Start with the live GDP Desktop and MCP Bridge state, then refresh the connector and repository view only as needed. A stale or partially loaded ChatGPT tool surface is different from a disconnected Desktop, and neither should be confused with one missing repository.
Check GDP Desktop and the remote gateway
Confirm GDP Desktop is running on the computer you intend to use.
Open Settings > MCP Bridge and check the remote gateway connection state.
If the gateway is disconnected, reconnect it from GDP Desktop before changing repository or connector settings.
After the gateway is connected, ask ChatGPT to list the repositories GDP can currently see.
Manual Disconnect is remembered. Restarting GDP should auto-connect only when the gateway was connected at the previous shutdown, so a deliberate disconnect can persist across restart.
Refresh stale connector state conservatively
ChatGPT can cache connector metadata or load only a focused subset of tool schemas for a conversation. A small or old-looking host-side tool list is therefore not automatically proof that the GDP server lost those capabilities.
Reconnect the ChatGPT GDP connector first when the tool surface looks stale. Re-authorize only when reconnecting is not enough, and if account-linked node controls matter, authorize while signed in to the intended Me the Tech account.
If focused GDP discovery shows the current capability and argument schema but the callable action available in this conversation still exposes an older argument list, treat that as host-side tool-binding staleness rather than server capability loss. Refresh or reconnect the connector; if this conversation does not reload the action schema, use a fresh conversation/tool-list binding after reconnect and rediscover the capability before retrying the material call.
After changing GDP Approval mode, save MCP settings and reconnect the Desktop gateway so the new descriptor policy can be advertised.
If ChatGPT still shows old behavior, reconnect the ChatGPT connector before creating another authorization relationship.
When available, GDP catalog tools such as inspect_server or focused capability discovery are stronger evidence than one broad client-side schema count.
Do not work around a stale host-side action schema by hiding new arguments in metadata, inventing Base64 transport, or using path tricks. Refresh the binding instead.
GDP cannot force the host platform to remove every confirmation prompt; Approval mode expresses the intended descriptor policy without changing local execution authority.
Separate tool connectivity from repository visibility
If GDP tools are available and list_repos works but one repository is missing, the connector itself is probably not the main problem. Use the repository visibility guide to confirm that the repository is intentionally open in GDP Desktop and that the AI is using the current repo_id.
If you only want to evaluate the connector without a local repository, use the Demo Workspace path instead of treating the absence of a local Desktop repository as a connection failure.
A successful connection proves transport and discovery state, not that any patch, command, test, commit, push, or deployment occurred. Material success still requires fresh GDP evidence.
