Connect ChatGPT#

ChatGPT connects to disburse the same way Claude does: as an MCP server. You paste one URL, sign in with your disburse account, and every disburse tool is available in your chats. No key to paste, no GPT to build, no schema to import.

What you need#

• A disburse account. You'll sign in during setup; nothing to copy.
• The MCP server URL: https://api.disburse.dev/mcp

Set it up#

1. In ChatGPT open Plugins in the sidebar (chatgpt.com/plugins), select Add (a plus button on some accounts), then Add custom MCP server.
2. Fill in the dialog:
   • Name: Disburse. Description (optional): B2B contact and company data. Icon (optional, PNG under 10 KB): download ours.
   • Connection: leave Server URL selected (not Tunnel) and paste https://api.disburse.dev/mcp. Ignore the /sse placeholder; our address ends in /mcp.
   • Authentication: OAuth. Leave Advanced OAuth settings alone; ChatGPT discovers disburse's sign-in from the URL, and there is no client ID or secret to enter.
   • Tick I understand and want to continue under the custom-server warning.
3. Click Create as a plugin. When ChatGPT opens disburse's sign-in, sign in with your disburse account and approve the consent screen.
4. Disburse now appears under Plugins → Installed. Workspace admins manage who else gets it from Workspace settings → Plugins.
5. Start a new conversation, type @ and pick Disburse (or choose it from the tools menu), and ask away: "find me 25 emails for fintech CFOs in Sydney" or "get 100 founders in Australia with verified emails".

ChatGPT asks before running a tool that spends credits or changes anything. For searches you'll do repeatedly, choose the option to always allow. App selection applies to the message you use it on, so @mention Disburse again when a follow-up needs fresh data.

How it works#

You ask in plain English; ChatGPT calls disburse's tools (search_people, search_companies, enrich_person, enrich_company, bulk enrichment, exports, verify_email, verify_phone); disburse parses the words into filters server-side and returns the rows. The tools, options and the asks that work best are in the MCP guide and tips & tricks.

Signing in with OAuth is the recommended path. Developers who prefer a token can give ChatGPT an API key as an Authorization: Bearer header where the client allows it; both resolve to the same account and the same rate limits.

Getting a CSV out of ChatGPT#

export_leads returns the finished file as CSV text inside the tool result; there is no download link. ChatGPT turns that text into a real file with its Data analysis (Python) tool, so make sure it is on: Settings → Apps & Connectors (or Workspace settings → Connected Data on business plans) → Code Interpreter & Data Analysis. Then ask for the file outright: "export 500 fintech CFOs in Sydney to a CSV I can download". If ChatGPT says the tool gives it no file handle, reply "write the csv text from the tool result to leads.csv with Python and attach it".

Troubleshooting#

• No Add custom MCP server under Plugins → Add: your workspace hasn't allowed it yet. An admin or owner turns on Developer mode / Create custom MCP connectors under Workspace settings → Permissions & Roles → Connected Data. Free and Plus don't have it yet; use the Custom GPT Action below.
• Your ChatGPT has no Plugins page: OpenAI is still rolling the new layout out. The older route is Workspace settings → Apps → Create (chatgpt.com/admin/apps) with the same dialog, after switching on Developer mode under Advanced settings on that page.
• Create fails or the sign-in window never appears: check the URL is exactly https://api.disburse.dev/mcp (with /mcp, not /sse), Connection is Server URL and Authentication is OAuth. ChatGPT discovers sign-in from that address.
• Connected, but no tools in the chat: pick Disburse from the tools menu or @mention it in the message. Selection is per message, not per conversation.
• A tool errors after disburse ships a change: ChatGPT keeps a snapshot of the tools. Refresh the connection from Plugins. For an app published the older way, open Workspace settings → Plugins → Manage Legacy Apps, the app's menu, Action control and Refresh.
• Every call asks for approval: choose the always-allow option on a read-only tool like search_people; disburse marks its search and enrich tools as read-only so ChatGPT can remember the choice.

Custom GPT Action#

The older route. It works on Plus, Team and Enterprise and doesn't need custom MCP access, but it means building a GPT, importing a schema and pasting a key, and only that GPT can use disburse.

1. In ChatGPT, open Explore GPTs → Create, then the Configure tab.
2. Under Capabilities, tick Code Interpreter & Data Analysis. This is what lets your GPT turn export data into a real, clickable CSV download.
3. Under Actions, click Create new action, then Import from URL and paste https://app.disburse.dev/openapi.json. ChatGPT loads the operations (search_people, search_companies, enrich_*, verify_*).
4. Under Authentication, choose API Key, set Auth Type to Bearer, and paste your sk_live_… key (create one here).
5. Paste this into the GPT's Instructions, so CSV asks come out as real downloads:

   When the user wants a CSV file, fetch every chunk from /v1/exports/{id}/chunk/{n} in order, assemble the rows with code, and write a single .csv file for download.

6. Save and test it with "Find fintech CFOs in Sydney".

If the schema import fails, re-import from the URL rather than an older download: ChatGPT's importer is strict, and the published spec is kept within its limits. A 401 means the Bearer key is missing or wrong. If exports show no download link, Capabilities in step 2 is off.

Which should I use?#