How to Use ChatGPT with TextExpander

When ChatGPT launched in late 2022, the workflow was simple: open a new chat, type your prompt, copy whatever came out, and paste it where you needed it. TextExpander fit neatly into that loop. Instead of retyping the same prompts every session, you saved them as Snippets and deployed them with an abbreviation.

Three years of model updates have raised the ceiling considerably. ChatGPT now runs on GPT-5.5 by default, handles images and uploaded documents, and supports the Model Context Protocol. That means it can connect directly to tools like TextExpander. What once required manual copy/paste can happen without leaving your AI workflow at all.

This post covers both the fundamentals and the new features. New to the combination? Start from the top. Already running this workflow and want to go further? Jump to the MCP Server section or the AI Recommendations section.

We also maintain a library of ready-made ChatGPT Snippets as a starting point for the prompt types covered below.

Why TextExpander is the ideal add-on for ChatGPT

ChatGPT is the generation layer. It drafts, summarizes, translates, analyzes. The friction is the workflow: using it means opening a separate tab, writing a prompt, waiting, then copying the output back to wherever you were working. Twenty or thirty prompts a day adds up fast in context switching.

TextExpander is the deployment layer. It takes your best content, including your best ChatGPT prompts, and puts it anywhere you type, instantly, without leaving your current window. For a deeper look at building a prompt Snippet library, see our guide to prompt engineering for ChatGPT with TextExpander.

Two specific problems the combination solves. Consistency: ChatGPT generates something slightly different every time, and team members running similar prompts get different outputs. TextExpander Snippets standardize the starting point: same prompt, every time, for everyone. Speed: a real workflow prompt isn’t one sentence. It includes context, tone guidelines, formatting rules, examples. One abbreviation gets 100-200 words of prompt into ChatGPT in under a second.

Use ChatGPT’s language translation with TextExpander

ChatGPT translates text in real time, which is useful for customer service teams supporting customers across multiple languages. Rather than retyping the translation command each time, use TextExpander’s clipboard fill-in feature. Paste the text you need translated, expand your Snippet, and the request arrives in ChatGPT pre-formed.

Snippet example: gpt.translate → “Can you translate this into Spanish?”

See how TextExpander works

Type this shortcut below gpt.translate

Can you translate this into Spanish?

Set a style guide for ChatGPT

ChatGPT will match almost any tone and style you specify. The problem is, you have to specify it. Leave style to chance and you get inconsistent output, especially across a team.

A style guide Snippet fixes this. Before any generation request, you paste your style guide prompt. ChatGPT writes in your brand voice for that entire conversation. For teams with multiple content creators, it’s a faster consistency mechanism than a shared briefing doc.

Snippet example: gpt.style → “[Style guide: Write in a conversational style as if you were explaining something to a friend. Use natural language that you’d use in everyday conversations.]”

See how TextExpander works

Type this shortcut below gpt.style

[Style guide: Write in a conversational style as if you were explaining something to a friend. Use natural language that you’d use in everyday conversations.]

Building out a full prompt library? Our AI prompt library guide covers how to organize Snippets by task type so the library stays useful as it scales.

Summarize a piece of content for a Google meta description

Meta descriptions need to be specific, accurate, and under 160 characters, which makes them surprisingly easy to get wrong. ChatGPT can draft them fast, but only if your prompt is specific enough.

A Snippet for this task ensures you ask the same way every time. Paste the content, expand your Snippet, and ChatGPT gets the full instruction. Consistent prompting produces more consistent output.

Snippet example: gpt.summarize → “Can you summarize this content for a Google SERP meta description?”

See how TextExpander works

Type this shortcut below gpt.summarize

Can you summarize this content for a Google SERP meta description?

Automate social media responses

Responding to social comments at scale requires efficiency without sacrificing personalization. ChatGPT handles the drafting. You just need to feed it a consistent, specific prompt. A template response Snippet sets the tone and approach so you can focus on customization, not setup.

Snippet example: gpt.socialresponse → “Please respond to this comment I got on our Twitter profile in a friendly and kind tone.”

See how TextExpander works

Type this shortcut below gpt.socialresponse

Please respond to this comment I got on our Twitter profile in a friendly and kind tone.

For a deeper look at using ChatGPT and TextExpander for customer service, see how to supercharge customer service with ChatGPT and TextExpander.

Say “no” without saying “no” to customers

Turning down a request while keeping the relationship intact is a specific skill, and it’s one ChatGPT can help with at scale. The framing of your prompt matters a lot here. “Rephrase this so the customer leaves with a positive experience” is a concrete goal. “Make this sound nicer” is too vague to produce reliable results.

