspace structure, while a seller only needs to work with sales records.

How to use it: Connect each person using their own CRM account and let their workspace role determine what the assistant can do. Do not share one person’s sign-in with the whole team.

Benefit: The assistant remains useful without turning a personal connection into a shared administrator credential.

Getting Started

Before you begin

You need:

• An active CRM account and access to the intended workspace.
• Permission to open Settings → MCP.
• A ChatGPT or Claude account that supports custom remote MCP connections.
• The ability to complete an OAuth sign-in in a browser.
• The current MCP address shown in Settings → MCP.

The MCP server is remote. ChatGPT and Claude must be able to reach the address over the public internet. A URL that works only on your laptop, inside a private network, or behind a VPN will not work unless your organisation has provided a supported secure tunnel or network allowlist.

Use the address shown in the workspace, not one copied from another person, device, screenshot, or old document. The page shows the address for your workspace and assistant connection.

Understand the two connection methods in the workspace

1. Open Settings → MCP.
2. Choose Claude / ChatGPT for a conversational AI assistant.
3. Choose Claude Code / Codex only when you are configuring a developer tool in a terminal.
4. In the conversational tab, copy the displayed server address using Copy.

The conversational tab shows a URL. The developer-tools tab shows a command. Do not paste the command into ChatGPT or Claude’s connector form, and do not try to turn the URL into a command by hand.

What happens during sign-in

The connection uses OAuth. The assistant opens a browser sign-in and consent page, where you:

1. Sign in to the intended CRM account.
2. Select an accessible workspace if more than one is available.
3. Review the requested access.
4. Approve the connection.
5. Return to the assistant and enable the connected app or connector in a conversation.

If the wrong account or workspace is selected, disconnect the connection and repeat these steps. Changing the assistant’s approval setting does not change the CRM role or grant access to records that the CRM account cannot access.

Choose the correct setup path

Account type	Who adds the connection?	Where it is added
ChatGPT personal	The individual account holder, if custom MCP is available on the plan and account	Personal Settings → Apps and, when shown, Advanced Settings / Developer Mode
ChatGPT Business	A workspace admin or owner creates and publishes the custom app; each member then connects their own account	Workspace settings → Apps for the admin, then Settings → Apps for members
ChatGPT Enterprise/Edu	An admin or owner enables access, may assign it through roles, then publishes the app	Workspace Permissions & Roles, Apps, and user Settings → Apps → Advanced Settings
Claude personal	The individual account holder	Customize → Connectors
Claude Team/Enterprise	An organisation owner or primary owner adds the connector; each member connects it individually	Organization settings → Connectors for the owner, then Customize → Connectors for members

The menu names and availability can change as ChatGPT and Claude update their connector experiences. The official guides linked in the setup sections are the authority for the external assistant’s current interface.

How to use it

Set up ChatGPT with a personal subscription (Plus or Pro)

OpenAI’s current documentation distinguishes personal access from full MCP support in managed workspaces. Its plan table lists Custom MCP for Plus and Pro, but its developer-mode guide currently states that Pro users can connect MCP with read/fetch permissions while full MCP with write/modify actions is available to Business and Enterprise/Edu plans. The options shown can also depend on the account, region, and ChatGPT interface. Do not assume that a personal subscription can update CRM records just because it can connect to a custom MCP server.

Use this path when your personal account shows the required controls:

1. In ChatGPT, open your profile menu and choose Settings.
2. Open Apps.
3. If Advanced Settings or Developer Mode is shown, enable developer mode.
4. Choose Create or Create custom app when that option is available.
5. Enter a clear name such as “CRM workspace”.
6. Paste the server address copied from the CRM’s Settings → MCP page.
7. Choose the authentication option offered for the remote server. Use the browser sign-in/OAuth option; do not invent an API key or client secret.
8. Select Scan Tools and wait for the tool list to load.
9. Complete the CRM sign-in and workspace selection in the browser.
10. Return to ChatGPT and select Create or the equivalent save action.
11. Start a new chat, open the tools or apps menu, and select the connected app. You can also refer to the app in your prompt if ChatGPT offers that option.

Start with a read request such as:

Show the five open opportunities with the oldest last activity in my current workspace. Do not change anything.

