Before you connect: Connecting Dextr to ChatGPT or Claude makes contact information and other Dextr library content available to those services through the access you authorize. Retrieved information may be processed by OpenAI or Anthropic and included in your AI conversations. Consider privacy obligations and your company’s policies before connecting work or personal contacts. Review Dextr’s Privacy Policy and the AI provider’s data controls before enabling access.
Available with Dextr Mac and Pro Subscription
The AI integration, also known as an Model Context Protocol (MCP), currently requires the Dextr Mac app to be installed and open on your Mac for when AI is in use. Dextr on Mac is available with Dextr Pro. In an upcoming update, we’ll add the abililty to use an AI regardless of Dextr being open on your Mac. Subscribe our Newsletter to be updated when of Dextr’s latest improvments.
Why You Might Connect an AI
With Dextr connected to an AI, you can ask ChatGPT or Claude to do most things that you would normally do manually. Plus, AI chatbots can analyze your address book to create reports, generate speadsheets, and provide insights based on the data stored in your Dextr contacts.
This guide walks through both installation paths and ends with practical prompts for imports, spreadsheet workflows, custom fields, rule based categorization, exports, and reports.
What You Need
- The current Dextr Mac app and an active Dextr Pro subscription.
- A Mac running a supported version of macOS. Dextr for Mac requires macOS 26 or later.
- The ChatGPT desktop app or Claude Desktop, installed and signed in on that Mac.
This setup connects to Dextr running locally on your Mac. You begin installation from Dextr’s menu bar. Keep Dextr open afterward, including while the assistant is working through a longer request.
Get the Dextr Plugins
Dextr includes the installers for both integrations. Please open them on your Mac:
The current installers are opened from the Mac app: Dextr → Install Dextr in ChatGPT or Dextr → Install Dextr in Claude. The ChatGPT installer prepares a connection for your Mac; the Claude installer opens Dextr’s bundled desktop extension.
How to Connect Dextr to ChatGPT
1. Open Dextr’s ChatGPT Installer
Open Dextr on your Mac. In the menu bar at the top of the screen, choose Dextr → Install Dextr in ChatGPT.
Read the connection notice. It explains that Dextr must stay open and that connecting makes information available to OpenAI.
2. Install the Plugin in ChatGPT
Click Install Dextr ChatGPT Plugin. Dextr prepares the local connection and opens the Dextr plugin page in the ChatGPT desktop app.
Review the plugin details and finish installation using the install control shown in ChatGPT. The plugin can read information and make changes to your Dextr library, so review any permissions or connection prompts.
OpenAI’s plugin guide explains installing plugins and making their tools available in chats. Labels can vary by app version; follow the Dextr plugin page that the installer opens.
3. Try a Read-Only Request
Start a new local chat on the same Mac. Select or mention the Dextr plugin and ask:
Use Dextr to find a contact named Alex (or someone you know). Show the matching names, organizations, and relationships to me. Do not change anything.
If several contacts match, ask the assistant to identify the correct person before continuing. Confirm that the result matches the person in Dextr.
How to Connect Dextr to Claude
1. Open Dextr’s Claude Installer
With Dextr open, choose Dextr → Install Dextr in Claude from the Mac menu bar.
Read the notice about keeping Dextr open and making information available to Anthropic.
2. Copy the Connection Key and Open the Extension
Click Copy Connection Key, then Install Dextr Claude Plugin. Dextr opens its bundled extension in Claude Desktop.
The key connects Claude to your Dextr library. Keep it private and enter it only in the extension’s configuration field; do not paste it into a chat or include it in a screenshot.
3. Finish Setup in Claude Desktop
When Claude asks for the Dextr Connection Key, paste the key you copied, then complete the installation and configuration prompts.
If you need to manage the extension later, open Claude’s Settings → Desktop app → Manage beside Extensions. Older versions may show Settings → Extensions. Anthropic’s desktop extension guide covers the current settings path and custom extension installation.
4. Confirm the Connection
Keep Dextr open and start a new Claude Desktop conversation with Dextr’s tools enabled. Ask:
Use Dextr to find a contact named Alex (or someone you know) and show their tags and relationship to me. Do not make changes.
