The latest articles on Forem by A G (@a_g_673a72e99f7e60932e29d). https://forem.com/a_g_673a72e99f7e60932e29d https://media2.dev.to/dynamic/image/width=90,height=90,fit=cover,gravity=auto,format=auto/https:%2F%2Fdev-to-uploads.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fuploads%2Fuser%2Fprofile_image%2F1694476%2F4ba4a9d6-c146-40dd-8098-a40bbaca8f66.png https://forem.com/a_g_673a72e99f7e60932e29d en A G Mon, 20 Oct 2025 04:45:42 +0000 https://forem.com/a_g_673a72e99f7e60932e29d/custom-mcp-server-give-chatgpt-direct-access-to-your-local-files-43i2 https://forem.com/a_g_673a72e99f7e60932e29d/custom-mcp-server-give-chatgpt-direct-access-to-your-local-files-43i2 <p><strong>GitHub:</strong> <a href="https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/chatgpt-custom-mcp-for-local-files" rel="noopener noreferrer">https://github.com/YOUR_USERNAME/chatgpt-custom-mcp-for-local-files</a></p> <p>Stop uploading files to ChatGPT. This MCP server lets ChatGPT read files directly from your machine via Cloudflare Tunnel.</p> <h2> What It Does </h2> <ul> <li>ChatGPT can list, search, and read files from a folder on your computer</li> <li>Files stay local - fetched on-demand, not uploaded</li> <li>Always current - no stale copies</li> <li>Complete file access for complete context- not RAG chunks</li> </ul> <h2> How It's Different </h2> <p><strong>vs Manual Upload:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Files fetched on-demand, not stored in ChatGPT Projects</li> <li>Automatic updates when files change (with fswatch from work folder to server folder) </li> <li>No size limits or re-uploads</li> </ul> <p><strong>vs RAG/Vector Search:</strong></p> <ul> <li>Complete files, not chunks</li> <li>Direct file system access</li> <li>Slightly longer search times, but, context is still king.</li> <li>Simple tracking of tool calls, can see exactly which files were read. </li> </ul> <h2> Why I Built This </h2> <p>Tired of:</p> <ul> <li>Re-uploading files every time they change</li> <li>Copy-pasting code snippets constantly</li> <li>ChatGPT working with outdated versions</li> <li>ChatGPT doesn't have full files context.</li> </ul> <p>Now ChatGPT queries my local folder directly. When code updates, ChatGPT sees it immediately.</p> <h2> Tech Stack </h2> <ul> <li>Python + FastAPI (MCP server)</li> <li>OAuth 2.0 with dynamic client registration</li> <li>Cloudflare Tunnel (free tier)</li> <li>systemd for background services</li> </ul> <h2> Setup Time </h2> <p>~30 minutes. You need:</p> <ul> <li>Python 3.8+</li> <li>A domain (managed by Cloudflare)</li> <li>ChatGPT Plus/Pro</li> </ul> <p>Full docs in the repo: installation, troubleshooting, security guidelines.</p> <h2> Example Usage </h2> <p>"List all Python files in my project"<br> "Read auth.py and check for security issues"<br> "Search for files containing 'database connection'"</p> <p>ChatGPT explores your codebase like a developer would.</p> <h2> Note on Data </h2> <p>File contents are sent to OpenAI for processing (same as manual upload). Difference: files are fetched on-demand, not pre-uploaded or stored in Projects.</p> <p>Open source (MIT). No support provided - it's a side project, but docs are comprehensive.</p> <p><strong>Tags:</strong> #chatgpt #mcp #python #ai #devtools</p> chatgpt mcp ai devtools