MCP Server

Copy page

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 May 5, 2026

PDF StandardsUpload to S3