TurnstoneHow to move your AI's memory to Turnstone: ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and more (2026)
How to transfer AI memory between apps in 2026: connect Turnstone to ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok and more, and let your AI move its own memory.
To move your AI's memory to Turnstone, add Turnstone to your AI app as a custom MCP connector, then ask that AI to recreate your setup as Turnstone Agents and send each one everything it knows about you. The AI writes it all out and does the copying for you.
If you want to switch AI assistants without losing memory, you hit the same wall. Months of context sit inside one app, with no button to take it with you. We make Turnstone, a free, model-agnostic app that runs a team of AI Agents on the AI plans you already have, and we built a way for your current AI to move itself. This page explains the method once, then links to a step-by-step guide for each app. Checked October 28, 2026.
Why does moving your AI's memory matter?
Your AI is only as useful as what it knows about you. Who your clients are. How you like emails written. Which pricing you dropped last spring. Starting over means explaining yourself again from scratch.
Memory is also scattered. Some is saved facts in Settings. Some is project instructions, custom GPTs, Gems or Spaces. Some lives only in old chats. Our guide to AI agent memory explains each kind.
Even AI companies treat "ask the AI to write it out" as the way to export AI memory. Anthropic's own memory import for Claude starts with a prompt you paste into your old AI, which asks it to output every memory "in a single code block so I can easily copy it." Turnstone takes that idea one step further. Instead of you copying and pasting, the AI sends it straight to your new Agents.
How do I move my AI's memory to Turnstone?
The method is the same for every app that can add a custom MCP connector. MCP is a standard way for one AI app to use another app's tools. Turnstone has a hosted MCP server that lets your AI create Turnstone Agents and send them work.
- Install Turnstone on your Mac and sign in with the AI you want your Agents to use. That can be ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini, Grok, Cursor, OpenRouter, Ollama, or your own OpenAI or Anthropic API key.
- Copy your MCP link. In Turnstone, open Settings, then MCP and webhooks, and click Copy MCP link.
- Paste it where your AI app adds connectors. In most apps that's a settings page, not a chat. Grok Bot is the exception. The table below shows where to go in each app. Look for "Add custom connector", "Add MCP server" or similar.
- Sign in and allow access. Your AI app opens a Turnstone sign-in. Use the same Turnstone account that's signed in on your Mac.
- Ask your AI to move your setup. Paste the prompt below into a normal chat, with the Turnstone connector turned on.
- Watch the Agents appear. Each new Agent shows up in Turnstone with its name and job, and a first message marked with where it came from, like "From ChatGPT" or "From Claude".
- Check each Agent. Read what it received, correct its memory, reconnect its apps and pick its model.
Keep Turnstone open and signed in while your AI sends the work. Your Agents run on your Mac.
The prompt to paste
Using the Turnstone connector, move my setup into Turnstone.
For each project, custom assistant or saved workspace I use, create a
Turnstone Agent with a clear name and a one-paragraph job. Then send that
Agent one message with everything it needs: its instructions, everything
you remember about me that matters for it, key facts and decisions from our
past chats, any files or knowledge it relies on (summarized), and any
recurring tasks with their timing, so it can set them up as Schedules.
Also create one Agent called "About me" and send it everything you remember
about me in general. Write it all out in full, don't summarize away details.
Tell me when every Agent has its message.
Each app's guide has a version that uses that app's own words, like custom GPTs, Gems or Spaces.
Through the connection, your AI can list your Agents, create one with a name, a short job and a first task, send it tasks, check its replies and stop its work. The job is short, about 1,000 characters. The first message can run to 100,000 characters, so everything else goes there.
Which AI apps can connect to Turnstone?
Any AI app that supports standard custom MCP connectors with sign-in can connect. Here's where to find it in each. Menus move often, so if a path doesn't match your screen, check that app's help page.
| App | Custom MCP connector? | Where to add it | Plan notes | Guide |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| ChatGPT | Yes | Plugins, then +, then Add custom MCP server. Some accounts need Developer mode on first, under Settings | Not on every plan. On ChatGPT web only. Workspace admins may need to turn it on first | Move ChatGPT |
| Claude | Yes | Customize, then Connectors, then Add custom connector | Free gets one custom connector. On Team and Enterprise an owner adds it first | Move Claude |
| Gemini | Yes, as a custom app | Connected Apps, then Add a custom app, on gemini.google.com | Personal Google Account only, not work or school. Not on every account | Move Gemini |
| Grok | Yes | grok.com/connectors, then New Connector, then Custom | xAI says connectors are open to all Grok users. On Business and Enterprise an admin sets it up first | Move Grok |
| Grok Bot | Yes | Ask a Bot in chat to add an MCP server by URL, or use grok.com/connectors | Grok Bot comes with The X Subscription on Premium and up | Switch from Grok Bot |
| Perplexity | Yes, as a remote connector | Plugins, then Add custom, then Add MCP connector. Or Customize, then Connectors | Pro, Max and Enterprise. Enterprise admins choose whether members can add their own | Move Perplexity |
| Manus | Yes, by URL | Connectors, then Create, then Add MCP by URL | Check it offers sign-in for your custom connector before you start | Move Manus |
| Claude Code, Claude Desktop and Cowork, Codex | No connector needed | In Turnstone, Agent Library, then Your Agents, then Find my Agents | Reads the history already on your Mac | Claude, Codex |
A note on the last row. If you use Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cowork or Codex on your Mac, Turnstone can read that local history and suggest Agents from it. It looks at recent chats with at least ten back-and-forths in the last six months, groups them by project, and builds Agents with their own memory. Before it starts, it tells you that the chats are sent to Turnstone's servers for analysis.
