Podbrain Connect Podbrain to OpenAI dots
Your dot works with the apps on your ChatGPT account. Add Podbrain there once, and your dot can look up podcast episodes, read professional notes and list the books guests recommend, with a link back to every episode it cites.
What you need
- A ChatGPT account with access to dots. OpenAI lists Pro (age 18 and over, outside the EEA, Switzerland and the UK), Business Premium in supported regions, and Enterprise, Edu and Healthcare as a beta that a workspace admin has to switch on. Access is still rolling out gradually.
- ChatGPT on the web for the setup. OpenAI says custom MCP servers cannot be added from the mobile app.
- On a Business or Enterprise workspace, permission to add custom MCP servers. On Business only admins and owners have it; on Enterprise and Edu an admin can grant it to members.
- A Podbrain account, created when you sign in from ChatGPT, and the free trial. The trial needs a card but charges nothing for your first 30 episodes.
Set up Podbrain in OpenAI dots
Dots do not have a separate place to add MCP servers. OpenAI's help page says the Plugins screen in your dot's profile uses your shared ChatGPT settings, so you add Podbrain as a custom MCP server in ChatGPT and then check that your dot can see it. OpenAI also notes that the apps available to a dot may differ from those in regular chats, so the last check matters.
https://podbrain.app/mcp-
Open Plugins in ChatGPT
On a computer, go to
chatgpt.com/pluginswhile signed in to the account that has your dot. Make sure the right workspace is selected if you belong to more than one. -
Choose Add custom MCP server
Select the plus button, then Add custom MCP server. If the option is missing, your plan or workspace role may not allow custom servers.
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Enter Podbrain's address
Type
Podbrainas the name (a description is optional), then pastehttps://podbrain.app/mcpunder Connection. In the authentication settings, pick OAuth if you are asked for a method, and leave any client ID and secret fields blank: Podbrain registers ChatGPT as a client on its own. -
Accept the warning and create the plugin
Tick I understand and want to continue, then select Create as a plugin. ChatGPT reads the server and shows the tools it found: search_episodes, get_episode_notes, get_references, follow_show and list_follows.
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Install the plugin and sign in
If ChatGPT shows Install plugin or Connect, select it. When a Podbrain sign in window opens, log in and approve access. Every Podbrain tool needs a signed in account, so this step is required.
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Check that your dot sees Podbrain
Open your dot and select its name or avatar to open its profile. OpenAI documents the app list for the mobile app under Customize and then Plugins; on the web or desktop, look for the same section in the profile. Podbrain should be listed there. If it is not, see the questions below.
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Ask your dot about a podcast
Send your dot a question about a show and mention Podbrain by name the first time, so it reaches for the right plugin.
Try it
What did Huberman Lab say about sleep and caffeine? Use Podbrain and cite the episode.
Your dot searches the Huberman Lab episodes, reads the notes for the best match and writes a short answer on caffeine timing and sleep, with a link to the Podbrain episode page so you can check the source. Because a dot keeps working between chats, you can also ask it to check Podbrain each week for new episodes of a show you like and send you the books guests mention.
Turn it off
To stop your dot using Podbrain, open Settings and then Plugins in ChatGPT, select Podbrain, open its more options menu (•••) or its Connection section, and choose Disconnect. OpenAI says your dot's Plugins screen uses your shared ChatGPT settings, so expect this to disconnect Podbrain in your regular chats as well. OpenAI notes that disconnecting an app does not erase what your dot already learned from it; the only way to clear that is Reset in the dot's more options menu, which deletes the dot with its conversations, memories and scheduled tasks. To pause everything for a while instead, use Pause in the same menu.
Questions
Podbrain works in ChatGPT chats but my dot does not see it. Why?
OpenAI says the apps available to a dot may differ from those in ChatGPT, and dots are still rolling out. Check that you are on the same account and workspace, that Podbrain shows under Customize and then Plugins in the dot's profile, and that the connection has not expired. If the plugin needs reconnecting, open the reconnection request and sign in again.
Can my dot follow shows on a Pro plan?
Maybe not. OpenAI's help page says Pro accounts can connect custom MCP servers with read and fetch permissions, while full MCP support is for Business and Enterprise. Searching, notes and references are reads and should work. Following a show changes data in your Podbrain account, so on Pro your dot may not be allowed to call follow_show. We have not confirmed this on every plan.
Can my dot check Podbrain on a schedule?
Yes. Ask it for a recurring task, such as a Monday summary of new episodes from a show you follow. Scheduled runs show up in the conversation. To change one, select it under Recent activity in the dot's profile or open the Scheduled section in ChatGPT.
Does my dot need a Podbrain account?
Yes. Every tool needs a signed in Podbrain account, created when you sign in. New users start a free trial that covers the first 30 episodes. After 30 episodes or 30 days, whichever comes first, it continues on Unlimited at $9.99 a month.
Can I add Podbrain from the ChatGPT phone app?
Not the first time. OpenAI says custom MCP servers are added on the web only. Once Podbrain is connected you can talk to your dot from the mobile app and it can still use it.