Order with AI · MCP

Ask an AI assistant to prepare printed cards, review a private preview, then pay through guest checkout. You do not need a TCGPlaytest account, partner application or API key to use the public MCP server.

Connect your assistant

1. Open the server or connector settings in a client that supports remote MCP.
2. Add https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp as the server URL. Choose Streamable HTTP if asked for the transport.
3. Choose No authentication. Leave the API key and Authorization header empty.

Your assistant's own account or plan may affect whether it supports custom MCP servers. Opening the endpoint in a browser returns HTTP 405 because it is a tool endpoint, not a webpage.

https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp

Use the exact URL above directly; some clients do not follow redirects. The production URL includes www. Your AI provider's account, plan and usage charges are separate from TCGPlaytest checkout.

Connection verification: initialize → initialized notification → tools/list. This server currently uses stateless HTTP; if a future version issues a session header, clients must return it on subsequent requests. Browser-origin rejection (403) is distinct from configuration failure (503). If connection fails, send support the endpoint, time and response request ID; keep authentication set to None and do not supply the operator's key.

Choose your platform

Setup steps checked against official platform documentation on October 20, 2026. Menus and availability can vary by account or workspace policy.

ChatGPT

1. Open ChatGPT's Plugins page, select +, then Add custom MCP server.
2. Name it TCGPlaytest. Describe it as “Card printing estimates, artwork previews and guest checkout.” Choose the public URL connection and paste the server URL above.
3. Select no authentication, review the connection notice, then choose Create as a plugin.
4. Install the resulting plugin. Start a conversation, type @ and select TCGPlaytest before requesting an estimate.

If custom servers are unavailable, check your account or workspace policy. Follow OpenAI's current connection guide for your interface. Creating this personal connection does not publish TCGPlaytest in the plugin directory.

Claude · web and desktop

1. Open Customize → Connectors → + Add → Add custom connector.
2. Use the name TCGPlaytest, paste the server URL above and continue.
3. Review the detected settings, choose No sign in and leave request headers empty. Finish with Add.
4. In a conversation, open + → Connectors and enable TCGPlaytest.

On Team or Enterprise, an authorized owner first adds it under Organization settings → Connectors → Add → Custom → Web; members then enable it. Remote connectors connect from Anthropic's cloud, including when used in Claude Desktop. See the official Claude connector guide.

Gemini · web and mobile

1. On a computer, open Gemini's Settings → Connected Apps. Some accounts show this inside Personal Intelligence.
2. Under Custom apps, add the server URL above, choose Next and follow the connection prompts.
3. Once connected, type @ and select the custom app in a chat. The connection can also be used on mobile.

Google currently limits this feature to English, personal accounts in the US, users aged 18 or over, and accounts with Keep Activity enabled. TCGPlaytest provides no OAuth credentials; if your connection flow requires them or Custom apps is unavailable, use Gemini CLI. See Google's custom app instructions and eligibility.

OpenAI Codex

With Codex CLI installed, run:

codex mcp add tcgplaytest --url https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp
codex mcp list

Start a new Codex session and use /mcp to check tools. Alternatively, merge this into your user ~/.codex/config.toml, preserving other settings, then restart your session:

[mcp_servers.tcgplaytest]
url = "https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp"

No bearer token or MCP login is needed. In the IDE extension you can also use MCP servers → Add server → Streamable HTTP. See OpenAI's MCP configuration guide.

Claude Code

With Claude Code installed, add the server to your user configuration:

claude mcp add --transport http --scope user tcgplaytest https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp
claude mcp list

Open a new session and run /mcp to check the connection. No token or OAuth login is required. See the Claude Code MCP guide.

Gemini CLI

With Gemini CLI installed and signed in to your chosen model provider, run:

gemini mcp add --transport http --scope user tcgplaytest https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp
gemini mcp list

Alternatively, merge this entry into ~/.gemini/settings.json, preserving other servers. Gemini CLI uses httpUrl for Streamable HTTP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tcgplaytest": {
      "httpUrl": "https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Start a new session, check /mcp list, then request a quote. See the Gemini CLI MCP guide.

