To connect ChatGPT to Thoughts, you add one MCP server URL — https://thoughtsai.cc/mcp — sign in with the Google account you use for Thoughts, and approve what ChatGPT can access. After that you can ask ChatGPT about your synced notes and projects, or tell it to save an answer straight into Thoughts. The full setup takes a few minutes, and this guide walks through every screen, what to try first, and how to fix the common snags.
What you need before you start
Three things. First, Thoughts AI on your iPhone, signed in. Second, at least one project with cloud sync turned on, or some synced Unfiled thoughts — the connector only sees content you have chosen to sync, so a completely local library will look empty to ChatGPT. Third, a ChatGPT account where Developer mode is available. Developer mode depends on your plan and, for work accounts, on your workspace policy, so if the setting is missing, check with your admin or use a personal account.
If you have never synced a project, do that first. Open a project in Thoughts, turn on cloud sync, and give it a moment to finish. Our guide to what stays on your device explains the boundary between local and synced projects, and it is worth a skim before you connect any AI.
Step 1: Turn on Developer mode in ChatGPT
- Open ChatGPT and go to Settings → Security and login.
- Turn on Developer mode. This is what allows custom MCP connections.
OpenAI changes its settings layout from time to time. If the labels look slightly different, follow OpenAI's connection guide for the current wording — the Thoughts steps stay the same.
Step 2: Add the Thoughts MCP server
- Open Plugins and select + to add a connection.
- Choose a public MCP connection and paste
https://thoughtsai.cc/mcp. - Let ChatGPT discover the Thoughts tools, then review the list it shows you.
The tools describe exactly what ChatGPT can do: list and search your synced thoughts, read a full thought, look at projects and recent activity, and — only when you ask — create a new thought or project. There are no tools to edit or delete what you already have. If you want the plain-English version of each tool, read what MCP means for your notes.
Step 3: Sign in and review access
ChatGPT sends you to Thoughts to sign in with Google and approve the connection. Read this screen properly. It covers your account name and email, synced projects you own or belong to (including shared projects), synced unlocked thought text, collaborator names and recent changes, invitation summaries, and the ability to create projects and thoughts when you ask. It also states what stays out of reach: local-only data, locked thoughts, recordings, and drafts.
Use the same Google identity you use in the Thoughts app. If you sign in with a different account, the connection will succeed but show that account's (possibly empty) library — the most common reason people think the connector is broken.
Step 4: Use Thoughts in a new chat
Start a new chat and add Thoughts from the tools menu so ChatGPT knows it may use it. Then ask for something small and verifiable:
Show me my recent thoughts.
What have I added to my Recipes project this week?
Find my thought about pricing and read the whole thing.
Check the answer against the app. Once reading works, try saving. Ask ChatGPT for something useful — a summary, a plan, a recipe — then say:
Save that as a new thought in my Recipes project in Thoughts.
Open Thoughts and confirm the thought arrived. That round trip — ask, check, save, confirm — is the whole workflow. The notepad for ChatGPT guide builds on it with everyday examples.
What ChatGPT can and cannot see
The connector works at the cloud boundary. Synced, unlocked thoughts and the projects you own or belong to are available. Local-only projects, locked thoughts, deleted items, and anything not yet synced are not — by design, not by accident. Recording files and attachment files are never sent; ChatGPT reads thought text only.
One more boundary matters in shared projects: when ChatGPT saves a thought into a project you share, the other members can see it, just as if you had typed it there yourself. Save drafts and private workings-out to a project only you can see.
Troubleshooting
ChatGPT says it cannot find Thoughts
Start a new chat after connecting, and add Thoughts from the tools menu in that chat. Existing chats started before the connection may not pick it up.
Your notes look empty or out of date
Check that the project is synced in the app and that sync has finished. Then check which Google account the connection uses. A thought captured offline appears only after it syncs.
A save seems to fail
Do not immediately ask again. Creates are not idempotent, so a retry can save a duplicate. Open Thoughts first and check whether the thought is already there.
Tools look stale after an update
Refresh the connection's tools in ChatGPT, then start a new chat. The connection guide keeps the current steps and example questions in one place.
How to disconnect
You stay in control of access. Review or revoke the connection any time from Connected apps, and remove it in ChatGPT's settings too. Revoking stops future access immediately; it does not delete thoughts already saved, and it does not pull back anything a past conversation already displayed — which is why the consent screen is worth reading before you approve, not after.
Once you are connected, the most useful next habit is saving deliberately: keep the answers you will actually reuse. Saving ChatGPT conversations as notes shows how to turn a long thread into one clean thought instead of a transcript you will never reread.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Thoughts MCP server URL for ChatGPT?
Add https://thoughtsai.cc/mcp as a public MCP connection in ChatGPT, then sign in with the Google account you use for Thoughts and review the consent screen.
Can ChatGPT read all my Thoughts notes?
No. It can only read cloud-synced, unlocked thoughts and projects you own or belong to. Local-only, locked, deleted and not-yet-synced content is unavailable, and recordings and attachment files are never sent.
Can ChatGPT edit or delete my existing thoughts?
No. The connector can read your synced content and, when you ask, create a new thought or project. It has no tools to edit or delete existing content or to manage invitations.
Why does ChatGPT show an empty library after I connect?
Usually because nothing is synced yet, sync has not finished, or you signed in with a different Google account than the one you use in the Thoughts app. Sync a project, confirm the account, then start a new chat.