ChatGPT Integration Guide

ChatGPT connects to Engram as an app / MCP connector. Once connected, ChatGPT can store and recall memories in Engram — and because that memory is shared, anything saved in ChatGPT is available in Claude, Cursor, and every other connected tool.

This page covers how to connect, and — just as importantly — how memory capture actually works in ChatGPT, which differs from local tools like Claude Code.

Connect Engram

Option A — Install the Engram plugin (recommended)

1. In ChatGPT, open the Plugin directory (OpenAI migrated the app directory to plugins in July 2026).
2. Search for Engram and install it.
3. Sign in with your Engram account when prompted (OAuth). That links ChatGPT to your memory.

Option B — Developer-mode custom connector

If you prefer to add it manually (or the app isn’t available on your plan/region yet):

1. Settings → Apps & Connectors → Advanced → Developer mode.

2. Add a custom connector with the URL:

   https://mcp.getengram.app/mcp

3. Complete the OAuth sign-in. Engram’s memory tools (search, create_conversation, append_messages) will register.

Verify

Ask ChatGPT:

Search Engram for "test"

If it returns results (or an empty list), you’re connected.

How memory capture works in ChatGPT

This is the important part, and we’re straight with you about it.

Unlike Claude Code or Cursor — which run on your machine and let Engram capture every message automatically — ChatGPT is a hosted app with no background capture hook. ChatGPT, by OpenAI’s design and app-store policy, does not let any connector silently record your entire conversation. So in ChatGPT, Engram works two complementary ways:

1. Save on request — “remember this”

Tell ChatGPT to remember something and it’s stored in Engram verbatim, then searchable from every connected tool:

• “Save this decision to Engram.”
• “Remember that we’re using Postgres for the billing service.”
• “Store this conversation in my memory.”

You can also add a line to your ChatGPT custom instructions to make it proactive:

When we establish a decision, preference, or important fact, save it to Engram.
When I ask about past context, search Engram first.

ChatGPT honors this on a best-effort basis — it decides when to call tools — which is reliable for the things you explicitly want kept. That’s what memory is for.

2. Import your full history — one time

To bring everything you’ve already said in ChatGPT into Engram, use the native export:

1. Request the export — on the web: Settings → Data Controls → Export data; in the desktop app: Settings → Account → Data Controls → Export data. OpenAI emails you a link; unzip it to find conversations.json.
2. Import it — two ways:

Easiest — the dashboard: go to your dashboard , find Import your history, click Upload, and select the conversations.json file. That’s it — the import runs right there.

Or the CLI:

export ENGRAM_API_KEY=engram_sk_live_...
npx @getengram/cli import ~/Downloads/chatgpt-export/conversations.json --dry-run  # preview
npx @getengram/cli import ~/Downloads/chatgpt-export/conversations.json            # import

Either way, every conversation is stored verbatim, tagged chatgpt-import, and embedded for search.

Note: the native export is available on ChatGPT Free / Plus / Pro / eligible Edu plans, and can take up to 7 days to arrive (the download link expires 24 hours after delivery). It is not currently available for ChatGPT Business / Enterprise workspaces.

What ChatGPT can’t do (and no app can)

Engram can’t silently auto-record every ChatGPT message in the background the way it does for Claude Code and Cursor. There is no per-message hook for connectors, and OpenAI’s app policy prohibits pulling your full chat log. Any product claiming otherwise for ChatGPT isn’t being accurate. The honest, complete story is: save what matters on request + import your history in bulk — and get automatic, verbatim capture in the local tools that support it.

Shared memory is the point

Wherever a memory comes from, once it’s in Engram it’s available everywhere. Save a decision in ChatGPT, recall it in Cursor. Research something in Claude Code, reference it in ChatGPT. For the full picture across tools, see the integrations overview.