ChatGPT + xCloud
Manage Your Hosting from ChatGPT with xCloud
ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant, and in developer mode it can use tools from a remote MCP server. Connected to xCloud, it checks your servers and sites, takes backups, updates WordPress, renews SSL and diagnoses failures from a chat on the web.
- No terminal, no config file
- OAuth sign-in with xCloud
- Free with every xCloud account
YouWhich of my sites have WordPress updates waiting?
sites_wordpress_updatesread-only
Agentshop.example.com has two plugin updates and one theme update. Want me to back it up and apply them?
YouYes, back it up first.
sites_wordpress_updateneeds approval
AgentBackup taken and all three updates applied. The homepage answers 200.
. Keep a human in the loop: xCloud stops and asks before anything that creates, deploys, updates, reboots, deletes or buys.
Setup
How Do I Connect ChatGPT to xCloud?
Point ChatGPT at the xCloud MCP server, approve access in your browser, then ask. The whole thing takes a couple of minutes.
Turn on developer mode and open Plugins
In ChatGPT on the web, open Settings, Security and login and turn on Developer mode. Then open the Plugins page and select the plus button to create an app. OpenAI lists developer mode for Pro, Plus, Business, Enterprise and Education accounts on the web, but its help center puts full MCP support with write actions in beta on Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces and gives Pro accounts read and fetch access only, so check your plan before you expect ChatGPT to deploy or update anything. That path is for a personal account. In a Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace the controls sit under Apps instead. On Business only an admin or owner can use Developer mode: they turn it on while creating the app from Workspace settings, Apps, Create, and publish it from Workspace settings, Apps. On Enterprise and Edu an admin or owner can also toggle Developer mode under Settings, Apps, Advanced settings, and a member granted developer access under Permissions and Roles turns it on there too and can create and test the app from their own Settings, Apps, Create, but only an admin or owner can publish it. An ordinary member cannot do this, so ask an admin to publish the xcloud app; then open Settings, Plugins, select xcloud, install it if offered and choose Connect, sign in to xCloud and pick the teams and access level, and only then start at the last step.
https://chatgpt.com/pluginsCreate the app with the xCloud MCP URL
Name the app xcloud, paste this as the MCP server URL and choose OAuth for authentication. xCloud supports dynamic client registration, so you do not need to create a client ID. Sign in with xCloud when the browser asks, tick the teams and choose Read-only or Full access.
https://app.xcloud.host/mcpInstall the plugin and use it in a Work chat
Open your personal Plugins page, open xcloud and select the plus button to install it. Back on the ChatGPT homepage, switch the tab at the top from Chat to Work, start a new Work chat, type @ and pick xcloud; a plain Chat tab conversation does not offer the plugin. Then type a request like this one.
Using the xcloud app, who am I on xCloud and which servers do I have?Check it worked
You sign in with xCloud in the browser and approve the teams and access level. ChatGPT registers itself through dynamic client registration, so there is no token to create or paste.
Using the xcloud app, who am I on xCloud?
Three surfaces
Which Way Should I Connect ChatGPT to xCloud?
The MCP server exposes one tool per customer-facing xCloud operation and leaves out eleven internal ones that only the Public API carries; the skills add workflow know-how on top of an MCP connection and, on their own, only read access. All three are free with every account and differ in what you set up and what holds the credentials.
| xCloud MCP server | xCloud Agent Skills | Public API | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal needed | No (recommended for ChatGPT) | Yes for the plugin or ClawHub install | Yes |
| Authentication | OAuth sign-in, or an API key with mcp:invoke plus read or write abilities (recommended for ChatGPT) | The MCP connection, or a read-scoped API token | API token with scoped abilities |
| What it adds | One tool per customer-facing xCloud operation (188 today) (recommended for ChatGPT) | Workflow know-how: routing, dry run, confirm, poll, diagnose | Raw REST for your own code |
| Changes to your infrastructure | Yes, after confirmation (recommended for ChatGPT) | Only through a connected MCP tool, after confirmation | Yes, with write scopes |
| Best for | Most people; every MCP client (recommended for ChatGPT) | Agents that run shell commands and read skills | CI jobs, dashboards and long-running loops |
Background
What Is ChatGPT?
ChatGPT is OpenAI's AI assistant. You talk to it in a chat on the web or in an app, and it can answer questions, write and analyze, and take actions through connected tools.
Developer mode lets ChatGPT use a remote Model Context Protocol server that you add yourself, over streaming HTTP or SSE. You create a plugin on the Plugins page with the server's URL and an authentication method, install it from your personal Plugins directory, and pick it for a conversation with @xcloud in a Work chat. Write actions ask for your confirmation by default.
xCloud's MCP server is a remote server of that kind. Once the app exists, ChatGPT gets the xCloud tools, so checking a server, taking a backup or renewing SSL becomes a request in a conversation instead of a trip to the dashboard.
