MCP Server

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MCP Server

MCP (Model Context Protocol) is an open standard that lets AI assistants discover and use external tools. The TemplateFox MCP server gives your AI assistant 8 tools to generate PDFs, manage templates, and check credits — all from natural language.

• npm: @templatefox/mcp-server
• GitHub: TemplateFoxPDF/mcp-server

Prerequisites

1. Node.js 18+ installed on your machine (for npx)
2. A TemplateFox API key — get one from your Dashboard (starts with sk_)

Installation

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS, %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json on Windows):

{ "mcpServers": { "templatefox": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@templatefox/mcp-server"], "env": { "TEMPLATEFOX_API_KEY": "sk_your_api_key_here" } } } }

Restart Claude Desktop after saving the file.

Claude Code

claude mcp add templatefox -- npx -y @templatefox/mcp-server

Then set the TEMPLATEFOX_API_KEY environment variable in your shell:

export TEMPLATEFOX_API_KEY="sk_your_api_key_here"

Cursor / Windsurf

Use the same npx command in your MCP server configuration:

npx -y @templatefox/mcp-server

Set TEMPLATEFOX_API_KEY in the environment variables.

Global install (alternative)

npm install -g @templatefox/mcp-server

Then use templatefox-mcp-server as the command instead of npx.

Verify the setup

After installation, ask your AI assistant:

“List my TemplateFox templates”

If the MCP server is configured correctly, the assistant will call list_templates and return your template list. If you see an error, check the Troubleshooting section below.

Configuration

Environment Variable	Required	Description
TEMPLATEFOX_API_KEY	Yes	Your API key (starts with sk_). Get one from your Dashboard
TEMPLATEFOX_BASE_URL	No	Override API base URL (default: https://api.templatefox.com)

Available tools

The MCP server exposes 8 tools that your AI assistant can call:

generate_pdf

Generate a PDF from a template with dynamic data. Costs 1 credit per PDF.

What you can ask:

“Generate an invoice for John Doe, total $250, using my Invoice template”

“Create a certificate of completion for Jane Smith, course: Advanced React”

generate_pdf_async

Queue async PDF generation with an optional webhook callback. Useful for large or batch jobs. Costs 1 credit per PDF.

“Generate 10 certificates in the background and notify me when done”

list_templates

Discover all available PDF templates in your account.

“What templates do I have?”

“Show me all my PDF templates”

get_template_fields

Get the fields and variables for a specific template. Useful to understand what data a template expects before generating.

“What fields does my Invoice template need?“

get_pdf_job_status

Check the status of an async PDF generation job.

“Is my PDF job finished yet?“

list_pdf_jobs

List all async PDF generation jobs and their statuses.

“Show me my recent PDF jobs”

get_account_info

Check remaining credits and account information.

“How many credits do I have left?“

list_transactions

View credit transaction history.

“Show me my credit usage this month”

Use cases

Generate a single document

Ask your AI assistant to generate one PDF with specific data. The assistant discovers the template, checks the required fields, and generates the PDF in one flow:

“Generate a packing slip for order #1234, customer John Doe, 3x Widget Blue and 1x Gadget Pro”

Explore templates before generating

Ask about your templates first, then generate once you know what’s available:

“List my templates, then show me the fields for the Receipt template”

Check account status

Monitor your usage without leaving your AI assistant:

“How many credits do I have left? Show me my recent transactions”

Remote server (soon)

A hosted HTTP MCP endpoint at https://api.templatefox.com/mcp is coming soon. This will let you connect without installing anything locally — just point your MCP client to the URL.

Troubleshooting

”MCP server not found” or connection errors

• Make sure Node.js 18+ is installed: run node --version
• Check that the npx command works: run npx -y @templatefox/mcp-server --help
• Restart your AI assistant after updating the configuration

”Invalid API key” or authentication errors

• Verify your API key starts with sk_ and is not expired
• Check the key in your Dashboard
• Make sure TEMPLATEFOX_API_KEY is set in the correct environment (not just your shell, but the MCP server config)

Tools not showing up

• Some clients cache MCP tool lists — restart the client
• Check if other MCP servers are working to rule out a client-level issue

Next steps

• Get Started in 5 Minutes — Create your first template
• Data Binding — Learn how to pass dynamic data
• API Reference — Full endpoint documentation

Last updated on April 14, 2026

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