Client Intake for ChatGPT: Ask the Client From Inside a Chat
BriefGate connects to ChatGPT as a custom MCP connector, so a ChatGPT session that is scaffolding or reviewing client work can ask the client directly for the logo, the copy, or a login, instead of you copying that request into an email.
The problem
ChatGPT is increasingly used to draft the plan, the copy, or the code for a client project, and it hits the same wall a coding agent does: the client's logo, brand colors, and hosting credentials live in an inbox, not in the chat. A regular connector in ChatGPT can search and read from a service, but creating something — like a new client request — needs more than read access.
The solution
OpenAI's Developer mode is what unlocks full MCP tool calls (not just search/fetch) inside a ChatGPT conversation, which is what a write action like define_intake needs. Once BriefGate is added as a developer-mode connector, ChatGPT can call it directly: define what's needed from the client, and later check whether it has arrived, without leaving the conversation.
Adding BriefGate as a connector
1. Turn on Developer mode. In ChatGPT, go to Settings → Apps & Connectors → Advanced settings and switch on Developer mode. On a Business or Enterprise workspace, an admin may need to allow custom connectors first, under workspace connector settings.
2. Add the connector. Go to Settings → Connectors, choose Create (or Add custom connector), and fill in:
- Name: BriefGate
- MCP server URL:
https://mcp.briefgate.dev/mcp - Authentication: OAuth
Save it, and ChatGPT opens a browser window to the BriefGate dashboard to sign in and approve access — there is no client ID to paste. BriefGate's hosted endpoint supports OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and RFC 7591 dynamic client registration, which is what lets ChatGPT register itself automatically the first time it connects, the same mechanism it uses for other custom connectors.
3. Enable it in a conversation. Click the + in the chat composer, open Connectors, and turn BriefGate on for that conversation (or a specific GPT).
What this gets you
All 13 BriefGate tools become callable: define_intake, get_intake_status, get_intake_results, add_items, update_item, update_intake, list_intakes, request_revision, send_chase, manage_recipients, manage_webhook, list_folders, create_folder — the same set documented in the MCP reference, 1:1 with the REST API.
A worked example
You: "Set up a BriefGate request for the Nováková project — I need their logo, the homepage copy, and their WordPress login."
ChatGPT calls define_intake with those three items (an image, a longtext, and a secret), BriefGate emails the client a portal link, and ChatGPT can report back: "Sent — I'll let you know when it's complete" (or you ask it to check with get_intake_status later in the same or a new conversation).
Handling the results
When the client is done, call get_intake_results (or ask ChatGPT to check) to get typed values back: the logo as a signed file URL, the copy as plain text, and the WordPress login decrypted and released once. A missing array in the response names anything still outstanding, so a half-finished intake is never silently treated as done.
What we haven't verified ourselves
OpenAI documents Developer mode and custom MCP connectors this way as of September 2026, and BriefGate's OAuth implementation matches what ChatGPT expects (standard discovery, dynamic client registration, PKCE). We have not run this connection end-to-end ourselves against a live ChatGPT account — menu names and plan availability (Plus/Pro/Business) can change on OpenAI's side faster than this page does. If a step above doesn't match what you see in your ChatGPT settings, OpenAI's own Developer mode help article is the current source of truth.
Next steps
- MCP tools reference — full parameter list for all 13 tools
- Item types — what
image,secret, and the other item types validate - Quickstart — the same hosted endpoint, for Claude Code, Cursor, or any other MCP client