If the personal account does not show Create, Custom app, or Developer Mode, do not keep trying random URLs or settings. The feature is not currently exposed to that account. Use a supported managed workspace or check the plan and availability notes in OpenAI’s Apps in ChatGPT guide and OpenAI’s developer mode and MCP guide.

Set up ChatGPT Business

ChatGPT Business uses a workspace-admin flow. A member cannot normally create and publish a custom MCP app for the whole workspace.

Admin or owner setup

1. Open the ChatGPT Business workspace.
2. Open Workspace settings → Apps.
3. If required, enable developer mode from Workspace Settings → Permissions & Roles → Connected Data Developer mode / Create custom MCP connectors, or from the developer-mode option shown in Apps.
4. Select Create and choose the custom app/MCP setup.
5. Enter the app name and paste the server address from Settings → MCP in the CRM.
6. Choose the authentication method offered for the server.
7. Select Scan Tools. Complete the browser sign-in and workspace selection if prompted.
8. Review the tools and note which ones read data, change records, manage workspace configuration, or run workflows.
9. Select Create. The app appears as a draft.
10. Open Workspace settings → Apps → Drafts, review the safety warning and available actions, then select Publish.

On Business, only admins or owners can enable developer mode and deploy the app. Each admin or owner enables developer mode for their own account; enabling it for one admin does not automatically enable it for every admin. The current official guidance also says that Business custom apps cannot be updated after publishing at launch; changes to tools or metadata require recreating and republishing the app.

Member setup

After the admin publishes the app:

1. Open your ChatGPT Business workspace.
2. Open Settings → Apps.
3. Find the published custom app and select Connect if shown.
4. Complete OAuth sign-in using your own CRM account.
5. Select the intended workspace if prompted.
6. Start a new chat and add the app from the tools/apps menu.
7. Try a read-only request before asking for a change.

The app being published does not make every member an administrator. The connected member’s CRM permissions still determine which workspace data and actions are available.

Set up ChatGPT Enterprise or Edu

Enterprise and Edu add role-based controls. Use this path when your organisation manages who may create, test, or use custom apps.

Admin or owner setup

1. Open Workspace settings → Permissions & Roles.
2. Enable developer-mode access for the appropriate people or roles under connected-data permissions.
3. If you are an enabled user, open Settings → Apps → Advanced Settings and turn on Developer Mode for your account.
4. Open Workspace settings → Apps → Create.
5. Enter a name and paste the MCP address from the CRM’s Settings → MCP page.
6. Choose the authentication option, select Scan Tools, and complete OAuth if prompted.
7. Test the draft with read and write scenarios that your organisation is willing to allow.
8. Before publishing, use the access and action controls to decide which roles can use the app and which actions are allowed.
9. Publish the app from Workspace settings → Apps → Drafts.

After publishing, an admin can use Action control to allow all actions, allow only read actions, or select a custom set. New or changed actions are not automatically trusted: refresh the app’s actions, review the changes, and publish or enable them according to the workspace policy.

Member setup

1. Open Settings → Apps → Enabled Apps.
2. Find the published custom app.
3. Select Connect and complete OAuth using your own CRM account.
4. Add the app to a new chat from the tools/apps menu.
5. Approve a write action only after checking the target record, field values, and side effects.

For the current admin screens and plan rules, use OpenAI’s developer mode and MCP guide and OpenAI’s admin controls guide for apps.

Set up Claude with a personal subscription

Claude’s individual setup is self-service. The current official instructions use Customize → Connectors. Remote custom connectors are available on Claude plans that support the feature; the connector list and plan availability can change.

1. Open Claude in a browser.
2. Choose Customize → Connectors.
3. Select + and choose Add custom connector.
4. Enter a name such as “CRM workspace”.
5. Paste the remote MCP address copied from the CRM’s Settings → MCP page.
6. If Advanced settings appears, leave the OAuth client fields empty unless your administrator or support contact has specifically given you client credentials. This server is designed to start the normal browser authorization flow.
7. Select Add.
8. Find the new connector and select Connect.
9. Complete the CRM sign-in, choose the intended workspace, and approve access.
10. In a conversation, select the + menu, open Connectors, and turn on the connector for that conversation.

