Connect ChatGPT to GTD Brain
Connect ChatGPT to GTD Brain and the chat you already live in becomes a Getting Things Done assistant: say “add ‘renew passport’ to my inbox” mid-conversation, ask “what are my next actions?”, or have it move a stalled card to Waiting For — all without opening another app.
GTD Brain ships a hosted MCP (Model Context Protocol) server, and GTD Brain is a published ChatGPT app, so the connection renders your cards inline in the chat. Setup takes about three minutes, and you sign in with the same email code you use on the web — there is no password or API token to copy.
What you’ll need
- A GTD Brain account — free to create at gtdbrain.com.
- A paid ChatGPT plan (custom connectors are not available on the free tier).
- ChatGPT on the web or in the desktop app, where connector settings live.
Your connection address
The setup below uses this address — GTD Brain’s hosted MCP server:
Step-by-step setup
Open ChatGPT's connector settings
In ChatGPT, open Settings → Connectors. This is where ChatGPT manages the outside tools it is allowed to talk to.
Add GTD Brain as a connector
Click “Add custom connector” and paste GTD Brain's connection address (shown above) into the server URL field, then click Connect. You can also find GTD Brain by name in ChatGPT's app directory.
https://mcp.gtdbrain.com/api/gtdbrain/v1/mcpSign in with your email code
A GTD Brain sign-in page opens. Enter your email, type the code we send you, and click Allow. This is the same passwordless login the web app uses — no token ever changes hands.
Start a chat and mention GTD Brain
Open a new chat and ask something like “What's in my GTD Brain inbox?”. ChatGPT doesn't use a connector until you bring it up, so name GTD Brain the first time — after that, board questions flow naturally.
What you can do once connected
Once connected, ChatGPT sees the same board you do — columns, cards, notes, and contexts — and renders the relevant slice inline. Things people actually say:
- “Add a card for booking a dentist appointment to my inbox.”
- “What are my next actions I can do from my phone?”
- “Go through my inbox with me and sort everything into the right lists.”
- “Who am I waiting on? Show my Waiting For list.”
- “Move the tax-return card to Next Actions and add a note that the forms arrived.”
- “Help me run my weekly review.”
Every change lands on the same board as the web, iOS, and Android apps — instantly. And whatever you ask, cards can be archived but never deleted, so nothing is ever lost to a misfired prompt.
Troubleshooting
The connector is added, but ChatGPT doesn't show my cards.
Start a new chat and mention GTD Brain by name (“check my GTD Brain inbox”). ChatGPT never calls a connector on its own at connect time — the first request has to come from you in a chat.
The sign-in window never appears, or closes immediately.
Allow pop-ups for chatgpt.com and try connecting again. The sign-in step opens GTD Brain's login page in a separate window.
ChatGPT says it can't find a “Connectors” setting.
Custom connectors require a paid ChatGPT plan and are managed on the web or desktop app. Upgrade or switch surfaces, connect once, and the connection follows your ChatGPT account.
Frequently asked questions
Does ChatGPT show my board visually or just describe it?
Both. GTD Brain is a published ChatGPT app, so list and board answers render as an inline widget — your cards, contexts, and counts — right inside the conversation, with an “Open board” link to the full app.
Is it safe to let an AI assistant touch my GTD board?
The connection is deliberately limited: your assistant can read, add, edit, move, and archive cards, but it can never delete one. Archived cards stay recoverable, so nothing is ever lost to a misfired prompt. You can disconnect at any time from the assistant's connector settings.
Do I need a paid GTD Brain subscription?
You can try it free: after connecting, your assistant can create your first 3 cards on a free GTD Brain account. Ongoing use of the connection needs a GTD Brain subscription — the same one subscription that covers the web, iOS, and Android apps.
What is MCP?
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants securely talk to outside tools and data. GTD Brain hosts an MCP server, so any MCP-capable assistant — ChatGPT, Claude, Claude Code, and others — can work with your board without a plugin or API key.
Do changes made by the assistant sync to my other devices?
Yes. The assistant works on the same board as the web, iOS, and Android apps, and every change syncs in real time. Add a card from a chat and it is on your phone before you switch apps.
Other assistants
New to GTD Brain? Get started free — create your board first, then connect ChatGPT from this page in a couple of minutes.