Why ChatGPT with xCloud?
Nothing to install
There is no terminal, config file or token to manage. You paste one URL into ChatGPT, sign in with xCloud and the tools appear in your chat.
Good for checks and reports
A chat is a comfortable place to ask what is wrong, what is expiring and what is waiting for an update. xCloud reads run straight away, so the answers come from your real servers and sites.
Two confirmations on changes
ChatGPT asks you to confirm write actions, and xCloud refuses to create, deploy, update, reboot, delete or buy without an explicit confirmation of its own.
Guides
What Can ChatGPT Do on xCloud?
One guide per hosting job, each with the ChatGPT setup, the xCloud tools involved, a settings reference, example prompts and the limits that apply.
- Deploy from Git with ChatGPTTurn a GitHub, GitLab or Bitbucket repository into a live site on a server you already have.
- Run Docker apps with ChatGPTRun a Dockerfile or Docker Compose app on a Docker server, keep it backed up and recover it when a deploy fails.
- Install one-click apps with ChatGPTPick an app from the xCloud catalogue, check it fits your server, install it and get the login details.
- Manage WordPress with ChatGPTKeep WordPress sites updated, scanned and healthy, and create new ones, by asking in plain words.
- Back up and stage sites with ChatGPTCheck that your sites are backed up, take a backup before a risky change, and open a staging copy to test it on.
- Manage SSL and domains with ChatGPTCheck a site's certificate and DNS, install or renew HTTPS, and see which domains point at it.
- Manage servers with ChatGPTSee how your servers are doing, change services and runtimes, tighten security and reboot with proof it worked.
- Troubleshoot a broken site with ChatGPTFind out why a site returns a 500, 502 or 503, shows a critical error or has stopped answering.
- Speed up a slow site with ChatGPTFind out why a site is slow, from real numbers, and learn which fix is a dashboard switch.
- Secure sites and servers with ChatGPTFind vulnerable sites, manage server firewall rules and banned IPs, and see which protections are on.
Example prompts
What Can You Ask ChatGPT to Do on xCloud?
Type these as written and swap in your own site and server names. Reads and routine actions such as backups, cache purges, PageSpeed scans and vulnerability scans run straight away; creating, deploying, updating, rebooting, deleting, buying or starting a broken-link scan stops and asks first.
Using the xcloud app, list my servers and tell me which one has the least free disk space.Is SSL healthy on shop.example.com, and when does the certificate expire?Which sites on my account have vulnerabilities, and what would you fix first?Update all plugins on example.com, but take a backup first and confirm the homepage still loads afterwards.Audit example.com: is it up, is SSL healthy, and how is performance?Good to know
- ChatGPT connects from OpenAI's servers, not from your machine. The xCloud MCP URL is public, but a firewall or IP allow-list in front of a different server would block it.
- Write actions depend on your ChatGPT plan. OpenAI's developer guide lists developer mode for Pro, Plus, Business, Enterprise and Education accounts on the web, while its help center says full MCP support with write actions is in beta on Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces and that Pro accounts connect with read and fetch access only. On a plan without write actions, treat ChatGPT as a read-only xCloud client and make changes from the dashboard or another agent. If you do not see developer mode under Settings, Security and login, check your plan.
- OpenAI marks developer mode as higher risk: a connected server can read and, with write actions, change your data. Choose Read-only on the xCloud approval screen if you only want answers, and read each write confirmation before you accept it.
- The plugin is listed on your personal Plugins page, where you open it and install it; until it is installed, @ will not find it. Its tool list is managed under Drafts in ChatGPT's app settings, where you can switch individual tools off and refresh the list after xCloud adds tools.
More prompts, grouped by job: What you can ask xCloud MCP to do.
ChatGPT and xCloud: Frequently Asked Questions
Short answers about connecting ChatGPT, what it may change and what it costs.
How do I connect ChatGPT to xCloud?
Turn on Developer mode under Settings, Security and login, open chatgpt.com/plugins and use the plus button to create an app. Paste https://app.xcloud.host/mcp as the MCP server URL, choose OAuth and sign in with xCloud. Then install it from your personal Plugins directory and pick it for a conversation with @xcloud in a Work chat. That is the personal-account path. In a Business workspace only an admin or owner can use Developer mode: they turn it on while creating the app from Workspace settings, Apps, Create, and publish it from Workspace settings, Apps. On Enterprise and Edu an admin or owner can also toggle it under Settings, Apps, Advanced settings, and a member granted developer access can create and test the app from Settings, Apps, Create but not publish it; an ordinary member asks an admin to publish the xcloud app, connects it under Settings, Plugins (select xcloud, install it if offered, choose Connect, sign in to xCloud and pick the teams and access level) and then picks it with @xcloud in a Work chat.
