Developer Mode missing and MCP app creation unavailable across multiple ChatGPT accounts

ChatGPT Bugs
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1

Hello OpenAI team and community,

I would like to provide an updated and complete description of my issue.

I am trying to create and use a custom MCP server with ChatGPT, but I am currently unable to complete the MCP setup.

Account and testing details

I tested this issue across multiple ChatGPT accounts:

1. Old ChatGPT Plus account

  • This account previously had an active Plus subscription.
  • While the Plus subscription was active, I successfully created and used an MCP setup with Secure MCP Tunnel.
  • The MCP workflow was working correctly on this account.
  • The Plus subscription expired today.
  • After the subscription expired, the same workflow no longer works.

2. New ChatGPT Plus account

  • I purchased a new Plus subscription today.
  • I tried creating MCP using the same workflow:
    • Secure MCP Tunnel created from OpenAI Platform
    • API key created correctly
    • Personal workspace selected
  • However, MCP app creation fails with:

“Could not create MCP app. Try again.”

3. Free ChatGPT account

  • I also tested MCP creation here.
  • The same issue occurs.

4. ChatGPT Go account

  • I tested here as well.
  • The same issue occurs.

Main problems

Across all tested accounts:

  1. Developer Mode option is missing.
  2. I cannot find the Developer Mode toggle anywhere in Settings.
  3. MCP app creation fails.
  4. Instead of completing MCP setup, I am sometimes redirected to the “Create a GPT” screen.

Troubleshooting already performed

I have already tried:

  • Creating new Secure MCP Tunnels.
  • Creating new API keys.
  • Checking Personal workspace settings.
  • Checking ChatGPT Settings, Apps, Security and other available sections.
  • Reinstalling/using the same MCP plugin workflow that previously worked.
  • Creating the MCP configuration manually with different names.
  • Testing on multiple ChatGPT accounts.

The issue remains the same.

Important observation

The most confusing part is:

The exact MCP workflow previously worked on my old Plus account when the subscription was active.

Now the same workflow is unavailable across all accounts, and Developer Mode is no longer visible.

This makes me think this may be related to:

  • MCP App availability changes,
  • Developer Mode access policy,
  • account entitlement/provisioning,
  • workspace permission,
  • or recent ChatGPT UI changes.

Time spent troubleshooting

I have spent approximately 7–8 hours testing, researching documentation, and comparing different accounts, but I have not found a solution.

Expected behavior

I would like to:

  1. Access Developer Mode if required.
  2. Create custom MCP apps.
  3. Connect MCP servers through Secure MCP Tunnel.
  4. Continue using the workflow that previously worked.

Request for help

Could someone please help confirm:

  1. Is Developer Mode still available for ChatGPT Plus users?
  2. Is MCP App creation currently restricted or changed?
  3. Is there any account-level permission or entitlement required?
  4. Why does the same MCP workflow work on one account previously but fail across accounts now?
  5. What is the correct current method to create and connect custom MCP apps?

I can provide screenshots and screen recordings showing:

  • Missing Developer Mode option
  • MCP creation error
  • Tunnel/API configuration

Thank you.

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2

I have same problem, no developer mode.

3

Thanks for the detailed report and screenshots! I checked the server logs for the tunnel IDs in your screenshots and found the error behind those app-creation failures: tunnel_client_not_seen. The tunnel service wasn’t seeing an active tunnel client at the time of those attempts.

Creating a tunnel in Platform is one part of the setup; the tunnel client also needs to be running and connected so ChatGPT can reach your MCP server. The logs don’t tell us yet why your client wasn’t being seen, so I’d check:

  • That the tunnel client is still running and can reach your MCP server.
  • That its configured tunnel ID matches the one you’re entering in ChatGPT, and that it’s using the appropriate runtime API key for that tunnel.
  • Whether the client’s logs show authentication or connection errors.

Once the client is healthy, try creating the app again while leaving it running. If it still fails, could you share the client’s error output with any keys or other secrets removed?

I’m landing a fix now to make these error messages more precise and actionable. The generic message hid the useful information here, sorry for the time that cost you!

4

Also, developer mode is no longer an explicit mode and everyone should have that functionality available to them! More here:

5

Hey @marupibneyalid

I can see why this was confusing after the earlier setup worked.

As Drew clarified, a separate Developer Mode toggle is no longer required. His log check found that the tunnel service wasn’t seeing an active client.

Could you run the health check in the Secure MCP Tunnel guide, then retry with the client and MCP server running? Let us know whether the client is healthy and, if creation still fails, the error and timestamp with timezone.

For client logs, use your existing private support request or contact support@openai.com and share only the case ID here.

— Sanket