ApplyKoala
Open app

How to use ChatGPT for your job search with ApplyKoala

Xiang (Arnold) Shang · · 4 min read

Short answer: in a web browser, open chatgpt.com/plugins, choose Add → Add custom MCP server, paste https://applykoala.com/mcp, keep OAuth and press Connect. Sign in to ApplyKoala and press Allow. From then on, type @applykoala in any chat, on the website or in the ChatGPT app, and ChatGPT works in your job search records.

What ChatGPT can do once it is connected

ApplyKoala is a job tracker. Connected over MCP, ChatGPT can use it the way you would:

Everything it saves shows up in ApplyKoala, so you can check it and change it yourself.

Add ApplyKoala to ChatGPT

You need an ApplyKoala account with sync on, because ChatGPT reaches your data on our servers. New accounts can try sync free for a week.

  1. Open chatgpt.com/plugins in a web browser. On a phone, use Chrome and switch to the desktop site (menu → Desktop site).
  2. Choose Add → Add custom MCP server.
  3. Fill in the form:
    • Name: ApplyKoala
    • Server URL: https://applykoala.com/mcp
    • Authentication: OAuth (leave the advanced OAuth settings alone)
    • Tick “I understand and want to continue”, then Create as a plugin.
  4. Press Connect. ChatGPT asks you to confirm, then opens an ApplyKoala page.
  5. Sign in to ApplyKoala and press Allow. You are sent back to ChatGPT, and the plugin page says it is connected.

We tried these steps on a paid ChatGPT plan. ChatGPT decides which plans can add custom MCP servers.

On your phone

The ChatGPT phone app lists your plugins but has no way to add a custom one. Add ApplyKoala once in a browser, as above. After that it is in the app too: start a chat and type @applykoala.

Things to say

Start a chat with @applykoala and try:

@applykoala Show me where my job search stands.
@applykoala Save this job and look into the company: https://jobs.example.com/backend-engineer
@applykoala Which applications have had no answer for two weeks?
@applykoala Help me prepare for my interview at the company I applied to on Monday.
@applykoala I sent my application for the data analyst role today. Record it.

If you are new to ApplyKoala, ApplyKoala tells ChatGPT to start by asking for your resume and what you are looking for.

Who submits the application

ApplyKoala’s tools never submit applications. In a ChatGPT chat, your AI finds jobs, researches companies, writes your answers and records what you sent, and you submit the form yourself.

To have an AI fill in and submit forms for you, it needs a browser of its own, such as Claude Code or Codex on your computer with a browser tool. Running your job search with Claude Code or Codex covers that setup, and what happened when AI sent 100 applications in a day covers what to watch for.

Permissions

ChatGPT asks before some actions. Open the plugin, then the account’s settings, to choose: always ask, allow reading only, allow low-risk actions (the default) or allow everything. ApplyKoala adds its own limits on top: changes to your details are shown to you before they are saved, and nothing can be deleted for good.

Questions

Why do I see two ApplyKoala accounts in ChatGPT? You pressed Connect twice, for example once on the website and once in the app. Both point to the same ApplyKoala account. Open the plugin, tap ⋮ next to the extra one and disconnect it. In ApplyKoala, Settings → Use ApplyKoala with your AI lists the connections too.

ChatGPT says “We couldn’t connect your account” or keeps loading. Open the plugin page and press Connect again. If that does not help, remove the plugin and add it again with the steps above. Still stuck? Write to contact@applykoala.com with what you see.

Can other people find ApplyKoala in ChatGPT? Not by searching. A custom MCP server belongs to the ChatGPT account that added it, so each person adds it themselves with the address above.

Does ApplyKoala read my ChatGPT chats? No. ChatGPT sends ApplyKoala only what a tool needs, such as the job you asked it to save. What ChatGPT does with your chats is covered by OpenAI’s terms.

How do I disconnect? In ChatGPT, open the plugin and disconnect the account. In ApplyKoala, Settings → Use ApplyKoala with your AI → Disconnect. Either one stops ChatGPT’s access.

Can I use Claude instead? Yes. Claude on the web, desktop or phone can add ApplyKoala as a custom connector, and Claude Code and Codex connect from your computer. The MCP page has the steps for each.

Everything here works on paper. If you would rather not keep the paper,the app does this bit — paste a posting and it fills in the details, and it all stays on your own computer.

Related guides