An assistant app puts your firm inside ChatGPT or Claude. Someone chatting with their assistant adds your app, and from then on the assistant can compare quotes across the market, price your own products, answer questions about your firm, take their details and book a callback with you, all in the conversation.
An assistant app is a public MCP server that Subcontext runs for you, with its own address (the connector URL). You choose which tools it offers. Like your website, it's for the public, so nobody signs in.
This is different from connecting an assistant to your own account, which is private and acts as you.
What you need#
- Agent access on your plan, and your account paid up. If you don't see Agent access under Organisation in the dashboard, ask us.
- To be an owner or manager of your organisation.
- A live agent (one in production with a published version) is strongly recommended. Its persona voices
the app, its compliance policies screen every tool call, its knowledge answers questions, and its
conversations record what happened. Without one, the tools still work, but there's no screening, no
conversation record, and
ask_questioncan't answer.
Create an app#
ChatGPT apps and Claude apps are managed separately, so you can report on each. They work the same way.
- In the dashboard, open Organisation > Agent access and choose Manage ChatGPT apps (or Manage Claude apps).
- Press New ChatGPT app (or New Claude app) and fill in:
- Name: what ChatGPT or Claude calls the app, usually your firm or brand.
- Extra instructions: optional guidance added to the app's instructions, such as tone, what to mention and what to avoid.
- Agent behind the app: the live agent that speaks for it. Leave it as First live agent to use your first live agent.
- Enabled: when it's off, the connector URL refuses every call.
- Card colours: the colours of the quote card shown in the conversation. Blank colours use your storefront's brand.
- Tools: tick what the app offers (all the tools your account can use start ticked). Configure next to a tool sets its options, such as which products the quote tool prices.
- Save. The app's page shows its connector URL, which looks like this:
https://subcontext.com/mcp/apps/YOUR_APP_IDThe app is public. Anyone with the connector URL can use it, so share it as you would a web address.
Before you share it, check what it makes public. Anyone with the connector URL can read, word for word, every context block on the live version of the agent behind the app, without asking a question or signing in. They can also see the agent's persona (its name, role and personality text) and your extra instructions. The app's page warns you about this and links to the agent's live version, where you can review its context blocks.
The tools people get#
| Tool | What it does | Needs |
|---|---|---|
register_interest |
Takes the person's name and email or phone, with a note on what they're interested in, so your team can follow up. | Nothing extra |
book_callback |
Books a phone call with your firm at a time the person chooses, within your business hours. With an email address, they're sent a calendar invite. | Nothing extra |
list_products |
Lists the products the app can quote, with their limits on cover amount, term and age. | A quote tool |
get_life_insurance_quotes |
Compares single-life, level-term life insurance across the UK market. The prices appear as a comparison card in the conversation, and a link to the comparison is emailed to the person. | Whole-of-market quoting on your plan |
select_life_insurance_quote |
Records the provider the person chose and gives them a link to continue on the insurer's site. Comes with get_life_insurance_quotes. |
As above |
get_insurance_quote |
Prices your firm's own product for the person, asking your product's own questions where needed, and gives them a link to review and continue their quote (also emailed). | Your own priced products live on Subcontext |
ask_question |
Puts the person's question to your agent and passes on its answer: about your firm, your products, the process, or anything the other tools don't cover. It uses AI credit, like a chat. | A live agent |
You'll only see the tools your account can use. The app also gives the assistant your agent's knowledge (the context blocks on its live version) to read before answering, and instructions on how to talk: a couple of questions at a time, plain English, and facts only. It's a non-advised service, so the assistant is told never to recommend a product or say whether a price is good, and to offer a callback instead.
Add it to ChatGPT or Claude#
The app's page shows these steps with your connector URL.
ChatGPT
- In ChatGPT, open Settings > Apps & Connectors > Advanced and turn on Developer mode.
- Choose Create, and paste the connector URL.
- Choose No authentication, and save.
Claude
- In Claude, open Settings > Connectors and choose Add custom connector.
- Paste the connector URL exactly as shown, with no trailing slash (the quote card depends on it).
- Leave authentication off, and save.
Then start a chat and ask something like "I'd like a quote for life cover". Calls show on the app's page straight away.
The plugin package#
The Plugin package page (from the app's page) turns your app into a package people can install or you can submit for listing. Every field starts with a default. Edit what you like, save, then press Download plugin to get a zip.
- For ChatGPT, it's an agent plugin with the app's listing details, the connector, your logo and a skill (the guide the assistant reads before using your tools). It's what you submit to OpenAI to list the app.
- For Claude, it's a Claude Code plugin with the connector and the same skill, which people install in Claude Code.
On the page you set:
- Identity: plugin name (also the zip's name), version (increase it each time you resubmit), display name, developer name, category, brand colour and capabilities.
- Listing: a short description (up to 160 characters), a long description, example prompts, keywords, and the addresses of your website, privacy policy and terms of service.
- Logo: a square PNG, JPEG or WebP image, up to 2 MB.
- Quote widget: settings the assistant needs to show the quote card. For ChatGPT, a widget domain unique to this app; for Claude, the sandbox origin worked out from your connector URL. The other domain lists can usually stay empty.
- Skill: its name, when to use it, and the guide itself in Markdown.
Listing in the app directories#
A listing is optional. Anyone can add your app with its connector URL. To be found in ChatGPT's app directory, submit the ChatGPT package to OpenAI through its developer platform. OpenAI asks for public website, privacy policy and terms of service pages that you own, and reviews the app before it's listed. OpenAI also checks the domain the connector is on, which is subcontext.com. Email us when you're ready to submit and we'll help with that step.
Privacy#
- Nobody signs in, and nothing is shared until the person gives it. Each tool asks only for what it needs, and the assistant is told to say when someone's details are about to go to your firm.
- Details people give go to your firm. Interest and callbacks become leads and bookings in your dashboard, quotes become applications, and your team is notified ("New lead from the ChatGPT app", "Callback booked via the Claude app"). Quote details are used to price the cover.
- Your agent's knowledge is public. Anyone with the connector URL can read the full text of every context block on your agent's live version, and its persona and your extra instructions. Keep anything private out of them. When you promote a new version of the agent, its context blocks become readable straight away.
- Everything is logged. Every call is recorded, and with a live agent, each conversation is kept like a chat, screened by your compliance policies. ChatGPT and Claude have their own privacy terms for what people type into them.
- Your listing's privacy policy is yours. It should say that people's details come to your firm through the app.
See what's happening#
The app's page shows its calls, the ones that didn't work and when it was last used. For more, press Insights: which tools assistants call, what they ask, how often calls succeed and what turns into leads and callbacks.
To stop an app, untick Enabled. Delete stops the connector URL answering straight away, for everyone who added it.
Need help?#
Email hello@subcontext.com.