Can ChatGPT send messages on its own?

Only if you allow it. When you connect, “May send messages to customers” is a separate tick box and never preselected. Without it, ChatGPT saves replies as drafts: an internal note in the conversation that your team checks and sends. With it, the same rules apply as in the inbox (24-hour window, consent, the Free plan's monthly limit), with at most 10 messages a minute and 60 an hour per connection. According to OpenAI, ChatGPT may also ask you to confirm before it changes something; full support is available for Business, Enterprise and Edu, other plans are limited (as of 12 Nov 2026).

Your CRM data stays on our server in Vienna, Austria, inside the EU, or on your own server if you self-host. What the AI reads through the MCP server, for example contacts or conversations depending on the permissions you choose, goes to the provider of your AI program, such as Anthropic or OpenAI, under that provider's terms. Our log records which tool ran and when, with IDs only: no message text, no names, addresses or phone numbers. A data processing agreement is available.

Do I need an AI subscription?

Not from us: the MCP server costs nothing extra in The-Y CRM. You need an AI program that can connect MCP servers, and its provider sets the rules. Claude offers custom connectors on Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise; on Free you can add one. ChatGPT offers custom MCP servers with full access in Business, Enterprise and Edu on the web, other plans are limited. As of 12 Nov 2026, according to Anthropic's and OpenAI's help pages.

Is the MCP server included in the Free plan?

Yes. It's part of every plan: Free, Cloud Pro and self-hosting. On Free, requests count toward the account's API limit of 60 a minute and 1,000 a day; Cloud Pro allows 300 a minute. Messages the AI sends count toward Free's 1,000 outgoing messages a month; drafts don't.

What can't the AI do?

It can't delete anything, make phone calls, forward calls to outside numbers, connect WhatsApp (that needs your own sign-in with Meta) or set marketing consent. It never gets passwords: for a mailbox or phone line it sends you a link, and you enter the password in the app yourself.

How do I disconnect the AI?

Under Settings → Integrations → “Connected AI programs”, click “Disconnect”; access ends immediately. Keys can be revoked in the “API keys” list. A connection by click is valid for 90 days, after which you connect again.

Does it work if I host The-Y CRM myself?

Yes, it's the same software: your address followed by /api/mcp, with nothing extra to set up. For Claude and ChatGPT your server must be reachable from the internet over HTTPS.

MCP Server: Connect Claude or ChatGPT to Your CRM (2026)

In short

The-Y CRM has an MCP server since version 1.1.66. MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a public standard that lets AI programs such as Claude or ChatGPT use tools in other software. Once connected, the AI can set up your channels, the phone system with extensions, ring groups and phone hours, contacts, deals, tasks and reply templates, and it can read your inbox. By default it only reads and writes drafts; sending and connecting channels need their own permissions. It can't delete anything, make calls or see passwords. Included in every plan: Free, and Cloud Pro at €20/month per company, all users and brands (alpha and beta price).

As of November 2026

How it works with The-Y CRM

Sign up for free, open Settings → Integrations → “Connect AI (MCP)” and connect Claude or ChatGPT. You sign in to The-Y CRM, choose what the AI may do and click “Allow”. Everything the AI does shows up in your account's log.

Start free – connect your AI Try the demo – no sign-up

Connecting an AI needs your own account; the demo shows the CRM with sample data. The-Y CRM is in Alpha. All features and prices: The-Y CRM

Instead of clicking through settings, you tell the AI what you need, for example: “Show me what is still missing in my CRM.” Or: “Create extensions 101 to 104 for Anna, Ben, Carla and David, put them in one ring group and send calls outside 9 to 5 to voicemail.” The AI does it through the MCP server, and you see the result in the app and in the log.

Below: what MCP is, what the AI can and can't do, how to connect Claude, Claude Code and ChatGPT step by step, and how the permissions and limits work.

What is an MCP server?

MCP stands for Model Context Protocol, a public standard for connecting AI programs to other software. It's published at modelcontextprotocol.io; the current version of the specification is dated 28 July 2026. An MCP server is the part of a piece of software that offers the AI a list of tools, such as “Create extension” or “Read conversation”, and checks every call.

The-Y CRM's MCP server runs at one address for all accounts:

https://crm.the-y.at/api/mcp

If you run The-Y CRM on your own server, it's your address followed by /api/mcp; there is nothing extra to set up. The server follows the current specification and also works with AI programs that still use older versions (from 2025-03-26). Transport: “Streamable HTTP”.

What the AI can do: 23 tools

Each tool needs a permission. There are three levels, and you pick one when you connect: Read and write drafts (recommended), Set up, and the separate tick box May send messages to customers. The AI only sees the tools its connection may use.