Compare the answer with the contact in Dextr. If it cannot connect, check that the extension is enabled, its key is configured, and both apps are open on the same Mac.
Use Clear Instructions and Check the Result
For an organizational change, name the source, the selection rule, and the intended action. For example:
Use Dextr to find active contacts whose job title contains “Designer.” Show their names, titles, and current tags. Propose adding the Design tag, but wait for my approval before changing anything.
After reviewing the matches, approve the specific change. Then ask the assistant to retrieve the updated records and confirm the result. A useful final summary lists what changed, what was skipped, and anything that still needs attention.
We recommend a preview-then-approve approach to avoid unintended changes. However, you can always as the AI to reverse changes that were made.
Troubleshooting: If Setup Is Not Working
- Dextr will not open the installer: update the Mac app and check that Dextr Pro is active. If necessary, restore your purchase in Dextr.
- The ChatGPT installation button does not open ChatGPT: confirm the desktop app is installed, then reopen the installer from Dextr.
- The Claude installation button is disabled: click Copy Connection Key first. If Dextr reports that Claude is unavailable, install Claude Desktop before trying again.
- Tools cannot reach Dextr: keep Dextr open on the same Mac, confirm Pro access, and check that the plugin or extension is enabled for the conversation.
- A request stops partway through: check the current records before retrying. Ask the assistant to resume only the unfinished changes so it does not create duplicates.
To disconnect, remove or disable Dextr in each AI app you connected. Quitting Dextr stops its local service while the app is closed. Disconnecting does not remove information already included in AI conversations or undo completed changes; use the provider’s controls for those copies.
Common Use Cases and Prompts to Try
Here are a few examples the integration allows:
- Find and review contacts: search people and filter by details such as organization, job title, tags, relationships, and custom fields.
- Create and update contacts: write names, organizations, job titles, birthdays, phone numbers, email addresses, social profiles, addresses, dates, and notes.
- Create and edit custom fields: define text, number, date, and yes/no fields, including currency or percentage formatting for number fields, and soon to be release dropdown selectors.
- Bulk import: Bring in contact lists from spreadsheets, documents, vcf and csv file, or just about anything that lists people you want to add.
- Populate and update custom-field values: set or clear values on individual contacts while preserving fields you do not ask to change.
- Create Journal entries: allow the AI to examine your messages logs to create journal entries summarizing what you texted about on any given day.
- Meeting notes: summarize recorded meetings as Journal entries or as notes associated with an Event.
- Organize tags and relationships: assign or remove tags, set a person’s relationship to you, connect two contacts, and record who introduced you.
- Manage events and attendees: create or update events and add or remove people from them.
- Manage reminders and places: create, update, and complete reminders, and find or maintain places associated with your contacts.
- Work with spreadsheet data: ask the AI to map spreadsheet columns to supported contact and custom fields, prepare a proposed-changes report, and create or update records after you approve.
- Prepare exports and reports: ask the AI to turn retrieved Dextr information into tables, CSV content, summaries, and follow-up lists. Downloadable files depend on the AI app’s available file tools.
Use-Case Example: Import Contacts and Data from a Spreadsheet
Attach a CSV or spreadsheet to your AI conversation. Before approving any changes, ask the AI to generate a report of exactly what it proposes to add or update in Dextr. The report should include the matched contact, current value, proposed value, possible duplicates, unsupported fields, and total records affected. Review that report and approve only the changes you want.
Review this spreadsheet and compare its names with my Dextr library. Generate a proposed-changes report before making any changes. For each row, show the matched contact or proposed new contact, current values, proposed values, duplicate or ambiguous matches, and any fields the integration cannot write. Include a mapping for email, phone, company, title, tags, and custom fields, plus totals for additions, updates, and skipped rows. Do not change anything until I have reviewed and explicitly approved the report.
