what to do when we get this useless error message?
Product/Feature: Custom Connectors in ChatGPT Team (MCP - Model Context Protocol)
Error Encountered: When attempting to add a custom MCP connector, I received the error message: “This MCP Server violates our guidelines” with a link to the guidelines page.
Steps that led to the error:
Built a custom MCP server to integrate with Teamtailor’s REST API
Deployed the server to Cloudflare Workers.
Went to ChatGPT Settings → Connectors → Add custom (MCP)
Entered the server URL: https://xxx
Selected authentication method (“No Authentication”)
Clicked save/add connector
Received the “violates our guidelines” error immediately
Technical Details:
The MCP server implements the Model Context Protocol specification (JSON-RPC 2.0)
It provides 3 tools: listJobs, listJobApplicationsWithCandidates, and showCandidate
The server acts as a proxy to Teamtailor’s public REST API
It includes proper CORS headers and implements standard MCP methods (initialize, ping, tools/list, etc.)
The server responds correctly to direct API calls and follows MCP protocol
What I’m trying to achieve:
Create a connector that allows ChatGPT to access our company’s Teamtailor ATS (Applicant Tracking System) data to help with HR queries like “show me open frontend developer positions” or “list applications for job X”.
Questions:
What specific guidelines might our MCP server be violating?
Are there additional MCP protocol requirements beyond the standard specification?
Is there a validation process or specific endpoints that need to be implemented?
Are there restrictions on the types of APIs that can be proxied through MCP connectors?
The server is publicly accessible and functional - it’s unclear what aspect violates the guidelines since the error message doesn’t provide specific details.
