Connect InsiderAlpha to ChatGPT
ChatGPT reaches custom MCP servers through developer mode connectors, which is a per-account setting plus a per-conversation toggle. Both matter: people usually get the connector created and then wonder why the model never touches it, because it also has to be switched on inside the conversation. There is one hard compatibility limit worth knowing before you start, and it is about deep research rather than chat.
Server URL: https://mcp.insideralpha.ai/mcp. You need an InsiderAlpha account. Sign up free if you do not have one, then follow the steps below.
Setup in ChatGPT
5- Open Settings, then Connectors, and enable developer mode
Developer mode requires a paid ChatGPT plan. Which plans qualify has changed more than once, so check OpenAI's current list rather than ours. On Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces an admin can switch developer mode off for everyone.
- Click Create and name the connector
- Enter the InsiderAlpha server URL
Paste https://mcp.insideralpha.ai/mcp as the Server URL. ChatGPT expects a public HTTPS endpoint speaking streamable HTTP at a stable URL, which is what this is. Keep the /mcp path, because the bare host will not work.
- Confirm you trust the provider, then sign in
- Turn the connector on inside a conversation
Start a new chat, click the plus button, then More, then Developer mode, and enable InsiderAlpha. Creating the connector does not switch it on by itself, and this is the single most common reason it looks connected but never gets used.
ChatGPT troubleshooting
3Failure modes specific to this client, and what is actually going on.
| What you see | Why, and what to do |
|---|---|
| Deep research says the connector is not compatible | Expected, and not a fault on either side. Deep research rejects any MCP server that does not expose two tools named exactly search and fetch, returning a specific record shape. InsiderAlpha exposes search_filings, search_companies and search_insiders, and nothing named search or fetch, so it is a chat mode connector. Use normal chat and ask for the filings directly. |
| The connector exists but the model never calls it | It has to be enabled per conversation under the plus button, then More, then Developer mode. A connector enabled in one chat is not enabled in the next. |
| There is no developer mode toggle in my settings | Either the plan does not include it or a workspace admin has disabled it for the organization. Both are controlled by OpenAI and your admin, not by InsiderAlpha. |
Good to know
- ChatGPT cannot run local stdio MCP servers. InsiderAlpha is a hosted HTTPS server, so no bridge or tunnel is needed.
What the server exposes
19 tools in total: 14 read-only research, market and portfolio tools, plus 5 that act on a connected broker account and are switched off unless you explicitly enable them. The full list, the scopes and the rate limits are the same whichever client you use, so they live in one place: the MCP server reference.
Setting up a different client
ChatGPT setup steps verified against OpenAI Apps SDK MCP server guide and the FastMCP ChatGPT integration guide on 2026-08-09. ChatGPT controls its own interface and can change it without notice, so if a menu name here does not match what you see, trust their documentation over ours and tell us.
InsiderAlpha returns SEC filing data and research output. It is informational and is not investment advice, and nothing it returns is a recommendation to buy or sell any security. You are responsible for every order placed from your own account.