Claude enables connectors per conversation. If you start a new conversation and the assistant cannot see the CRM, open the + → Connectors menu and enable it again. Remote connectors in Claude Desktop are managed through the Claude account; do not assume that placing this remote address in a local desktop configuration file is the same setup.

Use Claude’s official guide to custom connectors using remote MCP for the current personal-plan menus and availability.

Set up Claude Team or Enterprise

Claude Team and Enterprise require an organisation owner or primary owner to add a custom connector before members can use it.

Owner or primary-owner setup

1. Open Organization settings → Connectors.
2. Select Add.
3. Hover over Custom and select Web.
4. Paste the remote MCP address from the CRM’s Settings → MCP page.
5. If your organisation manages OAuth clients centrally, open Advanced settings and enter the approved OAuth Client ID and Client Secret. Otherwise, leave those fields unchanged and use the normal authorization flow.
6. Select Add to add the connector to the organisation.
7. Tell members which connector name to look for.

Only an organisation owner can add the connector in the current official flow. Team and Enterprise members do not add a second copy of the same connector to their personal settings; they use the one the owner configured.

Member setup

1. Open Customize → Connectors.
2. Find the connector added by the owner. It usually has a Custom label.
3. Select Connect.
4. Complete OAuth using your own CRM account and choose the intended workspace.
5. In a conversation, open + → Connectors and enable the connector.
6. Review Claude’s tool approval request before selecting Allow or Allow always.

The owner’s organisation setup does not give every member the owner’s CRM access. Each member authenticates individually, and the CRM still applies that member’s workspace permissions. Team and Enterprise owners can manage or disable tool calls from the organisation connector settings.

If the connector URL or configuration changes, Claude’s current official guidance is to remove the connector and add it again with the updated details. See Claude’s official remote MCP connector guide.

Optional: connect a developer tool

The CRM’s Settings → MCP page has a separate Claude Code / Codex tab for developer tools. It displays a ready-to-copy command using the current server address.

1. Open Settings → MCP.
2. Select Claude Code / Codex.
3. Copy the command shown on the page.
4. Run it in the terminal used by the developer tool.
5. Follow the browser authentication prompt.
6. Use the tool’s own connection check before making a change.

This is a remote MCP setup. It is different from a local server running on your computer. Keep the command private because it identifies the server you intend to connect to.

Use MCP for everyday CRM work

Once connected, follow a read-first pattern. In ChatGPT, adding an app applies to the message where you select it; add or mention the app again when a later message needs fresh workspace data or another action. In Claude, enable the connector from + → Connectors for each conversation where you want to use it.

1. Name the workspace, group, record, or time period you mean.
2. Ask the assistant to search or inspect the relevant data.
3. Check the returned records and confirm that the assistant found the right entities.
4. Ask for a proposed change using the exact field and value.
5. Review the approval card or tool request.
6. Approve only the changes you understand.
7. Re-read the updated record in the CRM.

Useful prompts include:

Find open opportunities in the current workspace that have no next action and show the owner, stage, value, and last activity. Do not update anything.

Find the contact and company related to the most recent proposal request from this month. If there is an exact matching record, prepare an update to the next-action field. Show me the proposed value before saving.

Inspect the workspace structure and find the custom object used for partner referrals. List referrals waiting for a reply and group them by owner.

List the published workflows available through MCP, then explain which one matches a post-proposal follow-up. Do not run it yet.

Avoid vague requests such as “clean up the CRM” or “fix all the deals.” State the group, records, fields, date range, and intended result. This reduces the chance of a broad or surprising change.

Understand what the connection can and cannot do

• The assistant can only use tools exposed to the MCP client and permitted for your account and workspace role.
• The server specializes tool schemas using the live workspace, so field choices and group names may reflect your current configuration.
• Published workflows that are explicitly exposed to MCP can appear as callable actions.
• Read actions, record changes, notes, group/view changes, workflow runs, and administrative actions can have different role requirements. For example, group-member administration and some workspace-structure changes are restricted to administrator roles.
• A workspace role or group restriction cannot be bypassed by asking the assistant more forcefully.
• ChatGPT and Claude may request confirmation before an action. That confirmation is a safety step, not a replacement for checking the target and values yourself.
• The assistant may be able to create, update, or delete data in other connected services through their own tools. Treat every external action as separate and review it carefully.

