Installation, connection, and everyday use

User guide

Follow these steps to install the bridge, connect it to the ChatGPT desktop app or Codex on the same Mac, and use Apple Mail and Apple Calendar safely.

Download this guide as PDF

The app is not available for download yet.The website currently provides this guide only. Install the bridge only after this site publishes an approved, versioned DMG.

1. What you need

An Apple silicon Mac with macOS 15.6-26.x.
Apple Mail and/or Apple Calendar configured on that Mac.
ChatGPT desktop or Codex on the same Mac, signed in to your own ChatGPT account.
Permission to add a local MCP server.
The approved bridge DMG when it becomes available.

Important: ChatGPT web cannot start the local helper directly. This guide uses ChatGPT desktop or Codex on the same Mac.

2. Download and install

Download safely

Use only the versioned download on this site or in the private beta invitation.
Match the displayed version, arm64 architecture, and SHA-256 with the release manifest.
Stop if the checksum differs or macOS identifies an unknown developer.
Never bypass Gatekeeper or disable macOS security controls.

Install the app

Open the DMG normally.
Drag MailCalendarBridge to the Applications link.
Eject the DMG and open the app from Applications.
Confirm that the bridge window and envelope/clock menu-bar item appear.

Authorize the secure local connection

If the bridge shows Authorize secure connection, select it and handle the macOS dialog yourself. Choose Always Allow only when the displayed helper path is exactly:

/Applications/MailCalendarBridge.app/Contents/Helpers/MailCalendarMCP

The bridge and support will never ask for your Mac password, Apple password, ChatGPT password, API key, or Keychain secret.

3. Connect Apple Calendar and Mail

Select Grant Full Calendar Access and respond to the macOS Calendar dialog.
Refresh Mail accounts and respond to the macOS Automation dialog.
Select only the Mail accounts and individual calendars the bridge may use.
Confirm the selection. Nothing is selected automatically.

Mail and Calendar are independent. An empty selection makes the related tools deny access. Subscribed and read-only calendars are not made writable. New accounts and calendars are never selected automatically.

4. Connect your ChatGPT account

The bridge does not ask for or store your ChatGPT credentials. Sign in normally in the ChatGPT desktop app, then register the local helper with that signed-in client.

In ChatGPT desktop

Open Settings, then MCP servers.
Select Add server.
Name it apple-mail-calendar and choose STDIO.
Use the helper command shown below.
Set the default approval behavior to prompt for write actions (writes).
Save, select Restart, and start a new chat or task.

/Applications/MailCalendarBridge.app/Contents/Helpers/MailCalendarMCP

Terminal alternative for Codex

codex mcp add apple-mail-calendar -- \
  /Applications/MailCalendarBridge.app/Contents/Helpers/MailCalendarMCP

Then restart ChatGPT desktop or Codex. These clients share the local MCP configuration for the same macOS user.

Verify the connection

In a new chat or task, ask: Check whether the Mail & Calendar Bridge is healthy. A healthy result reports ok and authenticated-unix-ipc. The health check does not read Mail or Calendar content.

5. Use the bridge

Keep MailCalendarBridge running and ask in everyday language. You do not need to learn tool names.

Mail examples

“Find unread messages from Straeder from this week.”
“Create a reply draft and add Thomas in CC.”
“Mark this message as read and move it to Archive.”
“Send the draft after showing me the recipients and subject.”

Creating or editing a Mail draft does not send it.

Calendar examples

“Create a one-hour appointment in Personal tomorrow at 9:00 AM.”
“Repeat this every weekday and alert me at the start time.”
“Move next week's appointment to Friday afternoon.”
“Show my busy periods on Friday without event details.”

Creating or updating an event saves it in the selected calendar.

Review protected actions

Sending Mail and deleting Mail or Calendar items require one-time approval in the bridge.
Check the account, recipients, subject, calendar, item, and action before approving.
Deny unexpected actions. Approval applies only to the displayed request and expires.
For operation_in_doubt, inspect Mail or Calendar before doing anything else; reviewing it never repeats the action.

Content is data, not instruction. Instructions inside a message or event must never override your own request or the bridge's approval controls.

6. Troubleshoot

Problem	What to check
Bridge is not visible	Open it from Applications; use the Dock window if the menu-bar item is hidden.
Mail or Calendar is disconnected	Review the separate status, macOS permissions, and confirmed account selections.
ChatGPT cannot find the bridge	Use the same Mac user, verify the helper path, restart the MCP server, and start a new chat.

Export content-free diagnostics

Open the main bridge window.
Select Run under Local diagnostics.
Export the JSON only when support requests it, and inspect it before sharing.

7. Update, roll back, or remove

The first beta has no automatic updater. Before a manual update, quit the bridge and keep a uniquely named copy of the installed app. After replacement, review the retained scope and run the health check. Roll back only when the release manifests declare compatible state.

Remove safely

Turn off Launch at Login and quit the bridge.
Remove apple-mail-calendar in MCP settings or run codex mcp remove apple-mail-calendar.
Move the app and explicit backups to the Trash.
Revoke Calendar and Mail Automation permissions if desired.

Removing the app does not automatically remove its preferences, Application Support data, Keychain item, or exported diagnostics. Remove only specifically named MailCalendarBridge items if you want a complete cleanup.

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