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This quickstart walks through Path A — the local-only smoke test. By the end you will have the MCP server installed, built, and running on your Windows machine, with the dashboard and health endpoint both responding. No Cloudflare tunnel, no GitHub OAuth App, no ChatGPT connector, and no public URL are involved at this stage. The goal is simply to prove the server starts and the local control surfaces work before touching anything remote.

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Requirements

  • Windows (the server and installer are Windows-specific)
  • Node.js and npm — install from nodejs.org
  • PowerShell or Windows PowerShell
  • Git — recommended, required for Git tools

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Installation steps

1

Download and extract the source

Download the project source archive and extract it to a local folder of your choice — for example C:\Users\you\Downloads\chatgpt-local-agent-mcp.This extracted folder is the source package only. The installer will copy the app files into a separate runtime folder. Do not run the server directly from the extracted source.
2

Run the installer batch file

Open PowerShell, navigate to the extracted source folder, and run the installer:
.\install-chatgpt-local-agent-mcp.bat
The installer opens a GUI that guides you through the remaining steps. The default runtime install folder is:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\chatgpt-local-agent-mcp
3

Click Install/Update App Files

In the installer, confirm the install folder and then click:
Install/Update App Files
This copies the public app files from the source package into the runtime folder. The step is safe to repeat for updates and repairs.
4

Click Run Preflight

Click:
Run Preflight
Preflight checks that the required app files are present in the install folder. If any files are missing, go back and run Install/Update App Files first.
5

Configure .env for localhost-only testing

Open the Configuration tab in the installer. For this first local smoke test, use these values:
PUBLIC_BASE_URL=http://127.0.0.1:8789
CLOUDFLARE_TUNNEL_ENABLED=false
AUTH_REQUIRED=false
Then click Save .env.
AUTH_REQUIRED=false is only safe while the server is bound to 127.0.0.1 with no tunnel enabled. Never use AUTH_REQUIRED=false with a public URL, a public hostname, or CLOUDFLARE_TUNNEL_ENABLED=true. The server enforces this at startup, but the configuration still matters — treat .env as security-critical even in local testing.
6

Click Install Dependencies + Build

Click:
Install Dependencies + Build
This runs npm ci followed by npm run build inside the runtime install folder. Wait for the step to complete before continuing. The step is re-runnable for repair and update flows.
7

Click Create Shortcuts

Click:
Create Shortcuts
This creates Desktop and Start Menu shortcuts for the local control surfaces, including the control menu and the fallback PowerShell dashboard.
8

Open Control and start the server

Click:
Open Control
The control menu opens. Use it to start the local server. The server will begin listening at http://127.0.0.1:8789. You should see a startup message in the console confirming the host, port, and auth mode:
chatgpt-local-agent-mcp listening at http://127.0.0.1:8789
Auth required: false
WARNING: AUTH_REQUIRED=false. Local development mode only. Do not expose this server.
9

Open the dashboard and health endpoint

With the server running, open both URLs in a browser:The health endpoint returns a JSON response like:
{
  "ok": true,
  "name": "chatgpt-local-agent-mcp",
  "version": "0.1.0",
  "transport": "streamable-http",
  "authRequired": false
}
If the dashboard loads and the health endpoint responds, the server is running correctly.
10

Click Run Smoke Checks

Back in the installer, click:
Run Smoke Checks
The smoke checks verify that the server starts, the health endpoint responds, the dashboard is reachable, and the build output exists. A clean run confirms Path A is complete.A successful smoke check means:
server starts
health endpoint responds
dashboard opens
build output exists
local control surfaces are usable
This quickstart does not connect ChatGPT. At this point you have a working local server with a visible dashboard, but no remote connector is configured yet. Connecting ChatGPT requires a public HTTPS endpoint, a Cloudflare Tunnel, GitHub OAuth credentials, and ChatGPT connector OAuth values — all covered in Path B.

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Next steps

Once Path A is working, follow the full remote connector guide to expose the server to ChatGPT:

Path B — Remote Connector

Configure GitHub OAuth, Cloudflare Tunnel, and ChatGPT connector credentials to connect ChatGPT to your local server over HTTPS.

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