Overview

Tool	What the AI does	Permission
Account overview`get_account_overview`	Shows your channels and their state, the phone line, what is still missing (with a link into the app) and what this connection may do. The usual first step.	Read and write drafts

Channels: email and web chat

Tool	What the AI does	Permission
Set up mailbox`setup_mailbox`	Creates an email mailbox and enters the servers (IMAP/SMTP); Gmail servers are filled in automatically. No password: you enter it yourself via a link, and for Microsoft you click “Sign in with Microsoft”.	Set up (connect channels)
Web chat: embed code`get_webchat_embed_code`	Returns the code for your website and the link to the chat page.	Read and write drafts
Switch web chat on/off`set_webchat_enabled`	Switches the web chat on or off and returns the embed code.	Set up (connect channels)

Phone system

Tool	What the AI does	Permission
Phone overview`get_phone_setup`	Shows extensions, ring groups, phone hours, numbers with their destination, lines (without passwords), queues, menus and announcements.	Read and write drafts
Create extension`create_extension`	2 to 6 digits, optionally for a team member and with voicemail. The password for the desk phone or app is generated automatically and only shown in the app.	Set up
Create ring group`create_ring_group`	Several extensions ring at once.	Set up
Ring group: set members`set_ring_group_members`	Sets which existing extensions belong to a ring group.	Set up
Set phone hours`set_phone_hours`	When the phone is “open”, and where calls go during and outside those times, for example ring group by day, voicemail at night.	Set up
Add phone number`add_phone_number`	Adds a number from your phone provider, with country code.	Set up
Phone number: set destination`set_number_destination`	Extension, ring group, queue, voicemail, menu, announcement, phone hours or hang up. Forwarding to outside numbers only in the app.	Set up
Create phone line`create_phone_line`	Creates the line (SIP) to your phone provider, without password. It only becomes active once you enter the password in the app.	Set up (connect channels)

Contacts, deals and tasks

Tool	What the AI does	Permission
Search contacts`search_contacts`	By name, email or phone number.	Read and write drafts
Create/import contacts`import_contacts`	1 to 500 at once; same email address = the existing contact is completed; preview first if you like. The AI never sets marketing consent.	Set up
View pipelines`list_pipelines`	Lists your pipelines and their stages.	Read and write drafts
Create deal`create_deal`	Title, value, stage, contact, company, expected close.	Set up
Create task`create_task`	With due date, assignee and a link to a contact, company, deal or conversation.	Set up

Inbox and reply templates

Tool	What the AI does	Permission
View inbox`list_conversations`	Lists conversations, newest first, filtered by status or channel if you like.	Read and write drafts
Read conversation`get_conversation`	Reads a conversation with its latest messages; internal notes are marked.	Read and write drafts
Create reply draft`create_reply_draft`	Saves a reply as an internal note headed “NOT sent yet”. It never reaches the customer; someone in your team checks it and sends it.	Read and write drafts
View reply templates`list_reply_templates`	Lists your text snippets for replies.	Read and write drafts
Create reply template`create_reply_template`	Title, text, optional shortcut, language and brand.	Set up
Send reply`send_reply`	Sends a reply over the conversation's channel, with the same rules as “Send” in the inbox: 24-hour window, consent, the Free plan's monthly limit.	May send messages to customers (separate tick box)

What the AI can't do

Delete: there is no tool for deleting anything.
Make calls: the AI sets up the phone system but never calls anyone.
Forward calls outside: destinations to outside numbers are set in the app only.
Connect WhatsApp: that needs your own sign-in with Meta, so you do it in the app.
See or accept passwords: for a mailbox or phone line the AI gives you a link, and you enter the password in the app yourself.
Set consent: imported contacts never get marketing consent from the AI.

How to connect your AI program

There are two ways, with the same checks behind them:

Sign-in by click (OAuth): OAuth is the usual “sign in and allow” method. The AI program sends you to The-Y CRM, you sign in, choose what the AI may do and click “Allow”. The AI program never sees your password. Claude, Claude Code and ChatGPT use this way, no key needed.
API key: for programs that send a key with every request. You create it under Settings → Integrations → “Connect AI (MCP)” → “Create key”.

Only people who may manage integrations in your account, for example admins, can connect an AI program.

Claude (claude.ai and Claude Desktop)

In Claude, go to Customize → Connectors, click “+ Add” and then “Add custom connector”.
Enter the name The-Y CRM and the remote MCP server URL https://crm.the-y.at/api/mcp. Click “Continue”, check the sign-in settings Claude detected and click “Continue” again.
Authentication: “Sign in now”. OAuth client: “Use Claude's published identity (Recommended)”. Then click “Add”.
Our sign-in page opens: sign in to The-Y CRM, choose what the AI may do, click “Allow”.
In a chat, click “+” at the bottom left, open “Connectors”, switch The-Y CRM on and write, for example: “Show me what is still missing in my CRM.”

On Claude Team and Enterprise, the people who manage your Claude organisation add the connector first (Organization settings → Connectors → “Add” → “Custom” → “Web”). After that, everyone connects it under Customize → Connectors with their own sign-in. According to Anthropic, custom connectors work on the Free, Pro, Max, Ultra, Team and Enterprise plans; on Free you can add one.

