Hosted agent workflows

Connect a local MCP server to ChatGPT and cloud agents, or run it hosted

Your stdio MCP servers get an HTTPS address through the Meandr CLI, or run on a Meandr machine.

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How to connect a local MCP server to ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor

Tunnelled and hosted servers both sit behind your one workspace connection URL.

  1. 01 Local servers, remote agents

    Use a stdio MCP server on your laptop from ChatGPT, Claude and Cursor

    To connect a local MCP server to ChatGPT, Claude or Cursor, start it with the Meandr CLI and give the app your workspace connection URL.

    • No open port on your laptop: the CLI connects out to Meandr
    • The server's own keys stay on your laptop
    • The HTTPS address stays the same when you restart the server

    For example: Filesystem, Fetch or your own internal server

    Real caseChatGPT refused a developer's local MCP server as an unsafe URL.

    Connect a stdio server step by step

  2. 02 Servers inside your network

    Reach a server inside your company network without opening a port

    Run the CLI on a machine inside the network that stays on, and cloud agents reach the server through Meandr.

    • No inbound firewall rule to add
    • The server's credentials stay on that machine
    • The CLI reconnects on its own after a dropped connection
    • A Tunnel disconnected alert reaches you in the app and by email

    For example: Playwright testing a staging site behind your VPN

    Real caseApril 2026 scan: 12,520 MCP services were reachable from the internet, and 687 of them offered shell or command tools. Censys

  3. 03 Always-on servers

    Keep a server running for cloud agents when your laptop is off

    Pick a server from the Docker MCP catalog or the Official MCP registry, and Meandr runs it on a machine that stays on.

    • EU and US regions available, more coming
    • The server version is pinned when you create it
    • Codex cloud tasks and Cursor background agents can use it at any hour

    For example: Fetch, Notion

    MCP Hosting: machines, regions and what happens to files

  4. 04 Unattended agents, same rules

    Let a cloud agent work unattended while risky calls wait for you

    Tunnelled and hosted servers follow the same policies, approvals and audit record as every other server.

    • Each cloud agent has its own key you can revoke
    • A call you mark for approval waits on the Tasks page, even with nobody in the chat
    • Every call is recorded with the agent and the server
    How policies and approval work Give each agent its own key

Local and hosted MCP servers for remote agents: questions

Can ChatGPT use a local MCP server?
Yes: start the server with the Meandr CLI, and ChatGPT can connect to it at your HTTPS workspace connection URL.
What happens when my laptop sleeps?
Calls to that server fail until the CLI reconnects on its own, so run a server that must stay on as a hosted one.
Do I need to open a port or set up a tunnel service?
No: the Meandr CLI connects out to Meandr, so nothing on your machine listens for traffic.
Can Meandr host a server I built myself?
Yes. Write a Dockerfile in the console and Meandr builds and runs it. How it works → If the server has to stay on your machine, it connects through the Meandr CLI instead.

Connect your first local MCP server to ChatGPT or a cloud agent

Run any MCP server in Meandr or connect the ones you already have, then point every agent at one MCP gateway. Policy, approvals and audit cover every call, with no code changes.

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