What is the Shorthand MCP connector?
The Shorthand MCP connector lets AI assistants such as Claude and ChatGPT create and edit Shorthand stories on your behalf. It uses the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to connect your assistant to Shorthand, so you can ask in plain language to build a new story or change an existing one. Behind the scenes it draws on Shorthand's own skills and Creative Companion to do the work, then hands back links so you can preview and refine the result in Shorthand.
What you can do with it
The connector exposes a set of tools your assistant can call. At a high level, you can:
Create a new story, including layout options.
Edit an existing story or page with a natural-language prompt. You describe the change you want and the assistant applies it.
Add sections and elements, such as chart sections.
Publish and unpublish stories.
After performing a task, the connector returns links to preview and edit the story, so you can open it in Shorthand to review and keep working.
Before you start
A couple of things to know before you connect:
You'll be prompted to sign in
You don't need to sign in to Shorthand ahead of time. If you're not already signed in, the connector will prompt you to sign in to your Shorthand user account as part of connecting.
Availability
The Shorthand MCP connector is available in all workspaces by default. If a workspace owner would prefer it not be available, they can request it be disabled.
Set up in Claude
Open Customize›Connectors.
Click +›Add Custom Connector.
Enter the connector details:
Name: Shorthand
Click Add, then click Connect.
Choose the teams and/or permissions you want to grant, then click Authorise.
Close the customize page.
The Shorthand tools are now available automatically in Claude until or unless you disconnect the app.
Set up in ChatGPT
In ChatGPT you add Shorthand as a custom (remote) MCP connector using its server URL, through ChatGPT's Developer mode (a beta feature currently on ChatGPT for web (not the mobile apps). There is no “install Shorthand from a gallery” step for a general customer; you point ChatGPT at the Shorthand URL yourself.
Requirements to check first
Custom MCP connectors are added via Developer mode.
OpenAI documents full MCP support (connectors that can take actions, not just read) for Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans; some write-ups also list Plus, Pro, and Team. Availability is rolling out and plan eligibility changes often. If you don't see the options below, your plan may not support it yet.
Admin/owner gating: on Business, Enterprise, and Edu workspaces a workspace owner/admin must first turn on connectors and allow Developer mode; members generally can't add custom connectors themselves (Enterprise/Edu can limit this to specific people via role-based access control). On a personal Plus/Pro account you enable Developer mode yourself.
1. Turn on Developer mode
In ChatGPT open Settings›Plugins›Developer mode and turn the Developer mode toggle on.
Can't see it?
On managed (Business/Enterprise/Edu) workspaces, if there's no Plugins or Developer mode toggle, your admin hasn't enabled it yet, so ask them to allow custom plugins / Developer mode for your workspace (or for your role).
2. Add the Shorthand connector by URL
Go back to the main screen and click Plugins at the top.
Next to the Search plugins box, click the + button to fill out the connector details.
Enter the connector details:
Name: Shorthand
MCP Server URL: https://api.shorthand.com/mcp/v1
Authentication: OAuth
A Description is optional though can be a handy reminder of functionality. You could add one such as “Create and edit Shorthand stories.”
ChatGPT shows a safety warning that custom plugins/connectors are not verified by OpenAI. Read it, then tick the I trust this application checkbox to confirm.
Save the connector.
3. Sign in to Shorthand (OAuth)
Because you chose OAuth, ChatGPT sends you to Shorthand to sign in and authorise access. Sign in to your Shorthand user account if prompted, choose the workspaces/teams and permissions, then click Authorise:
4. Turn the connector on in each chat
Enable it per chat
ChatGPT does not include custom MCP tools in a conversation by default. In a new chat, click +›More›Developer mode, then enable Shorthand in the plugin/source list.
When you ask for something that needs the connector, ChatGPT proposes a tool call and, for anything that creates or changes a story, asks you to Confirm before it runs.
Beta ( may change)
ChatGPT's interface for custom plugins/connectors is in beta and may change at any time. If a label above doesn't match what you see, look for the equivalent (Plugins / Developer mode / the + button). The process should still resemble the following: enable Developer mode → add a plugin with the URL → sign in via OAuth → enable it in the chat.
Secondary path for pre-published apps
If your organisation has published the Shorthand app into your ChatGPT workspace's approved apps, Shorthand may instead appear by name under Settings›Apps/Connectors for members to connect without entering a URL. That's an org-specific setup done by an admin; the add-by-URL steps above are the general way any customer adds Shorthand.
Permissions and the connection process
When you start connecting (by clicking Connect in Claude, or Continue to Shorthand in ChatGPT) Shorthand shows a consent screen where you confirm the access you're granting to the connector. If you're not already signed in, you sign in to your Shorthand user account, and then the consent screen appears.
A Sign out link sits in the top-right of the screen if you need to switch accounts.
The screen is headed “Allow Claude to access Shorthand” or "Allow ChatGPT to access Shorthand". The screen has two parts: Access to (which workspaces and teams the connector can see) and Permissions (what it can do).
Choosing which workspaces and teams to share
Under Access to, you pick the scope with two options:
All workspaces and teams
This is the broad option. It will grant access to every workspace you can access now, plus any new workspaces you create or join later.Choose workspaces and teams
This is the more selective option. Selecting it reveals a list of the workspaces you belong to. Each workspace has a checkbox and can be expanded to list the individual teams in that workspace, each with its own checkbox, so you can grant access team by team. When several workspaces are listed, a summary line shows how many are selected (for example, “3 of 3 workspaces selected”) alongside a Clear all link.
Reviewing the permissions
Under Permissions, the connector requests four permissions, each with an on/off toggle. By default the following options are toggled on, enabling the AI assistant to:
Read your stories
Create and edit stories
Publish stories
View workspace information
Authorising
Review your workspace and team selection and the requested permissions, then click Authorise to grant access and complete the connection.
If more permissions are needed later
If the connector later needs more access than you originally granted, you'll be prompted to re-confirm. This step shows the additional permissions being requested to review, then Authorise.
Managing access
You can control the connector's access from within Shorthand at Account settings›Connected Apps. From this panel you can:
Change which teams the connector is allowed to access.
Revoke access entirely.
Troubleshooting & known issues
ChatGPT keeps asking you to re-authenticate
You may see ChatGPT prompt you to reconnect roughly every 30–60 minutes, with a message like:
“Your Shorthand connection has expired. Reconnect it before ChatGPT can use it for this request.”
The access token is designed to last around 60 minutes, and ChatGPT is expected to refresh it automatically. This appears to be a limitation in how ChatGPT / OpenAI currently handle MCP token refresh, rather than a fault in Shorthand. If you hit it, reconnect when prompted and carry on.
The Shorthand tools don't appear in ChatGPT
ChatGPT doesn't include MCP tools in a chat by default. Add the connector to the chat via +›More›Developer mode, then enable Shorthand under the sources list — see Set up in ChatGPT.
Authentication fails
You don't need to sign in ahead of time: the connector prompts you to sign in as part of connecting. If authentication doesn't complete, make sure you sign in to your own Shorthand user account when prompted, then try connecting again.