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How to control your smart home with ChatGPT or Claude

Published November 2, 2026 · By Port OS Team

ChatGPT and Claude do not talk to your lights or speakers on their own. They reach devices through a connector, and the connector most of these assistants now support is an MCP server. Connect one that is linked to your device accounts, and you can ask the assistant to find a device, read its state and request a change.

Port OS publishes this article and runs one such connector. We describe the path we know and do not rank every option. The steps below come from Port OS's setup guides as of November 2, 2026. We have not measured accuracy or speed, and this article makes no claims about either.

What MCP means in plain terms

The Model Context Protocol, or MCP, is a standard way for an AI app to use outside tools. An MCP server presents those tools to the assistant. For a smart home, the tools are things like "list my devices", "read this light's state" and "turn this light off".

The assistant still does the understanding. The server does the work of reaching your device provider. If you want the longer explanation, read the smart home MCP page.

The three-step path

Open Add a Device, choose your provider and follow its sign-in. Port OS then discovers the devices on that account. Philips Hue, Sonos and supported Roborock vacuums are available in the public alpha catalog. Shelly is on a waitlist, so it is not ready to use. The catalog can change, so check the plugin list for your brand and then check the specific model.

2. Connect the assistant

Pick your assistant in Link to AI. Both guides use the same server address, https://api.portoperatingsystem.com/mcp, and a Port OS sign-in with OAuth.

  • ChatGPT: add a custom MCP server from the plugins page, sign in to Port OS, review the permission checkboxes and allow. The full steps are in the ChatGPT setup guide.
  • Claude: on the web or Claude Desktop, add a custom connector with the same URL. Claude Code uses a single claude mcp add command. See the Claude setup guide.
  • Other assistants: a client that supports remote MCP servers can follow the custom MCP client guide.

Hosted chat clients reach the server from their provider's cloud, so they cannot use a local address on your computer. Local clients such as Claude Code run on your computer. Use Port OS's public HTTPS endpoint in either case. Plan availability and who can add connectors vary by account and workspace; each setup guide lists what to check.

3. Try one reversible request

Start small. Ask: "Use Port OS to list my devices." Compare the names with what you see in your Port OS account. Then try a named device and an action you can undo, such as "Find the desk light, tell me whether it is on, and turn it off."

Example requests

These are the kinds of requests the connection supports when your devices expose the matching controls:

  • "Which of my lights are on right now?"
  • "Dim the living-room lamp to 30 percent."
  • "Pause the kitchen speaker."
  • "Start the vacuum and tell me what it reports."

What works depends on the device. A brand name does not promise every model or action. The connected home requests guide explains how to phrase them, and the lighting guide covers lights in detail. Provider pages for Philips Hue, Sonos and Roborock list what each connection offers.

Verify that something really changed

A reply that says "done" is not proof. A command can be accepted by the service before the device finishes it, and an accepted command is not a completed one.

To check, ask the assistant to read the device state again and to say whether the reading is fresh, stale or unavailable. Then look at the light or speaker yourself. If the state is unavailable, treat the result as unconfirmed. If something fails, the troubleshooting guide covers connection and device problems.

Permissions and removing access

During sign-in, Port OS shows the permissions the assistant is asking for as checkboxes. You can untick any you do not want to grant, and the matching features will be unavailable. Reading device information and controlling devices are separate permissions. If an action is denied later, the usual cause is a permission you did not grant. Reconnect and approve it.

To stop using an assistant, remove its connector in the assistant itself. In Claude Code, claude mcp remove portos removes the server and its stored sign-in. Disconnecting an assistant is separate from disconnecting a device provider, so review both.

Can you use ChatGPT with Alexa?

This is a common question, and the honest answer has two parts.

First, Amazon's own assistant is a different product. Amazon describes Alexa+ as its AI assistant, with a Prime plan and a free plan listed on that page. Amazon's announcement says it can connect with products and services such as Philips Hue and Spotify. We did not find either page describing a way to put ChatGPT or Claude inside Alexa, so we do not claim one exists.

Second, Port OS provides an Alexa integration that connects supported Alexa-linked devices to your Port OS account. Link that account first, inspect the available devices and controls, then authorize ChatGPT or Claude to use Port OS. This connects an AI to supported devices; it does not put ChatGPT inside an Echo or replace Alexa's voice assistant. Check the integration guide for account linking and device limits.

Limits to know first

  • Alpha: Port OS is in alpha. Integrations, device coverage and setup details can change.
  • Catalog coverage: the assistant can only use devices an available integration exposes. Wi-Fi or Matter support alone does not make a device usable.
  • Accepted versus completed: a request being accepted does not prove the device acted. Verify as described above.
  • No continuous monitoring by default: an MCP connection lets the assistant act during a conversation. It does not watch your home or run a schedule in the background. That needs a separately configured workflow.
  • Dependencies: the connection relies on the internet and on your device provider's own service, accounts and subscriptions. Your AI plan may add its own requirements.
  • Pricing: we do not state pricing here. Contact us to confirm it.

If you already run Home Assistant and prefer a self-managed setup, read Port OS versus Home Assistant MCP or the wider comparison of smart home MCP servers.

Questions

Do I need to know how to code? No. The ChatGPT and Claude web setups are forms and sign-in screens. Claude Code uses one terminal command.

Does this replace Alexa or Google voice? No. It adds a general assistant as another way to ask about devices you have already linked.

Will it work with every smart device? No. It works with the devices exposed by an available integration, and only the controls each device supports.

Can I try it without real devices? Port OS's smart home MCP page describes a simulator for learning the flow. It does not test your home network or a manufacturer's service.

What if it controls the wrong device? Use a clear device name, ask the assistant to confirm the target before it acts, and keep first tests to reversible actions.

Ready to start? Add a device, then link your assistant.

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