LMCP — Setup & Troubleshooting

Adding a custom connector needs Developer mode, which is available on every ChatGPT plan — including Free. ChatGPT flags it high-risk because a custom connector can act on your data.

1. 1

   Install LMCP on your Mac

   Download LMCP from local-mcp.com and run the installer — it installs Local MCP to Applications and auto-configures your AI clients in ~30 seconds.

2. 2

   Turn on web access and copy your Connection URL

   Click the LMCP icon in your menu bar and find Your web AI · Cloud Relay. Turn web access ON (it is off by default for privacy), then open your assistant’s panel and click Copy URL.
   That URL already contains your personal token — it looks like https://www.local-mcp.com/mcp?token=…. Every step below that says “the URL you copied” means this one. Treat it like a password: anyone holding it can reach your Mac, and you can rotate it any time from the LMCP menu, which invalidates the old one.

3. 3

   Turn on Developer mode (one-time)

   Use a desktop browser at chatgpt.com — connectors can’t be added from the mobile or desktop apps. Open Settings → “Security and login” and turn on Developer mode: it’s the one-time prerequisite, and the custom-connector section (labeled “Connectors”, “Apps” or “Apps & Connectors” depending on rollout) only appears after it’s on — that’s why there may be no “Apps” yet.
   Still don’t see it? Fully reload chatgpt.com after toggling — Developer mode also has to stay on to use the connector. On Business/Enterprise/Edu a workspace admin must enable connectors first.

4. 4

   Create the LMCP connector

   With Developer mode on, go to chatgpt.com/plugins and click the ＋ at the top right — that is where the button lives, not on the Settings page (Settings → Plugins → “Browse plugins” takes you to the same screen). Fill in Name: LMCP and, in Server URL, paste the URL you copied from the LMCP menu bar — the tokenized one, exactly as copied. (You can also just type https://www.local-mcp.com/mcp with no token — ChatGPT authenticates through the OAuth sign-in in the next step either way.) Authentication stays on “OAuth” — that is already the default, and the client ID/secret stay empty because we auto-register. Tick I understand and want to continue and click Create.

   
5. 5

   Sign in and approve on your Mac

   Create only registers the connector — it still reads “No app actions available yet”. Click Sign in with LMCP: ChatGPT opens an Authorize page on www.local-mcp.com, and a dialog appears on your Mac. Click Approve there and the tool catalog loads.
   If no dialog shows up, or the page says LMCP isn’t running, the approval simply expired — it only lasts 5 minutes. Click the button again; nothing needs reinstalling. (Pasting your token is the fallback for a different device or a browser that blocks the app-open.)

   
6. 6

   Enable it in a chat

   Start a new conversation and enable the LMCP connector from the composer’s tools menu (+). Then ask: “List my email accounts” or “What meetings do I have today?”

   

Steps verified 2026-08-08. 100% local · you confirm anything it sends · free.

1. 1

   Install LMCP on your Mac

   Download LMCP from local-mcp.com and run the installer — it installs Local MCP to Applications and auto-configures your AI clients in ~30 seconds.

2. 2

   Turn on web access and copy your Connection URL

   Click the LMCP icon in your menu bar and find Your web AI · Cloud Relay. Turn web access ON (it is off by default for privacy), then open your assistant’s panel and click Copy URL.
   That URL already contains your personal token — it looks like https://www.local-mcp.com/mcp?token=…. Every step below that says “the URL you copied” means this one. Treat it like a password: anyone holding it can reach your Mac, and you can rotate it any time from the LMCP menu, which invalidates the old one.

3. 3

   Open Claude’s connector settings

   Open Settings → Customize → Connectors (connectors moved here from the old Settings page), or go straight to claude.ai/settings/connectors. On Team/Enterprise an owner has to add it first from Organization settings → Connectors.

4. 4

   Add a custom connector

   Click Add → Add custom connector. Set Name: LMCP and Remote MCP server URL: paste the tokenized URL you copied (https://www.local-mcp.com/mcp?token=…). Click Add.

5. 5

   Connect it — this is the step people miss

   Add only registers the connector. It now reads “You’re not connected to LMCP yet” — click Connect, then Approve in the dialog that opens on your Mac. Claude only loads the tools after this.

6. 6

   Enable it in a chat

   Start a new conversation, enable the LMCP connector, and ask: “List my email accounts” or “What’s on my calendar today?” With Cloud Data Forwarding ON you’ll see 188+ tools.

Steps verified 2026-08-08. 100% local · you confirm anything it sends · free.

Works with any client that speaks the Model Context Protocol — Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, Zed, Cline, Raycast, and more.

1. 1

   Install LMCP

   Download from local-mcp.com. The installer sets up the AI apps LMCP supports that it finds on the machine, and the LMCP menu shows each one and whether it still needs something from you.

2. 2

   Add the server to any other MCP client

   In your client’s MCP config, add a stdio server with command npx and args local-mcp:
   { "mcpServers": { "local-mcp": { "command": "npx", "args": ["local-mcp"] } } }

3. 3

   Restart the client

   Restart your MCP client and the LMCP tools appear. No API keys, no cloud — everything runs locally on your Mac.

Steps verified 2026-07-14. 100% local · you confirm anything it sends · free.