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Setup guide

Connect athletedata to ChatGPT

Add athletedata as a custom MCP connector inside ChatGPT. Takes about a minute - the only tricky bit is enabling Developer mode.

Heads up: custom MCP connectors require a paid ChatGPT plan (Plus, Pro, Business or Enterprise). They are not available on the free tier.
1

Open ChatGPT's connector settings

Go to chatgpt.com/#settings/Connectors. You'll land on the Apps section of your ChatGPT settings.

2

Click 'Advanced settings'

Scroll to the bottom of the Apps panel and click Advanced settings.

ChatGPT Apps settings page with Advanced settings link
3

Enable Developer mode

Toggle Developer mode on. ChatGPT will show an Elevated risk warning - that's expected. Custom MCP servers go through this gate because OpenAI hasn't reviewed them. We obviously vouch for the athletedata server, but use your own judgement here.

ChatGPT Developer mode toggle enabled

Once Developer mode is on, click Create app at the top of the panel.

4

Fill out the form

A New App dialog opens. Fill it out:

  • Name: athletedata
  • MCP Server URL: grab it from your dashboard using the Copy MCP URL button. Paste it in.
  • Authentication: select No Auth from the dropdown. This is the important part - authentication is already handled by the API key embedded in the URL, so ChatGPT shouldn't add a second auth layer on top.
  • Tick I understand and want to continue.
ChatGPT New App dialog with athletedata URL and No Auth selected
5

Click 'Create' and start chatting

Hit Create. The athletedata connector now lives in your Apps list and will be available in new chats. Open a new conversation and ask:

Pull my last 4 weeks of Strava runs and tell me whether my training load is sustainable given my recent HRV.

Depending on your client, you may need to explicitly mention the connector by name (“use the athletedata connector to...”) on the first message.

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