💡 What This Article Covers
If you previously connected the Search Atlas MCP server to ChatGPT and the connection has stopped working — for example, ChatGPT no longer pulls your Search Atlas data, or the connector shows as disconnected — this guide explains why it happens and walks you through restoring it.
🔍 Why the Connection Drops
The Search Atlas MCP integration uses OAuth 2.1 to link your ChatGPT account with your Search Atlas workspace. The connection can drop for a few common reasons:
- Expired access token: OAuth tokens have a limited lifetime. Normally they refresh automatically, but occasionally the stored token becomes stale and ChatGPT stops recognizing the connection.
- Revoked permissions: If access was revoked from your Search Atlas account or from your ChatGPT connector settings, the link breaks.
- Workspace changes: Switching plans, changing account roles, or re-authenticating your Search Atlas login can invalidate the existing token.
- ChatGPT connector cache: ChatGPT sometimes keeps a cached (stale) credential even after a token expires, which blocks reconnecting until the connector is fully removed and re-added.
🛠️ How to Reconnect in a Few Steps
In most cases, fully removing and re-adding the connector fixes the problem:
- Open ChatGPT and go to Settings → Connectors (sometimes labeled Apps).
- Find Search Atlas in your list of connected connectors.
- Open the options menu next to it and choose Remove or Disconnect. This clears the stale cached token.
- Wait about a minute, then re-add the connector: search for Search Atlas in the connector directory, or re-enter the Search Atlas MCP server URL if you originally added it manually.
- Complete the OAuth sign-in: you will be redirected to log in with your Search Atlas credentials and asked to authorize the connection.
- Return to ChatGPT and confirm the connector shows as Connected.
Important: Simply clicking Reconnect without first removing the connector often fails, because ChatGPT reuses the stale token. Always fully remove the connector first, then re-add it.
✅ Verifying the Connection Works
After reconnecting, test it with a simple request such as:
- "List the Search Atlas tools you can access."
- "Pull my connected site's OTTO SEO overview."
If ChatGPT responds with live data from your workspace, the connection is restored.
⚠️ Known Issue With a Fix in Progress
We are aware of an issue where OAuth discovery endpoints return a 403 error on stale bearer tokens, which can prevent ChatGPT from reconnecting even after a fresh sign-in. A fix is being prepared for release. Until then, the full remove-and-re-add process above is the reliable workaround. If the 403 error appears immediately after re-adding the connector, wait 10–15 minutes and try once more.
🚧 If It Still Won't Connect
Work through this quick checklist:
- Confirm you are logging into the same Search Atlas account you originally connected.
- Check that your Search Atlas subscription is active and that your role allows integrations.
- Sign out of ChatGPT, clear your browser cache, sign back in, and retry.
- Try the OAuth flow in a different browser or an incognito window to rule out cached cookies.
- If ChatGPT reports a timeout right after authorization, wait a few minutes for the token to settle, then test again.
💬 Still Need Help?
If you need further assistance, open the chat widget in the bottom-right corner of the platform and type human teammate to be connected with a member of our team.