How to connect ChatGPT to your Windows PC

Guide · about 7 minutes to read · updated October 20, 2026

Out of the box, ChatGPT cannot see your computer. It can read a file you upload, but it cannot open a folder, rename a hundred files or run a command and look at the result. This guide shows how to give ChatGPT that access on a Windows 10 or 11 PC with Bridgerator — in about five minutes, without admin rights and without opening any ports.

What you need

• A PC with Windows 10 or Windows 11 that you own or are allowed to administer.
• A ChatGPT account where Developer mode is available. It is needed to add your own MCP server; whether you have it depends on your ChatGPT plan. Check Settings → Security and login.
• A free Bridgerator account — it is created when you first sign in with Google from ChatGPT. The Free plan includes 10,000 tool calls per month, which is plenty to start.

How the connection works

ChatGPT runs in the cloud; your files are on your PC. Bridgerator joins the two with a small program on your computer — the bridge — and a server that ChatGPT talks to as a connector. The bridge connects out to the server, so nothing on the internet can connect in to your PC.

The connector speaks MCP, the open protocol ChatGPT uses for tools. If you want the background, read what an MCP server is.

Step 1. Add Bridgerator in ChatGPT

1. In ChatGPT open Settings → Security and login and turn on Developer mode.
2. Open chatgpt.com/plugins, press + and choose Add custom MCP server.
3. Name: Bridgerator. URL: https://mcp.bridgerator.recondeck.com/mcp. Sign-in: OAuth.
4. Tick I understand and want to continue and create the plugin.

You add Bridgerator once per ChatGPT account. Every computer you connect later shows up through it. ChatGPT's menus change from time to time; if a label differs, look for "Developer mode" and "Plugins" in Settings. Using Claude, Codex, Cursor or VS Code instead? See other AI apps.

Step 2. Sign in with Google

When you save, ChatGPT opens the Bridgerator sign-in page. Press Continue with Google: if you are new, your free Bridgerator account is created right there — no separate sign-up. You can also sign up with e-mail and a password and use those instead.

Step 3. Run one command on your PC

On the computer, open Windows PowerShell (a normal window — no "Run as administrator": in an Administrator window the installer stops with "Run this in a normal (non-admin) PowerShell window") and paste this line. The same line is on your account page under Add a computer:

The installer:

1. downloads the Bridgerator app for Windows (bridgerator.exe and its files, for x64 or ARM64) from bridgerator.recondeck.com over https and checks the SHA256 of the download and of every file before anything runs — no Node.js or npm needed, no admin rights. bridgerator.exe and our scripts are signed by SoftInnovaticsPlus LLC, with a timestamp;
2. puts it into %LOCALAPPDATA%\Bridgerator\app; an older Bridgerator installed with npm is replaced, its key and settings kept;
3. if the Microsoft WebView2 runtime is missing (Windows 11 already has it), adds it from Microsoft after checking its signature — for your user only, no admin rights. Without it Bridgerator still works; its window opens the account page instead;
4. opens a browser tab to confirm this computer (next step) and waits for you;
5. writes the settings to %APPDATA%\Bridgerator\config.json — by default there is no folder list, so the assistant may use every folder except Bridgerator's own;
6. adds a hidden scheduled task so the bridge starts when you sign in to Windows, and starts it now;
7. on the first install, opens the welcome page with the next steps.

It usually takes a few minutes, depending on your connection.

Prefer to read it first? Open install.ps1 in the browser, or look at the bridge source on npm. Developers can install the npm package instead by adding -UseNpm. You can also limit folders right away by adding -Allow 'D:\Work' -Deny 'D:\Work\Private' to the command.

Step 4. Confirm the computer in the browser

The tab shows a short code and the computer's name. Check that the code matches the one in PowerShell, then press Connect this computer. PowerShell says the computer is connected — that's it, there is no key to copy. Only confirm a code you just got yourself.

