Connect Folio Lab to ChatGPT
BetaAdd Folio Lab as a custom connector in ChatGPT Developer Mode and you can submit optimizations and Monte Carlo simulations, fetch results, search Indian stocks, mutual funds and US equities, and pull documentation without leaving the chat. Setup takes a few minutes and uses the same MCP server and OAuth flow as every other client.
Before you start
Requirements
- A Folio Lab Pro or Enterprise subscription. Free tier accounts cannot connect AI assistants; the MCP server returns 401 on every call.
- A ChatGPT Business, Enterprise, or Edu plan. Custom MCP connectors live behind Developer Mode, which is not available on Free, Plus or Pro personal plans.
- Developer Mode enabled for your workspace. On Business and Enterprise plans a workspace owner or admin has to turn it on before individual members see the option.
- You must be signed in to foliolab.ai in the same browser session before you start the connector flow. Google sign-in or email/password both work.
If your plan does not include Developer Mode, use the Claude connector instead. Claude supports custom connectors on every paid plan, and one on the free plan.
The Folio Lab MCP URL
The only piece of configuration you paste into ChatGPT is the MCP server URL. It is identical to the one every other client uses:
Both https://api.foliolab.ai/mcp and https://api.foliolab.ai/mcp/ work; the gateway rewrites bare requests internally. Everything after that point, meaning OAuth discovery, client registration, token exchange and scope consent, is negotiated automatically between ChatGPT and our server.
Step-by-step
Enable Developer Mode
In ChatGPT open Settings and find Connectors. Enable Developer Mode. On a Business or Enterprise workspace this switch may be administered centrally, in which case an owner has to enable it for the workspace before it appears for you.
Create a custom connector
Still under Connectors, choose Create (or Add custom connector). Give it a recognisable name such as “Folio Lab” and paste the MCP URL above into the server URL field. Leave any optional authentication fields empty: the server advertises its own OAuth metadata, so ChatGPT discovers the endpoints without you configuring a client ID or secret.
Approve the OAuth consent screen
ChatGPT opens a Folio Lab consent page in a browser window. It lists the scopes the connector is asking for and the account it will be bound to. Confirm the account shown is the one holding your Pro or Enterprise subscription, then approve. If you are not signed in, sign in first and the flow resumes.
Verify the tool list loaded
Back in ChatGPT the connector should report as connected and expose the Folio Lab tools. Ask something read-only to confirm the wiring, for example “list my recent Folio Lab runs”. A successful reply means discovery, OAuth and scope consent all completed.
Enable the connector in a conversation
Developer Mode connectors are opt-in per conversation. Use the tools or connectors control in the composer to switch Folio Lab on for the chat you are in, otherwise the model cannot see the tools even though the connector is installed.
What ChatGPT can and cannot do
The tool catalogue is identical across clients; see the full list on the AI Assistants overview. Two behaviours are worth calling out because they surprise people:
Charts are data, not images
get_chart_data and get_monte_carlo_chart_data return compact numeric packets, not rendered pictures. The assistant assembles the chart on its side. For the full interactive view, including the efficient frontier, weights, drawdown and the PDF report, follow the result_url that run tools return.
Monte Carlo probabilities always travel with their assumptions
get_monte_carlo_result returns an interpretation block and an assumptions block. Both are meant to be shown together. A simulated probability quoted without its modeling assumptions is not a forecast, and the tool output is structured so an assistant cannot present one as if it were. See the engine methodology for what those assumptions actually are.
Troubleshooting
| Symptom | Cause and fix |
|---|---|
| No option to add a custom connector | Developer Mode is off, or your plan does not include it. Confirm you are on Business, Enterprise or Edu and that an admin has enabled Developer Mode for the workspace. |
| Every tool call returns 401 | The connected Folio Lab account is on the Free tier. MCP access requires Pro or Enterprise. Check which account you approved on the consent screen; it is easy to approve a second, unsubscribed account by accident. |
| 403 on a specific tool only | A scope was not granted, or the action is above your plan (US equity optimization and some Monte Carlo generators are plan-gated). Remove and re-add the connector to redo consent. |
| Connector added but the model ignores it | Developer Mode connectors are enabled per conversation. Switch Folio Lab on in the composer for the current chat. |
| Consent window opens and immediately closes | A blocked third-party cookie or a popup blocker. Allow popups for chatgpt.com, then retry. |
| Quota exhausted message | MCP shares one quota with the website. Monte Carlo runs have their own separate monthly meter. Neither resets by reconnecting the connector. |
Revoking access
Deleting the connector in ChatGPT stops that client from calling Folio Lab. To invalidate the tokens themselves, revoke the connection from your Folio Lab settings, which is the authoritative action: it applies even if the connector is later re-added without a fresh consent.
Revoking does not delete runs you already submitted. They stay in your history and remain visible on the website.
Related: AI Assistants (MCP) for the protocol, the full tool catalogue and the security model, and Connect Folio Lab to Claude for the equivalent walkthrough in Claude.