openai-mcp

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

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.

Install

pip install openai-mcp

Or with pipx for an isolated install:

pipx install openai-mcp

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

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.

Tools

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)
        |
   curl_cffi  →  chatgpt.com /backend-api/conversation  (SSE)
        |
   14 read tools + 1 heavy DR tool

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.

Development

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

License

MIT. See NOTICES for third-party attributions.

Acknowledgments

• lanqian528/chat2api — POW and Turnstile solver code (MIT)

• basketikun/chatgpt2api — survey of ChatGPT backend API patterns

• 7836246/cursor2api — survey of Cursor API patterns