Cursor

Add this entry to .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects. Merge it with existing servers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "tcgplaytest": {
      "url": "https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Restart Cursor, check that TCGPlaytest is enabled under Customize → MCPs, and ask Agent for an estimate. Review tool approval prompts as they appear. See Cursor's MCP setup guide.

OpenAI Responses API · for developers

Add this object to the tools array of a Responses API request using an MCP-capable model. Your application uses its own OpenAI API credential; the TCGPlaytest connection needs no authorization value.

{
  "type": "mcp",
  "server_label": "tcgplaytest",
  "server_url": "https://www.tcgplaytest.com/api/mcp",
  "require_approval": "always"
}

Your application must handle mcp_approval_request items and submit an mcp_approval_response after the user decides. An approval request is not a completed tool call. Start with the estimate prompt below. See OpenAI's remote MCP and approval examples.

Try it: estimate, preview and check out

First confirm the connection without uploading or creating an order:

Use TCGPlaytest to show the available card printing options and estimate 2 standard cards shipped to the US. Do not prepare an order yet.

You should see calls to get_card_printing_options and quote_card_order. Once those work, provide your artwork and ask:

Print 70 copies of this card with this back, shipping to the US. Show me the estimate and a preview before checkout.

1. Supply the finished front artwork, optional back artwork and quantity. Use PNG or JPEG files. An assistant that can upload files may request temporary upload links; otherwise provide public HTTPS image URLs.
2. Review the printing and shipping estimate. Tax and any applicable discounts are confirmed at checkout.
3. The assistant prepares your order and waits for artwork validation. When it is ready, it gives you a private preview_url.
4. Open that link to check each front, back and quantity. Six designs appear per page. Tap a side to enlarge it. Any low-resolution warnings remain visible.
5. Choose Continue to checkout. Enter your delivery details, confirm your image rights and review the final total before paying. Printing starts only after successful payment.

The preview works in your browser without login, even if your assistant cannot display images inside the chat. It uses your validated artwork and preserves the full-quality printing files. Trim previews hide the prepared 2 mm bleed; final cutting and printed colors can vary slightly. Older files without prepared bleed are shown as full artwork.

To change an image or quantity, ask your assistant to prepare an updated order. Previewing does not charge you. The assistant cannot pay for an order or collect card payment details through these tools.

Using a chat attachment? Attaching an image does not automatically give the MCP server its bytes. Your client needs a file-upload capability to PUT them to the temporary upload URL. If it cannot do that, provide direct public HTTPS PNG/JPEG URLs instead. A local file path, a sharing webpage or a made-up image URL will not work.

MCP pricing

$34.95 covers cards 1–18. Cards 19–180 add 35¢ each, cards 181–504 add 30¢ each, and every card from 505 onward adds 26¢, including above 1,008. Each MCP order is limited to 10,080 cards (560 sheets), counted across all designs. Rates apply only to cards in each band; later cards are not rounded up to full sheets and there is no markup.

MCP uses its own shipping bands through 10,080 cards for US, Canada and other supported destinations. These rates are separate from ordinary website and widget shipping. A US order of 1–18 cards is $41.90 before tax. Compare quantities and destinations below.

Ordering just one card? Your assistant should say: “You can still order 17 more cards for no extra charge!” The base covers up to 18 cards. It must ask before increasing your quantity.

Quotes return savings_message, extra_cards_at_same_printing_price and extra_cards_at_same_total_before_tax. Free capacity applies only to the first 18 cards. Later unused sheet positions are not free copies. Only requested copies are printed.

Discounts apply to cards and cannot reduce the card price below $34.95. MCP requires customer payment and cannot spend PRINTS or partner credit. Website, partner API, widget, prepaid and Connect pricing keep their separate rules.

Changed quantities require a new preparation and quote. After a pricing update, prepare a fresh cart if an existing Stripe session has an older price; already issued payment links are not repriced.