Do I have to stop using ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok?
No. This is the part people miss. Turnstone runs on the plan you already pay for. For ChatGPT and Claude plans, it runs the official Codex and Claude Code apps on your Mac, and you sign in with your own account through the provider's own login. Usage counts against your own plan's limits. Gemini and Grok work as AI options too.
So you're not leaving your AI. You're bringing its memory with you into Agents that can keep using the same model, or any other. Each Agent has its own model, and you can switch it mid-chat. Our comparisons with ChatGPT Work, Claude Cowork, Gemini Spark and Grok Bot go into the differences.
Perplexity and Manus are different. Turnstone doesn't run on them, so moving from those is a real switch. Our Perplexity Computer and Manus comparisons cover what each does better.
What moves and what doesn't?
Turnstone only gets what your AI writes out. It can't reach into the other app's hidden memory or chat history. That's why the prompt asks the AI to write everything in full.
| In your old AI | In Turnstone |
|---|---|
| Saved memories about you | Sent to your Agents and kept in one shared memory of your people, projects and decisions, stored as plain files on your Mac that you can open and correct |
| Projects, custom GPTs, Gems, Spaces or Bots | Agents, each with a name, a job and its own model |
| Custom instructions | Sent in each Agent's first message |
| Facts and decisions from old chats | Only what the AI writes out. Ask it to be thorough |
| Files and knowledge | Sent as summaries. Keep your originals |
| Recurring tasks | Sent with their timing and set up as Schedules |
| Connected apps | Not moved. You connect them again. Turnstone has 60+ apps built in, like Gmail, Outlook, Slack, Notion, LinkedIn, iMessage and WhatsApp, plus any website through its own browser, the apps on your Mac and connectors you add |
| Logins and passwords | Never move |
Your Agents can then send email, Slack messages and iMessages from your own accounts.
What if my AI app can't add connectors?
Some plans can't add a custom MCP connector. You can still move your memory by hand. It's slower, but it works with any AI.
- Ask your AI to write everything out. Paste the prompt below into your old AI.
- Save the answer. Copy it into a document so you have your own copy.
- Start a new Agent in Turnstone. Paste the text into its chat and ask it to save what matters to memory and set up any recurring tasks as Schedules.
- Repeat for each project. Do one Agent per project, custom GPT, Gem or Space.
Write out, in plain text, everything you remember about me: my preferences,
my work, the people I work with, and any corrections I've given you. Then,
for each project or custom assistant I use, write its name, its instructions,
key facts and decisions from our chats, and any recurring tasks with their
timing. Don't summarize away details. Put it all in one code block.
Keep this as a backup before any switch, and read it. Memory can be wrong or out of date.
What you give up
Turnstone runs on your Mac today. Turnstone Cloud, the iPhone app and the web app are coming soon. There is no Windows, Linux or Android app. If you need agents running with your laptop closed, weigh that first. Our facts page lists what Turnstone does and doesn't do.
Questions
Can I transfer AI memory between apps? Yes. The reliable way is to have the AI write its memory out. With Turnstone, you add it as a custom MCP connector and the AI sends what it knows straight to your new Agents. Keep Turnstone open on your Mac while it does.
What's the fastest way to move my AI's memory to Turnstone? Copy your MCP link from Turnstone's Settings, under MCP and webhooks. Add it to your AI app as a custom connector, sign in, then paste the prompt above into a chat. Your AI creates the Agents and sends each one its memory.
Will my AI move everything it knows? Only what it writes out. Turnstone can't read another app's hidden memory or chat history. Ask for everything in full, then read what each Agent received and correct it.
Can I keep using ChatGPT or Claude after I move? Yes. Turnstone runs on your existing ChatGPT, Claude, Gemini or Grok plan, so your Agents can keep using the same model. You can also pick a different model for each Agent.
Do my connected apps and logins move? No. Logins, app accounts and files never move. You connect your apps again in Turnstone.
What if my plan can't add a custom connector? Use the manual way. Ask your AI to write out everything it remembers, save it, then paste it into a new Turnstone Agent's chat.
Sources
- Developer mode and MCP apps in ChatGPT, OpenAI Help Center (checked October 28, 2026)
- Get started with custom connectors using remote MCP, Claude Help Center (checked October 28, 2026)
- Import and export your memory from Claude, Claude Help Center (checked October 28, 2026)
- Connect and manage custom apps for Gemini Apps, Gemini Apps Help (checked October 28, 2026)
- Connectors, xAI docs (checked October 28, 2026)
- Computer and apps, Grok Bot docs (checked October 28, 2026)
- Grok Bot and The X Subscription, xAI docs (checked October 28, 2026)
- Adding custom remote connectors, Perplexity Help Center (checked October 28, 2026)
- What we shipped, March 13, 2026, Perplexity changelog (checked October 28, 2026)
- Connectors, Manus (checked October 28, 2026)