How to Turn Off ChatGPT Developer Mode

Developer mode in ChatGPT lets you connect external tools and APIs, including MCP servers and custom actions that read or write data in other services. Turning it off removes that access immediately. Any tool connected through developer mode stops working for your session.

Before you disable it, it pays to check which tools are connected and whether any of them hold work you'll need. If you use a tool like fenbs to keep your team's tasks and decisions in one place, disconnecting mid-task without saving progress can interrupt work your teammates depend on.

When to turn developer mode off

There are a few common reasons to disable developer mode. You may have enabled it to test a tool connection and no longer need it. You may be switching from a personal account to a managed team account where the organization controls developer settings. Or you want to simplify what ChatGPT has access to before sharing your account for a demo or handoff.

What developer mode does

Developer mode enables the parts of ChatGPT designed for connecting to external systems. With it on, you can add custom actions that call outside APIs, connect MCP servers that give ChatGPT access to live data or tools, and in some plans access extended model settings and the API playground.

Without developer mode, ChatGPT works as a standalone assistant. It can answer questions and generate content, but it cannot take actions in other apps or read data from connected services. The exact features tied to developer mode depend on your plan. OpenAI's help center↗ (opens in a new tab) documents which capabilities are available on each.

Where to find the developer mode setting

Open ChatGPT in a browser and click your profile or the menu at the bottom-left corner. Choose Settings. Inside Settings, look for a section called Advanced, Developer, or similar. The exact label can change with product updates, but it is in the same general area as other account-wide toggles.

If you are on a ChatGPT team or enterprise account, developer mode may be controlled at the organization level by an admin. An individual member toggle may not appear if the org setting overrides it. In that case, ask your workspace admin to adjust the setting.

Review your connected apps before you disable

In Settings, look for a Connected apps or Integrations panel. This lists every tool that currently has access through your account, along with the permissions it was granted. Go through the list before turning developer mode off.

For each connected tool, ask two things: Is this used by more than just me, and does it hold work that needs to be handed off or saved? If yes to either, take action before you disable the connection.

You can also revoke access to individual tools from this panel without turning off developer mode entirely. If you only want to disconnect one specific app, use the per-app revoke option instead of the global toggle.

What to check when fenbs is connected

fenbs connects to ChatGPT as an MCP tool. It gives ChatGPT access to your projects, tasks, Decisions and rules, and the Where we left off record. Disconnecting removes ChatGPT's read and write access to that data — but the data stays in fenbs.

Before you disconnect, ask your ChatGPT session to save progress. Tell it to update Where we left off for any active projects, record what tasks it completed, and note anything that is waiting on a person. That record is then available to your next session, whether that's a reconnected ChatGPT or a different connected app like Claude or Cursor.

If other teammates are also connected, letting them know before you disconnect avoids a situation where someone asks ChatGPT to continue a task that now has a stale record. The task still exists in fenbs; they can read it directly or reconnect when needed.

Reconnecting after you turn developer mode back on

Turning developer mode back on restores the capability, but existing connections often need to be re-authorized. OAuth connections — those where you signed in to a service through a browser — usually require a new sign-in after the setting is toggled. API key connections may need their keys re-entered if the settings were cleared.

For fenbs, the reconnection is a short browser sign-in. Open Integrations, follow the ChatGPT guide, and approve the connection. Your projects, rules and progress are unchanged.

How to do this with fenbs

1. Create a free account if you haven't already.
2. Ask your ChatGPT session to save progress: completed tasks, what is in progress, and Where we left off for each active project.
3. Open fenbs in a browser and confirm the saved state looks right before you disconnect.
4. Go to ChatGPT Settings, find the Developer or Advanced section, and turn developer mode off.
5. When you're ready to reconnect, follow the setup guide at Integrations and approve the OAuth sign-in. Your work record is waiting.

Related: see ChatGPT agent mode for how ChatGPT uses tool connections to act on your behalf, and Claude vs ChatGPT if you're considering whether to switch to a different AI app for your main workflows.