Give the ChatGPT desktop app control of your browser

The problem

• ChatGPT on the web cannot touch your browser: it cannot open your dashboard, read a page behind SSO, or finish a task on a site you are logged into.
• The built-in browsing tool fetches public pages as an anonymous visitor, so anything gated behind your account is invisible to it.
• Copy-pasting page content into the chat by hand defeats the point of an assistant.

What Vibe MCP changes

• One STDIO entry in Settings → MCP servers and ChatGPT drives the Chrome you already use, with your sessions intact.
• Structured page snapshots keep the context small so ChatGPT acts on the right element instead of guessing.
• Everything runs locally on your machine — the MCP server and relay never ship your pages to us.
• Configure once and the same server is available in Codex CLI and the Codex IDE extension, because they share ~/.codex/config.toml.

Install in 3 steps

1. 1Install the Vibe extension in Chrome

   Add Vibe AI Browser from the Chrome Web Store (Chrome, Brave, Edge, or any Chromium browser). This is the piece that lets an agent drive the browser you are already logged into — no second browser profile, no re-authentication.

2. 2Add Vibe under Settings → MCP servers

   In the ChatGPT desktop app open Settings, select MCP servers, then Add server. Name it "vibe", choose the STDIO transport, and set the command to npx -y @vibebrowser/mcp. Save, then select Restart. Prefer the terminal? Run the command below — the desktop app reads the same ~/.codex/config.toml file.

   Terminal (writes ~/.codex/config.toml, shared with the desktop app)bash

   codex mcp add vibe -- npx -y @vibebrowser/mcp

3. 3Connect the extension and run your first command

   Click the Vibe icon, open Settings, and enable "MCP External Control" until the status reads Connected. Then ask your agent to open a page and take a snapshot — it should return the content of your real tab.

Your relay URL / extension UUID grants live control of your browser session. Treat it like a password: never commit it or paste it into a shared chat.

Tools ChatGPT desktop app gets

How it compares

ChatGPT desktop app browser control — FAQ

Does the ChatGPT desktop app support MCP servers?

Yes. OpenAI documents that the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, and the Codex IDE extension all support MCP servers and share the same configuration. Add one under Settings → MCP servers → Add server, choosing STDIO or Streamable HTTP.

How do I add an MCP server to the ChatGPT desktop app?

Open Settings, select MCP servers, then Add server. Enter a name, choose STDIO, and provide the command — for Vibe that is npx with args -y @vibebrowser/mcp. Save the server and select Restart. Type /mcp in the composer to confirm it connected.

Can ChatGPT control my real Chrome, with my logins?

Yes. With the Vibe extension installed and MCP External Control enabled, ChatGPT drives your existing Chrome profile — same tabs, same cookies, same authenticated sessions. There is no second browser and no re-login.

Does this work in ChatGPT on the web?

No. OpenAI states that ChatGPT web does not read local Codex configuration files. Vibe is a local MCP server, so it works in the desktop app, Codex CLI, and the IDE extension — the surfaces that run on your machine.

Where does the ChatGPT desktop app store MCP configuration?

In ~/.codex/config.toml, as a [mcp_servers.vibe] TOML table. You can also scope a server to one trusted project with .codex/config.toml. Adding it through the Settings UI writes to the same file.

Does my browsing data go to a server?

No. The MCP server and relay run locally on your machine. Page content goes only to the agent you connected.

Works with your other agents too

The same MCP server powers every client. Multiple agents can drive the same browser at once.