Snippet example: gpt.happy → “Rephrase this response in a positive way so the customer leaves our interaction with a good response”

See how TextExpander works

Type this shortcut below gpt.happy

Rephrase this response in a positive way so the customer leaves our interaction with a good response

Connect your Snippet library directly to ChatGPT with the TextExpander MCP Server

The five use cases above treat ChatGPT and TextExpander as adjacent tools. You work in one, then the other. The TextExpander MCP Server changes that relationship.

MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard created by Anthropic that provides a standardized way for AI assistants to connect to external tools and data sources. Configure the TextExpander MCP Server with ChatGPT, Claude, Microsoft Copilot, or any MCP-compatible assistant, and your AI gains direct access to your Snippet library. It can create Snippets, update existing ones, search your library, and organize your content, all through natural conversation, no app-switching required.

What that looks like day-to-day:

Tell your AI: “Create a Snippet library for customer support, one Snippet per common request type.” It builds the Snippet Groups and individual Snippets.

Ask: “Do I have a Snippet for handling subscription cancellations?” It searches your library and tells you exactly what’s there.

Need to update ten Snippets to reflect a product name change? Describe it once. Your assistant handles all of them.

Build an entire prompt library from scratch without opening TextExpander once.

Using the MCP Server with ChatGPT requires Developer Mode. ChatGPT’s MCP support lives behind a beta feature called Developer Mode. To turn it on: open ChatGPT, go to Settings, select Connectors, click Advanced at the bottom, and toggle Developer Mode on. Developer Mode is available on Plus, Pro, Team, Business, Enterprise, and Edu plans. It is not available on the free tier. ChatGPT also only supports remote MCP servers (HTTPS endpoints), not local servers.

The TextExpander MCP Server is currently in early access and available to all subscribers. Visit the TextExpander Learning Center to learn how to set it up.

The underlying frame: AI is the generation layer; TextExpander is the deployment layer. The MCP Server connects those layers natively, so your Snippet library grows as part of your AI workflow rather than alongside it.

Find the right Snippet instantly: AI Recommendations in Chrome

You’ve built your prompt library. The friction that shows up next: you’re writing an email or filling a support ticket, you know you have the right Snippet for this situation, but what was the abbreviation?

AI Recommendations in the TextExpander Chrome extension handles that. It reads the context of what you’re working on and surfaces relevant Snippets from your library. No abbreviation needed, no manual search, no switching away from your document.

How to set it up:

Make sure you’re running the latest version of TextExpander for Chrome.

Open the extension and go to Settings.

Toggle on AI Recommendations.

While working in Chrome, press Command+Period (Mac) or Ctrl+Period (Windows), or click the TextExpander icon, to see suggested Snippets.

Hover to preview. Click to expand in place. You stay in your document.

The privacy story here deserves a direct mention. AI Recommendations runs entirely on your device using a local language model. No content leaves your machine. No data is sent to TextExpander’s servers. No keystrokes are logged or transmitted. For teams handling sensitive information, that architecture matters.

Who gets the most from this feature:

Users with large Snippet libraries where scrolling takes actual time

New team members who haven’t learned the full abbreviation set

Teams with brand language standards who want everyone using the approved phrasing

One distinction worth being clear about: AI Recommendations doesn’t generate new content. It retrieves your existing, approved Snippets. The AI finds the best match. Your team wrote all the actual content.

For more on the Chrome extension, read the full feature announcement.

Frequently asked questions

Which ChatGPT model works best with TextExpander Snippets?

TextExpander Snippet abbreviations work in the ChatGPT web interface regardless of which model you’re using. GPT-5.5 is the current default and handles complex prompts well. For lighter tasks where speed matters more than depth, the mini-tier models are a solid option.

Which AI assistants work with the TextExpander MCP Server?

The TextExpander MCP Server currently supports Claude, ChatGPT, and Microsoft Copilot. Any AI assistant that supports the Model Context Protocol can be configured to connect to your Snippet library. The feature is in early access.

Does AI Recommendations send any data to TextExpander’s servers?

No. AI Recommendations runs on your device using a local language model. Your Snippets and the context you’re working in stay on your computer. TextExpander’s servers don’t receive, store, or process your content. The same privacy commitment that has always applied to TextExpander applies fully here.

Wrapping up

The core of the ChatGPT + TextExpander workflow hasn’t changed: turn your best prompts into Snippets, deploy them consistently, cut the retyping. It compounds quickly once you have a solid library built.

The MCP Server connects your Snippet library to ChatGPT natively, so building and maintaining prompts no longer means switching between tools. AI Recommendations surfaces the right Snippet while you’re already working in Chrome, making large libraries easier to navigate rather than harder.

For a look at where TextExpander’s AI roadmap is heading, see the future of TextExpander and AI.