Available tools

• get_card_printing_options — supported stock, finish, destinations and artwork limits.
• quote_card_order — printing and shipping estimate for a quantity and two-letter country code.
• create_card_artwork_upload — temporary upload URL for a PNG/JPEG. PUT the actual file bytes with the returned headers, then use the returned image reference.
• prepare_card_order — artwork URLs and quantities, plus a fresh random UUID in request_id. Reuse that ID with identical inputs on retries.
• get_card_order_preparation — poll with the returned private preparation_token, at least five seconds apart. Once status is open, share preview_url with the customer; checkout and private confirmation links are also returned.

{
  "request_id": "4c48ff46-29b0-49a3-a2e0-0bb6ad93f419",
  "items": [
    {
      "image_url": "https://your-artwork.example/front.png",
      "back_image_url": "https://your-artwork.example/back.png",
      "quantity": 70
    }
  ]
}

Replace the example URLs with your actual artwork and generate your own UUID for each new order attempt. These are MCP tool arguments, not a REST request to the partner API. Omitting back_image_url uses the standard TCGPlaytest back.

After payment: confirmation for you and your assistant

MCP checkout opens its own TCGPlaytest confirmation page after verified payment and order recording. It does not send you back to the operator's registered store website.

1. Keep the receipt_url and receipt_json_url returned with your preparation. They are also available from get_card_order_preparation after checkout while the link is unexpired.
2. Open receipt_url to see your order reference, card count and order status. Share this private link with your assistant to read without signing in.
3. An agent can GET receipt_json_url, or request receipt_url with Accept: application/json. No API key or login is required.

state: pending means confirmation has not been recorded yet. If you just paid, wait a few seconds and refresh; do not pay again. state: confirmed means the server recorded payment. A cancelled order is labelled cancelled; this page does not report refunds. Test deployments explicitly show environment: test.

The summary excludes your email, shipping address and payment credentials. Anyone with this private link can read that summary until the original cart expires_at, normally seven days after preparation. Keep it out of public chats. The page runs no analytics or scripts and is not cached or indexed.

Limits and private links

• Maximum 10,080 cards (560 sheets) per MCP order; standard stock and finish, with a finished size of 63 × 88 mm.
• Single-frame PNG or JPEG, up to 20 MiB and 40 million pixels per file. Files must be valid artwork; a webpage URL cannot be printed.
• Preview, checkout, confirmation, upload and preparation links/tokens are private. Anyone you share a preview link with can view that cart's artwork.
• Preview image URLs last up to 15 minutes. Use Reload previews while the cart is open and unexpired. The returned expires_at tells you when the cart expires.
• Request, upload and artwork-processing quotas still apply, separately from copy quantity. Honor Retry-After or retry_after_seconds. After a temporary failure, retry the same request ID and artwork instead of creating duplicate preparations.

Public MCP and partner integrations

All public MCP clients use TCGPlaytest's ordering service. The customer pays printing, shipping and applicable tax at checkout. Public MCP orders do not use a partner's prepaid printing balance or Connect earnings. For your own storefront branding, partner order reporting or payout integration, use the partner REST API or checkout widget.

No TCGPlaytest server secret belongs in an MCP client. The operator's partner API key and signing secret stay on TCGPlaytest's servers. A browser-based client on another website may need its exact origin allowed by TCGPlaytest; desktop/server clients sending no Origin header do not need that setting.

If you cannot connect

Check the full server URL and the remote HTTP transport. A 503 response means the service is disabled, not configured or temporarily unavailable; it does not mean you need to create a customer key. Contact support if it continues. For invalid artwork, replace the affected file and prepare an updated order.

If no tools appear, enable the connection and start a new conversation. Use the platform-specific configuration above: Gemini CLI's httpUrl, Cursor's url and Codex's TOML format are different. For a 403, contact support with the platform name; an operator may need to allow its exact browser origin. Keep API keys and private preparation links out of support screenshots.