The CRM’s MCP connection does not publish administrative REST endpoints such as API-key creation as assistant tools. Use the normal workspace settings for account administration.

Troubleshooting

Settings → MCP is missing

Confirm that you are signed in to the correct workspace and account. If the page is not available, the feature may not be enabled for your account. Ask a workspace administrator or support contact rather than using an address from another workspace.

ChatGPT personal does not show Create or Developer Mode

This is usually a plan, account, region, or interface limitation. OpenAI currently distinguishes personal custom-MCP access from full MCP write support in managed workspaces. Check the current Apps in ChatGPT guide and developer mode guide. If the option is not present, use a ChatGPT Business or Enterprise/Edu workspace where an admin can create and publish the app.

A ChatGPT Business member cannot find the app

Ask the workspace admin to confirm that:

• the draft was published from Workspace settings → Apps → Drafts;
• the app is enabled for the member’s workspace and role;
• the member is using the intended Business workspace, not a personal workspace; and
• the member has connected their own CRM account.

Publishing the app and connecting the account are separate steps.

Enterprise/Edu says the app is unavailable

Ask an admin to check Permissions & Roles, role-based access, Workspace settings → Apps, and the app’s Configure Access and Action control settings. Enterprise/Edu apps may be disabled until an admin enables and publishes them.

Claude does not show Add custom connector

For a personal account, open Customize → Connectors and look for + → Add custom connector. If it is not shown, check the current plan availability in Claude’s official remote MCP guide.

For Team or Enterprise, only an organisation owner or primary owner can add the connector. Ask that person to use Organization settings → Connectors → Add → Custom → Web. Once it is added, you still need to select Connect under your own Customize → Connectors page.

The connector was added but Claude cannot use it

Open a conversation, select + → Connectors, and enable the connector. Claude connectors are available per conversation. If the connector was configured for Team or Enterprise, confirm that you selected the organisation connector rather than trying to add a personal duplicate.

The assistant says the URL is invalid or unreachable

Copy the address again from Settings → MCP and paste it without changing it. Do not append a path, remove the final path segment, or use a local “localhost” address. The server must be reachable from the assistant’s cloud service over the public internet.

Opening the URL directly in a browser is not a complete connection test. The MCP endpoint expects the assistant’s MCP requests, so a browser may show a method-not-allowed response even when the connector URL is correct.

The browser sign-in loops or returns to the wrong account

1. Close old sign-in tabs.
2. Sign out of the CRM account that the browser selected automatically.
3. Start the connection again from the assistant’s connector settings.
4. Sign in with the account that has access to the intended workspace.
5. If more than one workspace is offered, select the active one.
6. Test with a read-only request.

If the wrong account remains connected, disconnect the app/connector first and repeat the flow in a private browser window.

The connector is connected but the assistant sees no workspace

The connection may have been authorised without selecting an active workspace, or the selected workspace membership may have changed. Disconnect and reconnect, then choose a workspace you can access. A stale connection can also produce a reconnect-required error after a member leaves a workspace or loses access.

The assistant can read but cannot change records

Check all three layers:

• Your CRM workspace role and group access.
• The external assistant’s plan and MCP support. ChatGPT personal access may be limited to read/fetch.
• The team administrator’s app action settings. ChatGPT Business or Enterprise/Edu may allow only read actions; Claude owners may disable selected tool calls.

Changing an assistant’s approval preference does not grant CRM write permission. Ask an administrator to change the workspace or app policy only when the change is appropriate.

A write request is blocked or asks for approval

Read the proposed action carefully. Check the record, group, field, value, workflow, and any external side effect. If it is correct, approve it using the assistant’s approval control. If it is not correct, deny it and rewrite the request more narrowly.

In Claude, do not choose Allow always for a tool unless you trust it to run without another confirmation. In ChatGPT, app permission settings control when approval is requested; they do not expand the account’s actual access.

The tool list is missing a newly added action

For ChatGPT Business, a published app may need to be recreated and republished when its tools or metadata change. For Enterprise/Edu, an admin may need to refresh the app actions, review the diff, and enable or publish the update. Ask the administrator to review the app rather than reconnecting every member first.

