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ChatGPT

Connect Open Referral to ChatGPT as a custom MCP connector using Developer Mode. Once connected, ask ChatGPT about your referral program in plain language; it reads live data from Open Referral — read-only, and privacy by design.

Success

What you get: program metrics, monthly trends, pending team actions, recent referrals and best-practice playbooks — without leaving ChatGPT.

Prerequisites

  • An Open Referral account on an eligible plan (Essential or Scale), with an Admin or Recruiter role.
  • A ChatGPT plan that supports custom connectors: Plus, Pro, Team, Enterprise or Edu. Custom MCP connectors are not available on the Free plan.

Info

Custom connectors live behind Developer Mode, which is currently in beta. On Team/Enterprise/Edu, a workspace admin may need to enable it for members first.

Step 1 — Enable Developer Mode

Individual (Plus/Pro): go to Settings → Connectors → Advanced → Developer mode and turn it on.

Team / Enterprise / Edu: an admin enables it in Workspace Settings → Permissions & Roles (Developer mode / Create custom MCP connectors), then members turn it on in their own settings.

Info

📷 Screenshot to add: the Developer mode toggle in Connectors settings.

Step 2 — Create the connector

In Settings → Connectors, click Create (the + button) to add a developer-mode connector.

Info

📷 Screenshot to add: the "Create connector" dialog.

Step 3 — Enter the Open Referral details

  1. Name: Open Referral
  2. Description: Pilot your employee referral program from ChatGPT.
  3. MCP server URL: https://mcp.openreferral.io
  4. Authentication: choose OAuth.
  5. Click Create.

Info

📷 Screenshot to add: the dialog filled with the Open Referral URL and OAuth selected.

Step 4 — Authorize

ChatGPT opens an Open Referral sign-in window:

  1. Sign in with your Open Referral account.
  2. Review the access requested and click Authorize.

If the connection succeeds, ChatGPT shows the list of tools Open Referral advertises.

Info

📷 Screenshot to add: the Open Referral consent screen, then the tool list.

Step 5 — Use it in a conversation

A saved connector is not active until you enable it per chat. In a new conversation, turn on Open Referral (Developer Mode / tools menu), then ask:

  • "How is our referral program doing this quarter?"
  • "What's waiting on my team right now?"
  • "Show me recent referrals with unpaid bonuses."
  • "What are best practices to relaunch a referral program that's losing steam?"

What ChatGPT can access

Open Referral exposes 7 read-only tools. ChatGPT can read, but never modifies your data.

Tool What it returns
List My Organisations Organisations where you are Admin or Recruiter
Get Program Overview Total referrals, pipeline, hires, bonuses paid
Get Referral Trend Monthly referral trends
List Pending Actions Items awaiting your team
List Recent Referrals Latest referrals (candidate names minimised)
List Knowledge Entries Best-practice playbooks available
Get Knowledge Entry Full text of a specific playbook

Success

Privacy by design: candidate identities are minimised to a first name + initial. Emails, phone numbers and direct identifiers are never sent to ChatGPT. See our Privacy Policy.

Troubleshooting

  • No "Developer mode" option. It's unavailable on Free, or your workspace admin hasn't enabled it (Team/Enterprise/Edu). Check your plan and with your admin.
  • The connector does nothing in a chat. Connectors must be enabled per conversation — turn Open Referral on in the tools/Developer Mode menu first.
  • "No organisations found." Your Open Referral account has no Admin or Recruiter role.
  • "Copilot not available on your plan." The connector requires an Essential or Scale Open Referral plan.
  • The sign-in window doesn't complete. Allow pop-ups, finish sign-in and consent, then retry.