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This guide walks you through setting up the Templated MCP server with different AI assistants.

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  1. A Templated account — Sign up for free
  2. Your API key — Find it in your dashboard

For local server mode, you’ll also need:

  • Node.js 18 or higher installed

Claude Desktop supports both remote and local MCP servers.

Section titled “Option 1: Local Server (Recommended for Claude Desktop)”
  1. Locate your config file

    The Claude Desktop configuration file is located at:

    • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
    • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
  2. Edit the configuration

    Open the file and add the Templated MCP server:

    claude_desktop_config.json
    {
    "mcpServers": {
    "templated": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["mcp-server-templated"],
    "env": {
    "TEMPLATED_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
    }
    }
    }

    Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

  3. Restart Claude Desktop

    Completely quit and reopen Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect.

  4. Verify the connection

    Look for a tools icon (hammer) in the chat input area. Click it to see available Templated tools.

  1. Locate your config file

    Same location as above.

  2. Edit the configuration

    claude_desktop_config.json
    {
    "mcpServers": {
    "templated": {
    "url": "https://mcp.templated.io/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
    }
    }
  3. Restart Claude Desktop

    Completely quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Cursor supports MCP servers through its configuration file.

  1. Locate your config file

    The Cursor MCP configuration file is located at:

    • macOS/Linux: ~/.cursor/mcp.json
    • Windows: %USERPROFILE%\.cursor\mcp.json
  2. Create or edit the configuration

    mcp.json
    {
    "mcpServers": {
    "templated": {
    "url": "https://mcp.templated.io/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
    }
    }
  3. Restart Cursor

    Close and reopen Cursor for the changes to take effect.

  4. Start using Templated

    In the Composer or Chat panel, you can now ask Cursor to use Templated tools.

  1. Locate your config file

    Same location as above.

  2. Edit the configuration

    mcp.json
    {
    "mcpServers": {
    "templated": {
    "command": "npx",
    "args": ["mcp-server-templated"],
    "env": {
    "TEMPLATED_API_KEY": "YOUR_API_KEY"
    }
    }
    }
    }
  3. Restart Cursor

ChatGPT supports MCP servers through Connected Apps in the settings.

  1. Open ChatGPT Settings

    Go to SettingsConnected AppsAdd MCP Server

  2. Enter the server URL

    https://mcp.templated.io/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY

    Replace YOUR_API_KEY with your actual API key.

  3. Set authentication to “No Auth”

    Since the API key is included in the URL, select “No Auth” for authentication type.

  4. Click Create

    ChatGPT will verify the connection and add Templated to your connected apps.

  5. Start using Templated

    In any conversation, you can now ask ChatGPT to use Templated tools to generate images, manage templates, and more.

Claude.ai web interface also supports MCP servers.

  1. Go to Settings

    Click on your profile icon and navigate to SettingsDeveloperMCP Servers

  2. Add a new server

    Click Add Server and enter:

    • Name: Templated
    • URL: https://mcp.templated.io/mcp?apiKey=YOUR_API_KEY
  3. Save and start chatting

    The Templated tools will now be available in your conversations.

If the tools don’t appear after configuration:

  1. Completely restart the AI assistant (not just close the window)
  2. Check the config file location — it must be in the exact path specified
  3. Verify JSON syntax — use a JSON validator to check for errors
  4. Check for existing configs — you may need to merge with existing mcpServers

If using local server mode:

Terminal window
# Verify Node.js version
node --version # Should be 18.0.0 or higher
# Test the MCP server directly
TEMPLATED_API_KEY=your_key npx mcp-server-templated

If you’re still having issues: