Your first trip with Alcove

Start with a conversation. Build a plan you can check.

Your assistant helps you plan. GitHub saves your trip and proposed changes. Alcove checks those proposals and remembers your travel preferences.

You’ll need an assistant that supports Alcove’s connection and GitHub tools that can save changes. A connection that only reads GitHub is not enough. Your assistant can check its access before you start.

Step 1

Connect your assistant

Choose the assistant you use. These steps add Alcove as a custom connection; they do not require finding an Alcove listing in a plugin store. Sign in to Alcove when the connection opens your browser.

Alcove connection URL

https://mcp.alcove.fi/mcp

ChatGPT

Custom setup requires Developer mode. Availability depends on your account and workspace settings.

In ChatGPT, open Settings → Security and login and enable Developer mode.
Open Plugins, use the plus button, and create a connection named Alcove with the URL above.
Complete Alcove sign-in, then install the connection from your personal plugins.
Start a new Work chat and select Alcove with @ in the message box.

If those controls are missing, check your workspace policy or use another supported assistant. OpenAI’s setup guide

Claude

Open Customize → Connectors, then use + → Add custom connector.
Name it Alcove, paste the connection URL above, and add it.
Connect and complete Alcove sign-in. Enable the connector for your conversation.

In a managed workspace, an owner may need to add the connector first. Claude’s connector guide

Codex / desktop

Open Settings → MCP servers → Add server.
Name it Alcove, choose Streamable HTTP, and paste the connection URL above.
Save and restart the connection. Choose Authenticate to sign in when prompted.

Using a CLI or IDE instead? Open the Codex connection guide.

Connect GitHub to save proposals

ChatGPT or Codex: open Plugins, search for GitHub, and install it. Follow its connection prompt to sign in to GitHub. Give it access to the private trip you create in step 2, then enable it in your planning conversation. Plugin availability and actions depend on your account and workspace. OpenAI’s plugin connection guide

Claude: “Add from GitHub” imports files as context; that alone cannot save proposals. If your Claude setup has no GitHub write tools, use Claude Code on the web for the proposal: sign in, connect GitHub, select your trip repository, and ask it to save the agreed change as a pull request. You can keep using Alcove memory in your original conversation. About Claude’s file import

No write tools available? Codex cloud’s setup guide offers another route: sign in with your ChatGPT account, connect GitHub, and create an environment for your trip. Describe the change there and open a pull request from the result. Access depends on your plan and workspace.

Access check

Before we plan, check the tools you actually have. Can you use Alcove, edit GitHub files, create a branch, and open a pull request? Report each as available or missing without changing anything. If something is missing, help me complete that connection first.

Step 2

Create your private trip

GitHub calls your trip’s saved folder a repository. The starter gives it the files and checks it needs, with no example bookings to remove.

Sign in to GitHub or create an account. Open the starter below.
Choose Use this template → Create a new repository, give your trip a name, and select Private. Use the template instead of forking the public repository.
Create the repository, then share its link with your assistant. Already have a trip? Use its existing link.

Open the trip starter

Give Alcove permission to review it

Ask your assistant to connect this trip to Alcove and enable review. It can give you a GitHub authorization link: open it, select the trip repository, approve access, and return to the conversation. Then ask the assistant to confirm the connection and review setting.

You can also sign in to the Alcove dashboard, connect GitHub under Providers, and enable review for your repository. This permission is separate from your assistant’s GitHub access. Reviews follow your Alcove plan’s limits.

Step 3

Make your first proposal

You can leave dates, budget, and preferences undecided. Send this message with your trip link and let your assistant guide the conversation.

First message

Help me plan a trip with Alcove. First check whether you can use Alcove and whether your GitHub tools can edit files, create branches, and open pull requests. Explain anything missing before proceeding. Help me create a private trip from https://github.com/justinkook/alcove-trip-japan, or use my existing trip. Guide me through any browser steps. Read the trip's AGENTS.md, check its setup, and enable Alcove review for that trip. Ask about the people, dates, and priorities one question at a time. Save one small proposal, explain its checks and concerns, and wait for my explicit acceptance of that proposal before merging it.

Discuss

Explore options. Talking about a change does not save it.

Propose

Your assistant saves a proposed change, called a pull request, for checks and review.

Accept

After you accept a specific proposal, merging it into the main plan records your decision.

Before accepting, ask for the proposal link, its latest checks, and any open concerns. Passing checks does not mean every detail is verified. Your GitHub plan and settings determine whether checks can prevent a merge; keep personal trips private either way.

Returning later? Ask “Where were we?” and have your assistant read the saved plan and open proposals. More help with your first trip