What "installing" Plainpaper actually means
You don't download anything. Plainpaper speaks MCP, the open protocol ChatGPT uses to reach outside tools, so installing it means telling ChatGPT one web address. From then on it can open a Plainpaper board and write campaign cards onto it whenever you ask, without you leaving the conversation.
One thing to be straight about: ChatGPT keeps custom MCP servers behind developer mode. The browsable directory only carries apps OpenAI has reviewed, and Plainpaper isn't in it yet, so you switch developer mode on and add the address yourself. That is the only real difference from a one-click install. Everything after it, the sign-in and the approval, is the standard OAuth flow.
Budget about five minutes, most of it the one-time sign-in. Below is every step, in order.
The menu moved in July. On 9 July 2026 OpenAI folded apps and connectors into a single Plugins directory, so most guides you'll find still point at Apps & connectors. If your account hasn't picked the change up yet, the old path still works and we've noted it at each step. The address you paste is the same either way.
Before you start. Developer mode needs a paid ChatGPT plan (Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Edu) and the web app at chatgpt.com. It isn't in the mobile or desktop apps. You'll also need a Plainpaper account, free to create when you connect, and it starts on a 7-day trial. On Business and Enterprise, an admin has to allow custom MCP connectors for the workspace first.
The setup at a glance
Three stages: unlock developer mode, add the address, switch it on in a chat. Each one is a couple of clicks.
Step by step: add the app
Turn on developer mode
On chatgpt.com, click your name in the bottom-left, choose Settings, open Security and login, and switch on Developer mode. ChatGPT shows a warning about unverified servers; confirm it. This is what makes the button to add your own MCP server appear at all.
On the older menu? If your Settings show Apps & connectors, the same toggle lives at the bottom of that page under Advanced settings. Same switch, same warning.
No developer mode toggle at all? Free accounts don't have it, and neither do the mobile and desktop apps. On Business and Enterprise it stays hidden until an admin enables Create custom MCP connectors under Workspace Settings → Permissions & Roles → Connected Data.
Open Plugins and start a new app
Go to Settings → Plugins, or jump straight to chatgpt.com/plugins. Click the plus button in the top right and choose to create an app for a remote MCP server. This is the route in for anything not in the directory, and Plainpaper behaves exactly like a listed app once it's added.
On the older menu? The equivalent is Settings → Apps & connectors, and the button is labelled Create rather than a plus. The dialog it opens is the same.
Paste the Plainpaper address
ChatGPT asks for a name, a description, and the server URL. Call it Plainpaper and paste this as the MCP server URL:
https://mcp.plainpaper.io/mcp/
That's the only thing you have to copy in this entire guide. Keep the trailing slash. The description is worth a real sentence rather than a placeholder, because ChatGPT reads it when deciding whether to reach for the tool:
Plainpaper: the campaign canvas. Create boards, write typed marketing cards, and read campaign work back for review.
Choose OAuth and approve access
When ChatGPT asks how to authenticate, pick OAuth. It finds Plainpaper's sign-in details on its own and sends you there, where you sign in (or create an account, free for 7 days), tick the workspaces this agent may reach, and approve. Because it's OAuth, ChatGPT never sees your password, and there is no token to paste anywhere.
You stay in control of what ships. The app lets ChatGPT draft on the board, not send on your behalf. Approval of emails and ad creative always happens on the board, and the real sending runs through each tool's own connector.
Check it under Drafts
You're returned to your plugin settings, where Plainpaper now sits under Drafts with its tools listed. You can switch individual tools off if you'd rather keep the surface small, and there's a Refresh button that pulls in new ones whenever Plainpaper ships them. Nothing here needs changing to get started.
Switch Plainpaper on in a chat
Adding the app makes it available; each conversation decides which developer mode apps are active. Open a new chat, click the plus button next to the message box, choose Developer mode, and tick Plainpaper. This is the step people miss, and it's why a freshly added app looks like it did nothing.
Create your first board
Ask ChatGPT to start something. Name the app in your prompt the first couple of times; it makes the tool choice unambiguous while you're getting going. Anything that writes to your board asks you to confirm before it runs.
Use the Plainpaper app to create a board for a Black Friday skincare campaign. Start from the Ecommerce playbook, draft a primary audience and a brief, and put them on the board so I can review.
ChatGPT · Plainpaper enabled
plainpaper · create_board
plainpaper · create_card
Take a look. The audience and brief are ready for review.
What you'd see: ChatGPT calls the Plainpaper app to create the board and add cards, confirming each write with you first. They appear on the canvas in real time, ready for you to review.
If something's not working
- No developer mode toggle. It needs a paid plan and the web app. On Business and Enterprise, an admin has to enable Create custom MCP connectors under Workspace Settings → Permissions & Roles → Connected Data before it appears.
- Your Settings say "Apps & connectors", not "Plugins". Your account hasn't picked up July's rename yet. Developer mode lives under that page's Advanced settings, and the add button is called Create. Everything else is identical.
