Pokémon TCG API MCP server

@pokemontcgapi/mcp

An MCP server for the Pokémon TCG API at pokemontcgapi.com. It gives an agent eight tools over the whole catalogue: international, Japanese and Simplified Chinese print lines, card names in eight locales, illustrators, images, and prices that carry their source, basis, grade and sample size. The current counts are live at /v1/status and broken down on coverage.json.

Unofficial. Not produced, endorsed, supported by or affiliated with Nintendo, Creatures Inc., GAME FREAK inc. or The Pokémon Company International. Pokémon and all related marks are trademarks of their respective owners.

Get a key

One call, no dashboard and no card:

curl -s -X POST "https://api.pokemontcgapi.com/v1/accounts/free" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $(uuidgen)" \
  -d '{"email":"you@example.com"}'

The key comes back once, in data.key.secret. Confirming the address we email raises the trial from 80 to 800 credits, and the trial ends 30 days after signup. Paid plans start at 29 EUR a month: pricing.

Install

Claude Code:

claude mcp add pokemontcgapi --env PTCG_API_KEY=your-key -- npx -y @pokemontcgapi/mcp

Claude Desktop — claudedesktopconfig.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pokemontcgapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pokemontcgapi/mcp"],
      "env": { "PTCG_API_KEY": "your-key" }
    }
  }
}

Cursor — .cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pokemontcgapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pokemontcgapi/mcp"],
      "env": { "PTCG_API_KEY": "${env:PTCG_API_KEY}" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code — .vscode/mcp.json. Note the top-level key is servers, not mcpServers, and inputs keeps the key out of the committed file:

{
  "inputs": [
    { "id": "ptcg-key", "type": "promptString", "description": "pokemontcgapi key", "password": true }
  ],
  "servers": {
    "pokemontcgapi": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pokemontcgapi/mcp"],
      "env": { "PTCG_API_KEY": "${input:ptcg-key}" }
    }
  }
}

Environment: PTCGAPIKEY, needed by seven of the eight tools, and PTCGBASEURL (defaults to https://api.pokemontcgapi.com). Node ≥ 20. The exception is ptcggetreference, which reads a public route. ptcggetcatalogue_status is not an exception: it starts on the public /v1/status and then reads one set per print region, which needs the key. Without it the server starts and lists its tools, then those seven calls come back asking for it.

The tools

Eight tools, not one per endpoint. tools/list sits in the model's context on every turn, so the whole surface is just over 9 KB, and each tool is shaped like a question rather than like a route — the model does not have to chain four calls to answer one thing.

Shortened. The full README is on GitHub.