Claude Code

Enter once in the terminal:

claude mcp add --transport http the-y-crm https://crm.the-y.at/api/mcp

Then type /mcp in Claude Code, choose “the-y-crm” and sign in; the browser opens our sign-in page. It points out that the program runs on your computer (localhost), which is expected for Claude Code. Or with an API key:

claude mcp add --transport http the-y-crm https://crm.the-y.at/api/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer <your key>"

ChatGPT

In ChatGPT on the web, open Plugins, click “+” and then “Add custom MCP server”.
Name: The-Y CRM. Under Connection enter https://crm.the-y.at/api/mcp. Authentication: OAuth.
Tick “I understand and want to continue” and click “Create as a plugin”.
Our sign-in page opens: sign in to The-Y CRM, choose what the AI may do, click “Allow”. ChatGPT then shows the tools it found.
Start a new chat, type @ and choose The-Y CRM.

Who can do this is up to OpenAI: according to OpenAI, custom MCP servers with full access are available in ChatGPT Business, Enterprise and Edu, on the web only. In Business workspaces only admins can add them; Enterprise and Edu admins can allow it for selected members. According to OpenAI, other plans are limited. Before actions that change something, ChatGPT may ask you to confirm.

Other programs and API keys

Address: https://crm.the-y.at/api/mcp, transport “Streamable HTTP”.
Sign-in: by click (OAuth), or send a key with every request: Authorization: Bearer <your key> (or X-API-Key).
Create a key: Settings → Integrations → “Connect AI (MCP)” → “Create key”, choose the level, then “Create key for the AI”. The key is shown only once; copy it straight into your program. It expires after 90 days unless you switch that off, and you can revoke it any time in the “API keys” list.

More on keys and the REST API: API documentation.

Permissions: you decide

Read and write drafts (recommended, the default): the AI sees the setup, contacts, deals and the inbox and saves reply drafts. It changes nothing and sends nothing.
Set up: additionally connect a mailbox and the web chat, set up the phone system, create templates, contacts, deals and tasks.
May send messages to customers: a separate tick box, never preselected. Only tick it if the AI should reply by itself.
Separate permissions for what reaches the outside: connecting a channel and sending are permissions of their own. With an API key you can switch each permission on or off individually.
Never more than the person: a key or connection can never do more than the person who created it may do in the app. If that person is deactivated, the key stops working.

Security and limits

No passwords: no tool accepts a password, and answers never contain passwords, keys or tokens.
Clear sign-in page: it shows the program's name and, in large letters, where it returns to. It warns you if a program calls itself “Claude” or “ChatGPT” but returns somewhere else.
Log without content: every call, including reads, refusals and errors, lands in your account's change log, under the name of the key or connection. The log stores IDs, switches and counts only – no message text, no names, addresses or phone numbers.
Disconnect any time: Settings → Integrations → “Connected AI programs” → “Disconnect”, and access ends immediately. A connection by click is valid for 90 days.
Accounts kept apart: every call only works inside your own account.

Limits per key or connection, on top of your plan's API limits:

Kind of tool	Per minute	Per hour
Read	60	1,200
Change	30	600
Connect a channel	10	30
Send	10	60

Plan limits per account (shared with the REST API): Free 60 requests a minute and 1,000 a day, Cloud Pro 300 a minute; self-hosted none unless you set them.

More on how we protect your data: Security.

Prices

The MCP server costs nothing extra. It's part of every plan, Free included.

Free

€0 forever

Up to 3 users, 1,000 outgoing messages and 200 outgoing call minutes a month, 2 simultaneous calls. MCP included. Messages the AI sends count toward the 1,000; drafts don't.

Cloud Pro

€20 /month per company

All users and brands (alpha and beta price), incl. any VAT; €40 from the Live release. Up to 10 simultaneous calls, hosted in Vienna. MCP included. Businesses only.

Prefer your own server? The-Y CRM also runs self-hosted with Docker, with the same MCP server: Self-hosted helpdesk · Self-hosting guide.

When it fits, and when it doesn't

A good fit if …

you want a new account set up quickly: mailbox, web chat, extensions, ring groups, phone hours,
you have a contact list to import,
you want reply drafts for a full inbox that your team checks before sending.

Not the right tool if …

your AI program can't connect custom MCP servers (for ChatGPT, see the plans above),
you want to connect WhatsApp, delete data or make calls through the AI,
you need proven, mature software today; The-Y CRM is Alpha.

Honestly

The-Y CRM is Alpha software, and the MCP server is new in 1.1.66. AI programs make mistakes too: check what the AI set up, every step is in the log.
Not included in 1.1.66: the account's opening hours, inviting team members, brands, email templates and submitting WhatsApp templates. You do these in the app.
If an AI program renews its sign-in twice at the same moment, we disconnect it for safety. Then simply connect again.
Open points: Known issues.

Sources: Model Context Protocol, specification version 2026-07-28, checked 12 Nov 2026 · Claude: Anthropic Help Center “Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP” (plans, menu steps), checked 12 Nov 2026 · Claude Code: Claude Code docs “MCP”, checked 12 Nov 2026 · ChatGPT: OpenAI Help Center “Connecting custom MCP servers in ChatGPT” (plans, menu steps), checked 12 Nov 2026. Menu names and plans of AI programs change, so please check with the provider. Claude is a trademark of Anthropic, ChatGPT of OpenAI.

MCP server: let Claude or ChatGPT set up and run your CRM