The MCP server also specializes tools against the current workspace. If a group or field was recently created, reconnecting is usually unnecessary; first refresh the assistant conversation or ask it to inspect the workspace structure again.

I selected the wrong permission or approval option

There are two different settings:

Assistant approval setting: This controls whether ChatGPT or Claude asks before using an action. It does not grant new CRM access. Change it in the assistant’s app/connector preferences, or disable the connector for the conversation.

CRM access: This is controlled by your CRM membership, workspace role, group access, and the selected workspace. To change it, ask the CRM workspace administrator to update your membership or group access.

If you connected the wrong account or workspace, disconnect the assistant app/connector and reconnect using the correct account. Do not try to fix the problem by selecting a less restrictive approval option.

How to reset ChatGPT personal access

1. Open ChatGPT Settings → Apps.
2. Find the custom app or connected account.
3. Open its account/options menu and select Disconnect or remove the custom app.
4. If the app was created from developer mode and has stale tool details, remove it and create it again using the current address from Settings → MCP.
5. Reconnect, choose the correct account and workspace, and run a read-only test.

Disconnecting stops future access through that connection. It does not automatically undo CRM changes made earlier.

How to reset ChatGPT Business or Enterprise/Edu access

For a member:

1. Disconnect the app from Settings → Apps.
2. Reconnect the published app using the intended CRM account.

For an administrator:

1. Review the app under Workspace settings → Apps.
2. Disable it if the whole workspace must stop using it.
3. For Enterprise/Edu, refresh or change Action control and Configure Access as needed.
4. For Business, recreate and republish the app when endpoint or tool metadata must change.

Disconnecting one member does not remove the published app for everyone. Disabling the workspace app does not delete the underlying CRM records.

How to reset Claude personal access

1. Open Customize → Connectors.
2. Find the connector.
3. Select the three-dot menu and choose Remove.
4. Add it again with the current address from Settings → MCP.
5. Select Connect, complete OAuth, and enable it from + → Connectors in a new conversation.

Claude’s current official guidance uses remove-and-re-add when a custom connector’s URL or configuration changes.

How to reset Claude Team or Enterprise access

For a member:

1. Open Customize → Connectors.
2. Select Connect again if the organisation connector is still present.
3. If the connector is stale or the owner changed its configuration, ask the owner to remove and re-add it.
4. Complete OAuth with your own CRM account and enable it in the conversation.

For the owner:

1. Open Organization settings → Connectors.
2. Remove the old connector.
3. Add it again using Add → Custom → Web and the current MCP address.
4. Tell members to connect again.

Removing a connector stops future access through that connector. It does not delete CRM records that were created or changed earlier.

The assistant connected to the wrong workspace

Disconnect the connection in ChatGPT or Claude, then reconnect and choose the intended CRM workspace during OAuth. Test with a harmless read request that names the workspace. Do not rely on the assistant’s conversation title to identify the active workspace.

The assistant returned the wrong record

Ask it to search using a strong identity clue such as the exact email address, record name plus company, or a known record field. Ask it to show the matching record before making a change. If the result is ambiguous, do not approve the write; open the CRM and confirm the correct record manually.

A published workflow did not run

Confirm that:

• the workflow is published and explicitly exposed to MCP;
• your account can run it;
• all required inputs were supplied;
• the workflow’s own connected services are available; and
• the assistant returned a run result or error that you can inspect.

If the workflow was recently changed, the external assistant may still have an older published tool definition. Ask the workspace administrator to refresh or republish it according to the ChatGPT or Claude setup path.

Safety checklist

Before connecting:

• Use only the MCP address copied from Settings → MCP.
• Connect your own CRM account; do not share credentials.
• Confirm the workspace selected during OAuth.
• Start with a read-only request.
• Treat write, delete, merge, workflow, and external actions as requiring deliberate review.
• Keep the server address and sign-in details out of public documents and chat messages.
• Disconnect the assistant when the connection is no longer needed.

For external-client changes, always consult the current official guides: OpenAI Apps in ChatGPT, OpenAI developer mode and MCP apps, OpenAI admin controls for apps, and Claude custom connectors using remote MCP.