Which ChatGPT plans can use xCloud?
OpenAI's developer guide lists developer mode for Pro, Plus, Business, Enterprise and Education accounts on the web. Its help center adds that full MCP support with write actions is in beta on Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces, and that Pro accounts connect with read and fetch access only, so reads work on Pro while deploys and updates need a Business, Enterprise or Edu workspace. The xCloud side is the same on every plan, because the MCP server is free with every xCloud account.
Do I need an xCloud API key for ChatGPT?
No. Choose OAuth when you create the app and sign in with xCloud in the browser. xCloud supports dynamic client registration, so ChatGPT can register itself and you do not create a client ID or paste a token.
Why does ChatGPT connect from OpenAI's servers?
ChatGPT is a hosted product, so its requests to an MCP server come from OpenAI's infrastructure, not from your computer. That works with xCloud because the MCP URL is public and protected by OAuth. A server that only answers on a private network would not be reachable.
Can ChatGPT change my servers without asking?
Not for the operations xCloud gates. ChatGPT asks you to confirm write actions by default, and xCloud adds its own rule. Reads and routine actions such as cache purges, backups, PageSpeed and vulnerability scans run without a prompt, while creating a site or server, deploying, updating plugins, rebooting, deleting or buying needs an explicit confirmation.
Where do I find the xCloud app after I create it?
On your personal Plugins page at chatgpt.com/plugins?view=personal, where you open the plugin and install it. Then, on the ChatGPT homepage, switch the tab from Chat to Work, start a new Work chat, type @ and pick xcloud; a plain Chat tab conversation does not offer it.
Can ChatGPT work across several xCloud teams?
Yes. On the approval screen you tick every team the connection may act on, and you name the team in your request. A site on a team you did not tick comes back as not found; reconnect and tick that team.
Is it free to use ChatGPT with xCloud?
The xCloud side is free: the MCP server, the skills and the Public API are included with every xCloud account, including the free plan. ChatGPT itself is billed by OpenAI under your ChatGPT plan.
Other agents
Also Works With
The same xCloud account, the same operations, a guide for each client.
- Claude CodeAnthropic's terminal coding agent. One claude mcp add command, plus the xCloud skills plugin with nine skills on top.
- ClaudeAnthropic's chat assistant on the web and desktop. Add xCloud as a custom connector, no terminal needed.
- Claude CoworkAnthropic's desktop agent for delegated work. Add the xCloud connector, then hand off hosting jobs.
- CursorThe AI code editor. One mcp.json entry with the compact URL, because Cursor stops at 40 tools.
- CodexOpenAI's coding agent for the terminal. A codex mcp add command or a config.toml entry, then codex mcp login.
- OpenCodeThe open-source terminal coding agent. One remote MCP entry, then opencode mcp auth xcloud.
- Hermes AgentNous Research's agent with memory and a built-in scheduler. An mcp_servers entry in config.yaml and one login.
- OpenClawThe open-source agent runtime with chat apps and automations. ClawHub skill plus the MCP client.
- WindsurfThe Cognition editor, now Devin Desktop. devin mcp add for the Devin Local agent, a serverUrl entry for legacy Cascade.
- GitHub CopilotCopilot agent mode in VS Code. One .vscode/mcp.json entry, or the Agent Plugins package.
- Gemini CLIGoogle's terminal agent. One gemini mcp add command, OAuth found automatically.
- ChatGPT dotsOpenAI's always-on agent in ChatGPT. Uses the xCloud MCP plugin you add in ChatGPT, with custom rules and scheduled tasks.
- GrokxAI's terminal agent, Grok Build. One grok mcp add command or a config.toml entry.
- Grok BotxAI's always-on Bots on a cloud computer. One Remote HTTPS MCP plugin, OAuth sign-in, routines on a schedule.
- KiroAWS's agentic IDE. One url entry in .kiro/settings/mcp.json, plus the portable xCloud Agent Plugins package.
- AntigravityGoogle's agentic IDE. One serverUrl entry in mcp_config.json and a browser sign-in.
- ZedThe Zed editor's Agent Panel. One context_servers entry in settings.json and a browser sign-in.
Run Your Hosting from ChatGPT
xCloud MCP, the Agent Skills and the Public API are free with every account. Connect once and ask.