💬ChatGPT Desktop Setup Guide

Connect SonicAura MCP to ChatGPT Desktop

Follow the steps below to add SonicAura's audio tools to the ChatGPT desktop app. Once connected, ChatGPT can split stems, remove vocals, and denoise audio directly from chat — no extra app needed.

⏱ ~2 min setup🔐 OAuth or API Key💎 Plus+ required

Before you start

• ChatGPT desktop app, latest version
• A ChatGPT Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education account
• A SonicAura account (sign up at sonicaurastudio.com)
• At least 1 credit on your SonicAura account

Step-by-step setup

Install ChatGPT Desktop

Download and install the latest ChatGPT desktop app from chatgpt.com/download. Make sure you are signed in with a Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education account — custom MCP servers are not available on the free plan.

Open Plugins

In the ChatGPT app, open the sidebar and go to Plugins. Click the "+ Add" button and choose "Custom MCP Server" from the menu.

Enter the Server URL

Paste the SonicAura MCP endpoint into the Server URL field. If you already have your API key, you can also add it as a Bearer token under the Authorization header.

Server URL:
https://api.sonicaurastudio.com/mcp

Header (optional):
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY

Replace YOUR_API_KEY with the key from your MCP dashboard.

Authorize with OAuth or API Key

ChatGPT supports both OAuth and API Key authentication. Choose OAuth to sign in with your SonicAura account (your API key will be generated automatically), or paste the key from your MCP dashboard as the Bearer token.

Save & verify

Save the MCP server configuration. Then start a new chat, enable the SonicAura MCP from the "+" menu, and type the verification prompt below to confirm the connection works.

Verify the connection

In ChatGPT Desktop, start a new chat, enable SonicAura MCP from the "+" menu, then type:

@SonicAura check my service status and credits.

ChatGPT should call check_service_status and reply with your available credits and service status. If it does, you are all set.

Available tools

check_service_status

Check if the service is ready and how many credits you have.

get_my_credits

Query your remaining separation credits.

get_upload_url

Get a presigned URL to upload large audio files.

upload_audio

Upload small audio files (<1MB) via base64.

submit_separation

Submit a stem separation task (2/4/6 tracks).

check_separation_status

Check task progress and download the separated stems.

Troubleshooting

I don't see the "Custom MCP Server" option in Plugins.

Custom MCP servers require a Plus, Pro, Business, Enterprise, or Education account. Also make sure you are on the latest version of the ChatGPT desktop app — older versions may not expose this option.

OAuth or API Key — which should I use?

Either works. OAuth is simpler: ChatGPT will open a browser window, you sign in to SonicAura, and your API key is generated automatically. If you prefer, you can copy the API key from your MCP dashboard and paste it as the Bearer token instead.

The MCP server was added but no tools show up.

Fully quit and reopen the ChatGPT desktop app. Then start a new chat and enable the SonicAura MCP from the "+" menu. If the tools still don't appear, double-check that the Server URL is exactly https://api.sonicaurastudio.com/mcp and that your account has at least 1 credit.

Tool calls are being blocked or need approval every time.

This is expected for write-type tools. ChatGPT asks for confirmation before running tools that modify data or trigger jobs. You can click "Always allow" on a per-tool basis if you trust the server.

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