Connect ChatGPT to the PlantDemand MCP Server

ChatGPT supports MCP servers through OpenAI’s connector framework. The exact configuration path depends on your ChatGPT plan: Business, Enterprise, and Edu accounts can add MCP connectors directly through workspace settings, while developers using the OpenAI Responses API can register MCP servers as tools per request. This guide covers both paths.

Before you start

  • An active PlantDemand account with at least one plant configured
  • A Server-Api-Key generated for your account (see SOP 4.1)
  • ChatGPT installed and working with at least one MCP server already (or this is your first MCP setup — that is fine too)
  • Verify the curl examples in the quickstart work from your network before configuring the client

Configuration

Add the following configuration to ChatGPT:

# Workspace connector configuration (Business/Enterprise/Edu)
Connector type: MCP server
Server URL:     https://plantdemand.com/mcp
Authentication: Custom header
Header name:    Server-Api-Key
Header value:   

# Developer (Responses API) configuration
{
  "type": "mcp",
  "server_label": "plantdemand",
  "server_url": "https://plantdemand.com/mcp",
  "headers": {
    "Server-Api-Key": "${PLANTDEMAND_SERVER_API_KEY}"
  }
}

Step-by-step setup

  1. For workspace connectors: Sign in to ChatGPT as a workspace administrator and go to Settings > Connectors (or your workspace’s equivalent path).
  2. Click Add connector and select MCP server. Enter the PlantDemand MCP URL and Server-Api-Key as shown above.
  3. Approve the connector for the workspace. Users in your workspace can now enable the PlantDemand connector inside individual chats.
  4. For developers using the API: Pass the MCP server configuration as a tools entry on each Responses API request. See the OpenAI documentation for the latest schema.
  5. Test by enabling the connector in a chat and asking “list my PlantDemand plants” or “show this week’s schedule for plant 14”.

Plan availability

MCP connector availability inside ChatGPT depends on your plan and rolls out incrementally. Personal Plus accounts have more limited connector support than Business / Enterprise / Edu workspaces. For developer-only use, the Responses API approach works regardless of plan as long as you have API access.

Verifying the connection

After connecting, ask ChatGPT:

“List the plants I have access to in PlantDemand.”

If the assistant returns a list of plants, the connection is working. Try a follow-up:

“What is on the schedule for plant [your plant ID] tomorrow?”

Troubleshooting

  • MCP connector option not visible: Confirm your plan includes connector support. As of mid-2026, Business, Enterprise, and Edu workspaces have the broadest MCP connector access.
  • Connector added but ChatGPT does not use it: In each chat, explicitly enable the PlantDemand connector from the chat composer. ChatGPT does not auto-enable connectors by default.
  • 401 errors when calling tools: Verify the header name is exactly Server-Api-Key and the value is your active PlantDemand key. Re-test with the quickstart curl examples.

Where to go next