After you approve the report, the assistant can create new contacts or update existing ones using supported contact details and custom-field values. Search for existing people first, reuse matching custom-field definitions, and verify a small batch before continuing. When Contacts Sync is configured and enabled, eligible newly created contacts can also export to Apple Contacts. Ask the assistant to flag any spreadsheet column that has no supported destination instead of silently omitting it.
You can also work in the other direction: ask the assistant to read selected Dextr contacts and arrange the returned data in a table for a spreadsheet.
Use-Case Example: Create and Populate Custom Fields
Build a sales pipeline around a Warm Lead stage. Ask the assistant to preview the field definitions and contact values, then populate them after your approval:
Use-case example: Check my existing Dextr custom fields. Propose any missing sales pipeline fields: Pipeline Stage as text, Deal Value as a number formatted in US dollars, and Service as text. Reuse equivalent fields that already exist, and show the definitions before creating them. Show a proposed-changes report for my selected lead with Pipeline Stage set to Warm Lead, Deal Value set to $12,500, and Service set to Artificial Turf Installation. Wait for my approval. After I approve, create the missing field definitions, populate these values on the selected contact, preserve its other custom-field values, and read the contact back to verify the result.
Creating a field definition and setting a contact’s value are separate actions, and the integration supports both. It can write text, numbers, dates, and yes/no values. For an existing contact, only the specified custom fields are changed; omitted values are preserved. Ask explicitly if you want a value cleared, and have the assistant read the contact back after applying your approved changes.
Use-Case Example: Apply Tags Using Job Titles or Other Criteria
Use a rule that the assistant can show and you can verify:
Find every active Dextr contact whose job title contains “Designer.” Retrieve all matching results, show their names and job titles, and propose adding the Design tag. Preserve all existing tags. After I approve, apply the tag and verify the updated contacts.
For several titles, ask for separate searches and one deduplicated list. For example, “Founder” and “Co-founder” may need more than one match rule. Ask the assistant to flag missing or ambiguous titles instead of guessing.
Use-Case Example: Set Relationships Using Confirmed Criteria
Tags describe a category; a relationship describes how people are connected. Your relationship to someone is also different from a relationship between two contacts.
Find active contacts who work at Example Studio. Show the matches and their current relationship to me. Propose setting them to Colleague only where I confirm that we actually work together. Preserve existing relationships between other people.
For a reporting relationship, be explicit about direction: “Morgan is Taylor’s manager.” Ask the assistant to preview both names and the relationship direction before saving it. A shared organization or a senior job title alone is not enough to establish who manages whom.
Use-Case Example: Export Selected Contact Information
Ask for exactly the people and columns you need:
Retrieve all active contacts tagged Design, including every result page. Produce a spreadsheet-ready table with name, company, job title, relationship to me, and tags. Include the total row count and flag missing fields. Do not change the source contacts.
The assistant can format retrieved results as a table or CSV, or create a downloadable file if its current tools support file creation. This is an export of the requested information, not a complete backup of Dextr. Check the row count and scope before relying on the result or sharing it.
Use-Case Example: Generate Reports and Follow-up Lists
Turn a defined selection of contacts into a useful review:
Using active Dextr contacts only, prepare a report of people tagged Design. Group them by organization, summarize recorded job titles, and list people missing a title or with no recorded interaction in the last 90 days. Retrieve all results and state the date range, total contacts reviewed, and missing data. Make no changes.
Follow up with a focused next step: “Draft a reminder plan for the people I select.” Ask the assistant to show the proposed people, dates, and reminder text before creating anything. Keep “no recorded interaction” distinct from “we have not spoken”—the report can only describe the information available in your library.
Put Dextr and AI to Work
Connect through Dextr’s in-app ChatGPT or Claude installer, keep the Dextr Mac app open, and start with a simple lookup to confirm the connection. Dextr Pro is required, and the privacy notice at the top explains what connecting makes available to the AI service.
From there, use clear examples to organize tags and relationships, build a Warm Lead sales pipeline, prepare spreadsheet workflows, export selected information, and generate reports. Ask for a proposed-changes report before approving spreadsheet updates, verify the results afterward, and have the assistant identify any unsupported spreadsheet columns before proceeding.
Install Dextr now to get started.