- You can't find Plainpaper in the directory. You won't: it isn't listed there yet. Adding it in developer mode with the address above is the route in.
- ChatGPT rejects the URL. It needs the full address including the trailing slash:
https://mcp.plainpaper.io/mcp/. Dropping the slash is the single most common cause of a mystery failure here. - ChatGPT says it can't reach Plainpaper. Open the plus menu in your chat, choose Developer mode, and confirm Plainpaper is ticked for that conversation. Adding it in settings isn't the same as enabling it in a chat.
- It connected but ignores your request. Name the app and be specific: "Use the Plainpaper app to create a board for …". ChatGPT picks tools from their descriptions, so a vague ask can go unanswered.
- The sign-in window closed without connecting. Pop-up blockers can interrupt the OAuth step. Allow pop-ups for chatgpt.com, then try again.
- New Plainpaper tools aren't showing. Open the app in your plugin settings and hit Refresh to pull the current tool list.
What to do once it's connected
With the app live, the board becomes ChatGPT's workspace. A few first things worth asking for:
- Start from a playbook. Ask it to open a board from the Ecommerce or Product Launch playbook so the phases and starter cards are already in place.
- Draft an audience and a brief. Give it the goal and the offer in plain language; it lays each one out as a typed card you can correct.
- Approve before anything ships. Emails and ad creative land on the board for your sign-off. Approved work only goes out through each destination's own connector.
Key takeaways
- Plainpaper installs as an MCP app with no download, behind ChatGPT's developer mode.
- Switch developer mode on under Settings → Security and login, then add the app from Settings → Plugins. Older accounts see both under Apps & connectors.
- Paste
https://mcp.plainpaper.io/mcp/once, pick OAuth, and sign in. There is no token to paste. - Adding it makes it available; tick it per chat from the plus menu under Developer mode.
- Developer mode needs a paid plan on the web; Business and Enterprise may need an admin to allow it.
- The app lets ChatGPT draft on the board, and confirms every write with you. You still approve what actually ships.
Frequently asked questions
Where do I find Plainpaper in ChatGPT?
You add it yourself. Plainpaper isn't in ChatGPT's browsable directory,
so turn on developer mode under Settings → Security and login,
open Settings → Plugins, click the plus button, and create an app
pointing at https://mcp.plainpaper.io/mcp/ with OAuth as the
authentication method.
My ChatGPT settings say "Apps & connectors", not "Plugins". Which is right?
Both, depending on when your account last got an update. OpenAI folded apps and connectors into a single Plugins directory on 9 July 2026. If you still see Apps & connectors, the developer mode toggle sits under its Advanced settings and the button to add a server is called Create. The address you paste and everything after it are identical.
Do I need a paid ChatGPT plan?
Yes. Developer mode and custom MCP apps are available on Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, and Edu, and only in the web app at chatgpt.com. On Business and Enterprise an admin has to allow custom MCP connectors for the workspace first, under Workspace Settings → Permissions & Roles → Connected Data.
Is it safe to connect Plainpaper to ChatGPT?
The connection uses OAuth, so you sign in on Plainpaper's own page and ChatGPT never receives your password. You choose which workspaces the agent can reach, write actions ask you to confirm before they run, and you can revoke access at any time from your plugin settings. Developer mode does carry a real warning, and it's a fair one: it lets you point ChatGPT at any server you like. Only add ones you trust.
Why doesn't ChatGPT see Plainpaper in my chat?
Adding the app makes it available, but each conversation decides which developer mode apps are on. Open the plus menu next to the message box, choose Developer mode, and tick Plainpaper for that chat. It has to be switched on per conversation.
Does Plainpaper send my emails or post my ads?
No. Plainpaper is the canvas where your agent drafts and you approve. It holds the plan and the assets, not your sending credentials. Approved work goes out through each destination's own connector (Mailchimp, Meta, your ESP), never from Plainpaper.
How do I remove or disconnect Plainpaper?
Open your plugin settings, find Plainpaper, and delete it. That revokes ChatGPT's access immediately. You can add it again with the same address whenever you want.
Can I use Plainpaper in Claude too?
Yes, and the same account and boards carry across. Claude doesn't need a developer mode step, so it's a shorter setup: install Plainpaper in Claude. Cursor, Claude Code, and anything else that speaks MCP are covered in connect your agent.
Next step: give the app a board
The app is only half the setup. It needs a Plainpaper board to write to. Every Plainpaper account starts with a 7-day free trial, no credit card, so your next campaign can start on a canvas your agent fills in for you.
Keep reading
- Plainpaper vs a blank chat, a whiteboard or a doc: what each one does well, and where each drops the campaign.
- The playbook library: ready-made boards, so the first thing you point ChatGPT at is not a blank canvas.
- Plainpaper quickstart: account to first agent-built board in about ten minutes.
- Set up your first campaign: brief to approved email, step by step, with the prompts.
- Prompt library: copy-paste prompts for every campaign stage.
- The marketing tools gallery: the connectors your agent executes each approved card through.
- Install Plainpaper in Claude: the Claude route, if you use both.