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SlideSleuth MCP setup

Connect SlideSleuth to ChatGPT or Claude

Give the ChatGPT Desktop app (Work and Codex) or Claude Desktop app access to timestamped Spoken Text and, with Plus or Pro, Slide Focus and Topic Focus. Everything connects locally through SlideSleuth Desktop on your Mac.

Start setup Get SlideSleuth Desktop

Apple silicon Mac required Local and user-controlled Spoken Text included with a signed-in Free account

Before you start

Prepare SlideSleuth once, then choose your agent.

Both setup paths use the same local SlideSleuth app and account. Choose one path for the app you use; the setup methods are different.

  1. 1

    Install the desktop app

    Install SlideSleuth in your Mac’s Applications folder. The default setup expects /Applications/SlideSleuth.app.

  2. 2

    Sign in

    Open SlideSleuth and sign in to a Free, Plus, or Pro account.

  3. 3

    Set up MCP

    Choose the Claude or ChatGPT setup below and complete the additional MCP configuration for your agent.

ChatGPT desktop + Codex

Setup MCP directly with ChatGPT

Follow these steps for MCP set up with ChatGPT desktop (Work and Codex). No .mcpb extension download is required.

For MCP setup, EITHER perform the following five steps, OR use Codex CLI instructions (see below):

  1. Open MCP server settings

    In the ChatGPT desktop app, open Settings → Plugins → MCPs, then select Add → Add MCP Server.

  2. Name

    Name it SlideSleuth and choose STDIO.

  3. Enter these values

    Command to launch
    /Applications/SlideSleuth.app/Contents/MacOS/SlideSleuth
    Arguments
    /Applications/SlideSleuth.app/Contents/Resources/slidesleuth-mcp.cjs
    Environment Variable (Key)
    ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE
    Environment Variable (Value)
    1

    'Environment variable passthrough' and 'Working Directory' can be left empty.

  4. Save and restart

    Save the inputted values, restart ChatGPT, then start a new chat (in either ChatGPT Work or Codex), type /mcp in the chat and hit enter. SlideSleuth should included in the plugin list as 'Enabled'

  5. Prompt examples

    Try the example prompts below to explore SlideSleuth’s MCP capabilities.

Prefer Codex CLI?

Run this once in Terminal to add the same user-level server described above (requires the Codex CLI to be on your PATH):

codex mcp add slidesleuth --env ELECTRON_RUN_AS_NODE=1 -- "/Applications/SlideSleuth.app/Contents/MacOS/SlideSleuth" "/Applications/SlideSleuth.app/Contents/Resources/slidesleuth-mcp.cjs"

Restart the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, or IDE extension after changing the configuration.

Claude Desktop

Install the Claude extension

Claude Desktop uses a packaged .mcpb extension that points to the SlideSleuth Desktop app (that also needs to be installed on your Mac).

Download for Claude Desktop (.mcpb)

This extension file is only for Claude Desktop. ChatGPT and Codex users do not need it. SlideSleuth Desktop must remain installed.

  1. Download the Claude extension

    Download the .mcpb file somewhere you can find it, such as Downloads.

  2. Open Claude’s extension settings

    In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Extensions → Advanced settings.

  3. Install SlideSleuth

    Select Install Extension…, choose the downloaded .mcpb file, and then click install.

  4. Confirm the app path

    Keep /Applications/SlideSleuth.app unless you installed SlideSleuth somewhere else, then finish the installation. If the 'Save' button remains greyed out, manually type the last letter of the path, then the save button should activate.

  5. Activate MCP

    Ensure that the MCP is toggled on to the 'Enabled' state, and then close the configuration window.

  6. Prompt examples

    Start a new chat in Claude. Try the example prompts below to explore SlideSleuth’s MCP capabilities. If SlideSleuth is not available, quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Verify the connection

Try asking your agent

Paste a YouTube URL into any of these prompts. Naming SlideSleuth helps your agent choose the connected MCP tools.

Slide FocusPlus and Pro
“Use SlideSleuth to find slides about [topic] in [YouTube URL] and explain each slide.”
SLIDE DISCOVERYFree, Plus, and Pro
“Search for recent videos on the subject of [subject], and then estimate using SlideSleuth which of the found videos are likely to contain slides, and provide links to those videos”
Slide FocusPlus and Pro
“Via SlideSleuth, show me the slides in [YouTube URL] that are the most contrarian to mainstream views and describe your reasoning.”
SPOKEN TEXT ONLYFree, Plus, and Pro
“Use SlideSleuth to summarize what was said in [YouTube URL], with links to the key moments.”
SPOKEN TEXT ONLYFree, Plus, and Pro
“Use SlideSleuth to check what is said about [subject] in [YouTube URL], and give me the relevant timestamps.”
Topic FocusPlus and Pro
“Use SlideSleuth Topic Focus on [YouTube URL] to identify the main arguments and explain why they matter.”

SlideSleuth Desktop app must be installed and signed in for its MCP tool to function. If your host asks you to approve the SlideSleuth MCP tools, choose 'Always Allow'.

Troubleshooting

If SlideSleuth does not connect

App not found

Confirm SlideSleuth is installed at /Applications/SlideSleuth.app, or update the extension/server paths to its actual location.

Server is unavailable

Open SlideSleuth, sign in, and confirm Settings → App → Local agent access is on. Then restart your agent host.

Installation is blocked

A managed Claude or ChatGPT workspace may restrict local extensions and MCP servers. Ask your organization administrator to allow SlideSleuth.

Works in desktop, not web

SlideSleuth’s current MCP bridge is local. Use Claude Desktop, the ChatGPT desktop app, Codex CLI, or the Codex IDE extension on the same Mac.

Capabilities

Start with spoken evidence. Upgrade for visual understanding.

Free

Spoken Text via SlideSleuth MCP

  • Let the desktop apps for Claude or ChatGPT (Work or Codex) search and analyze all the spoken text in the video
  • Find and watch exact spoken moments via time-stamped video links
  • Unlimited use
Plus and Pro

Complete agent analysis

  • Everything in Free
  • Topic Focus summaries and explanations
  • Slide Focus search, analysis, and visual evidence
View Plus and Pro

Spoken Text comes from available captions; it is not proof of what appeared visually. Caption text is kept in memory for the running app session and is removed when SlideSleuth quits.