Step 5. Try it

Start a new chat, turn on Bridgerator in the tools menu, and ask something harmless first:

Then try real work, for example "Sort my Downloads folder by file type. Show the plan first and don't delete anything." ChatGPT asks before actions that change things (unless you allow them for the whole chat); you can also turn on confirmations on the PC (a Windows notification) for risky actions such as deletions and system commands. More ideas are in the prompt library.

Guided setup. After installing, open ChatGPT and say Set up Bridgerator. ChatGPT shows how Bridgerator is set up and explains what you can change. There is no questionnaire: the defaults stay as they are, and ChatGPT limits access (folders, read-only folders, the Read only / Files access level, confirmations) only when you explicitly ask it to. Changes it makes apply at once with no question on the PC; if you turn on “Ask before the AI changes settings” (Settings → This PC, off by default), changes that lower protection wait for Apply on the PC. Bridgerator's own folders, blockedCommands and telemetry can't be changed this way.

Talk to ChatGPT. Phrases that work in any chat with Bridgerator turned on:

• Set up Bridgerator — shows the current setup and what can be changed
• Add these tasks to my Bridgerator queue: … — adds tasks to the queue
• Work through my Bridgerator queue — does the tasks one by one
• Continue my Bridgerator queue — picks up where another chat stopped
• Show my Bridgerator settings — shows the current settings; ask to change them
• Turn on confirmations for deletions — asks on the PC before files are deleted

ChatGPT can manage the same settings as the Bridgerator window: say Show my Bridgerator settings or ask it to change them. Changes apply at once, with no question on the PC. If you turn on “Ask before the AI changes settings” (Settings → This PC, off by default), changes that lower protection (turning it off, more folders, removing read-only folders, autostart, usage stats, local history) wait for Apply on the PC. Blocked commands and Bridgerator's own folders can't be changed this way.

Check that everything works

On the PC, run bridgerator.cmd status in PowerShell. Its first line is Bridgerator is running — online as <PC>, Bridgerator is not running or Bridgerator: key rejected — run the install command again; add --json to print the settings (key masked). If ChatGPT says no computer is connected, see troubleshooting.

Is it safe?

With no folder list (the default on a fresh install), ChatGPT may work in every folder: nothing is restricted by default, as with similar tools. Only Bridgerator itself is always closed — its settings folders and program files — because otherwise the AI could quietly switch off any protection. With a list, ChatGPT works only in those folders. Changes ChatGPT makes to the folder list apply at once; with “Ask before the AI changes settings” (Settings → This PC, off by default) on, widening it (adding a folder to the list, or going back to all folders) waits for Apply on the PC. A delete ChatGPT runs with a simple command goes to the Recycle Bin, and a file gets a copy before ChatGPT changes, moves or deletes it, so “Undo AI changes” can put it back. Want it stricter? Turn on “Protect sensitive folders” (Startup, PowerShell profiles, .ssh, .aws and other login folders, AppData), read-only folders, confirmations on the PC, the pause on mass deletes or moves, or the access preset Read only / Files / Full. Switch any of it in the Bridgerator window or ask ChatGPT; switching protection off at ChatGPT’s request applies at once, unless you turned on “Ask before the AI changes settings” — then it waits for Apply on the PC. Excluded folders stay closed either way, and the file tools can't reach Bridgerator's own folders. The terminal runs with your Windows user's rights and is not limited by folders — if you don't need it, turn it off. Traffic is encrypted with TLS in transit, and the server forwards requests without storing file contents or command output. The full picture, including the weak spots, is on the security page and in running PowerShell from ChatGPT safely.

How to disconnect

Run bridgerator.cmd uninstall --all in PowerShell on the PC — the bridge stops, ChatGPT loses access at once, and the program, its settings and key are removed. This computer's key is removed on the server too; to check, look at the account page and remove the computer if it is still listed. Remove the connector in ChatGPT settings, and delete the account on the account page if you no longer need it.