How to send a tap on the back from ChatGPT

A tap on the back is the smallest way to say "I'm with you": one tap, and their phone buzzes mid-race. You can now send one from ChatGPT or Claude, in the same chat where you're following them. This guide is the how-to: setting it up in ChatGPT, the button on their card, names, the rules, and what to do when a tap doesn't go through. For when to send one, see sending encouragement to a runner during a race; for taps in full, taps on the back. More in livedot's guides to following live.

What is a tap on the back?

A cheer they feel. A tap on the back buzzes on the runner's or rider's phone while they're live, and they see their count go up, with your name if you give one. It works on RunFast for runners and on Windline for riders, and it's the same tap as the button on their live page.

How do I send one from ChatGPT?

1. Add livedot to ChatGPT

   In ChatGPT, search for livedot in Plugins and add it, or add it as a custom MCP server at https://livedot.me/mcp, on plans that allow them.

2. Find your runner or rider

   Paste their livedot link or follow link, or ask by name if they chose Findable by anyone: "Where's Sam in the race?"

3. Tap the button, or say it

   On their card, tap Give Sam a tap on the back. Or type "Give him a tap on the back." Add a name if you like: "from Alex".

4. See it land

   The card shows Tap sent for a minute, and livedot says so. Their phone buzzes and their count goes up.

How do I add livedot to ChatGPT?

Search for it first. In ChatGPT, open Plugins (chatgpt.com/plugins), search for livedot and add it. If it isn't listed for you, add it as a custom MCP server, on plans that allow them:

1. In Plugins, choose +, then Add custom MCP server.
2. Name it livedot, and under Connection paste https://livedot.me/mcp.
3. For authentication, choose OAuth: following never asks you to sign in.
4. Read the warning, choose I understand and want to continue, then Create as a plugin.
5. Install it, open a new chat, type @ and pick livedot.

ChatGPT's menus differ between plans and change often; OpenAI's own steps are in Connecting custom MCP servers in ChatGPT. In Claude, search for livedot under Customize > Connectors, or add it there as a custom connector. Setup for every app is at livedot.me/mcp.

What does the button on their card do?

It sends the tap in one touch. When livedot shows someone's card, it has Give Sam a tap on the back whenever a tap would go through: they're live, their taps are on, and you found them by name (they're Findable) or by their link.

• Tap it, and the card shows Tap sent ✓ for a minute.
• After the finish, for a day, the button reads Congratulate Sam, and the tap lands as a congratulation.
• No button? A tap wouldn't go through right now: see below.

In some chat apps, the button types the request into the chat for you instead, and livedot sends it from there. Either way, it's one tap each time you ask, never more, and never on its own.

Will they know it was me?

It depends on what you give livedot:

Connecting your account is optional. livedot asks you to sign in only if you want your name on taps; following needs no account.

What are the rules?

The same as on their live page:

• While they're live in a race, or in the day after they finish.
• One a minute from you to the same person. Too soon, and livedot says you can give another in a minute.
• Not if they turned taps off. livedot says so.
• Some people only take taps from those with their link. Ask about them by that link.
• A private race found through a livedot link can't be tapped.

If lots of taps are going out at once, livedot may ask you to try again in a minute. It always tells you why a tap didn't go, in plain words.

When does a tap help most?

On the hard parts. The card shows them: the road ahead turning hot or into the wind, the goal slipping, the last few kilometres. For timing it to the moment, see sending encouragement to a runner during a race. For following the whole day, see how to track a runner live in ChatGPT or track a cyclist live in ChatGPT or Claude.

Should I send messages as well?

Usually not during the race. Most runners and riders don't read messages mid-race, and a screen that keeps lighting up costs battery. Riders shouldn't be reading a phone at speed at all. A tap is quiet: one buzz, and a count they can look at later. Save words for before the start and after the finish, when a message is read.

Can I tap a whole team, or a tour?

Yes, in one ask.

• A club or team in a race: "Give the team a tap on the back", after asking how the club is doing. livedot sends one tap to each member on the club's live map who takes taps, and says how many went.
• A cycling tour: "Give [the tour] a tap on the back", on the tour's days, while the organiser has its taps switched on. The tap goes to the organiser, who reads them out to the riders.

The usual rules apply to every tap in a team: never to someone who turned taps off.

Can a group cheer together?

Yes, and it adds up. Each person sends their own taps, from their own chat or from the live page, and the count on their phone shows every one. A club watching a race can follow everyone on the club's race map and tap whoever needs it. See live tracking for clubs. Taps from the chat and from the live page count the same. If you're at home with family, one person can follow in the chat and read out where they are, while everyone else taps from the live page on their own phones.

Try it now

Ask livedot about a race that's live now, or, while the apps run their demo, "How's the Coast Classic demo going?" or "How's the Comrades demo going?" to see a race any time; taps to the demo's people are felt and nothing is kept. Taps are free to send and to receive, thanks to ProLend.