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Setting up ChatGPT to interact with Pits n' Giggles

February 5, 2026 • By Ashwin Natarajan
Stream F1 25 telemetry live to a remote race engineer using Pits n' Giggles and Radmin - no port forwarding required, works even with full 22-player lobbies.

Adding a Local MCP Server to ChatGPT Desktop (via ngrok)

This guide shows how to connect a locally running MCP server to ChatGPT Desktop by tunneling it over HTTPS with ngrok.

Why ngrok is needed

ChatGPT Desktop requires HTTPS-accessible MCP servers. Local servers usually run on http://localhost, which ChatGPT cannot reach directly.

ngrok solves this by:

  • Exposing your local server to the internet
  • Automatically providing a secure https:// URL
  • Requiring no TLS or DNS setup. It takes care of HTTPS

Download: https://ngrok.com/download/windows/

Step 1: Enable MCP server in Pits n’ Giggles

Click the check box in the settings menu. The app needs to be running for ChatGPT to be able to fetch live data

MCP Settings → Enable MCP HTTP Server

Change the port number if required

Step 2: Expose the Server with ngrok

Start an HTTPS tunnel to your local server. In the command line

ngrok http 4770

ngrok will output something like:

Forwarding https://violet-penguin-1234.ngrok-free.app → http://localhost:3333

[Optional] - Verify whether ngrok is working

Paste the HTTPS URL in your browser and add /test in the end You should see a test response containing the string “Pits n’ Giggles”

Copy the HTTPS URL.

Step 3: Add the MCP Server in ChatGPT Desktop

  1. Open ChatGPT Desktop
  2. Go to **Settings → Apps → Advanced Settings → Enable Developer Mode **
  3. Go to **Settings → Apps → Create app **
  4. Enter a name (e.g. Pits n’ Giggles)
  5. Paste the copied HTTPS URL under MCP URL (add /mcp at the end)
  6. Authentication → No Auth
  7. Accept the disclaimer and create the app

Step 4: Verify

  • Under apps, click the newly created app
  • Scroll down and you should see the list of tools (tools are basically standardised HTTP requests that the AI assitant can make to Pits n’ Giggles)
  • In the chat window, click the + button, click more and select the newly added app. Now ChatGPT will know that you want it to use this app

Notes

  • Free ngrok URLs change on restart → update the MCP URL if needed
  • HTTPS is mandatory; http://localhost will not work
  • Your server must correctly implement MCP discovery endpoints
  • ChatGPT makes life hard by requiring HTTPS, even for local server, which doesn’t really make sense
    • Make some noise, register a complaint, especially if you’re a paying customer!

✅ Your local MCP server is now connected to ChatGPT Desktop.

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