Claude Code

One command, and Claude Code can render documents.

claude mcp add --transport http galley https://mcp.galleyrender.com/mcp

That is the whole setup. No key, no signup: the first render mints a 50-render trial and returns its token.

With an API key

Once you have a key, send it as a header:

claude mcp add --transport http galley https://mcp.galleyrender.com/mcp \
  --header "X-Galley-Api-Key: $GALLEY_API_KEY"

Caution

Your shell expands $GALLEY_API_KEY before Claude Code ever sees it, so the literal key is written into the config file. That is fine for local and user scope, which live outside your repository. For project scope, which is committed, use the ${...} form in .mcp.json instead — see below.

To move an existing server from the trial to a key, remove and re-add it:

claude mcp remove galley
claude mcp add --transport http galley https://mcp.galleyrender.com/mcp \
  --header "X-Galley-Api-Key: $GALLEY_API_KEY"

If you want a stable trial identity instead of a key — one trial shared across restarts and networks — send a client id rather than a key:

claude mcp add --transport http galley https://mcp.galleyrender.com/mcp \
  --header "X-Galley-Client-Id: laptop-mm-7f3c9a21"

Scope: project or user

--scope decides who gets the server and where the config lands.

Scope	Flag	Where it is written	Who sees it
Local (default)	--scope local	Your user settings, keyed to this project directory	You, in this project only
Project	--scope project	.mcp.json at the repository root	Everyone who checks out the repo
User	--scope user	Your user settings	You, in every project

# Everyone on the team, checked into the repo:
claude mcp add --scope project --transport http galley https://mcp.galleyrender.com/mcp

# Just you, everywhere:
claude mcp add --scope user --transport http galley https://mcp.galleyrender.com/mcp \
  --header "X-Galley-Api-Key: $GALLEY_API_KEY"

For project scope, write .mcp.json by hand so the key stays out of git. Claude Code expands ${VAR} in this file at load time:

.mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "galley": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://mcp.galleyrender.com/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-Galley-Api-Key": "${GALLEY_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Drop the headers block entirely to put the whole team on the keyless trial — useful for a demo repo, less useful for a shared one, since each machine gets its own 50 renders.

Claude Code asks for approval the first time it sees a project-scoped server from .mcp.json.

Verify it connected

claude mcp list

galley: https://mcp.galleyrender.com/mcp (HTTP) - ✓ Connected

Then, inside a session, /mcp shows the server and lets you inspect its tools. You should see ten of them:

galley
  list_templates    get_template      create_template   update_template
  validate_data     render            get_render        list_renders
  usage             create_account

claude mcp get galley prints the stored configuration, including which headers are set.

If it shows as failed, check that the URL ends in /mcp and that the transport is http — not sse, which Galley does not serve.

Your first PDF

Ask for something that has to be a file:

Render an invoice PDF with Galley. Bill Acme Robotics for two line items — “Starter plan, September” at $19 and “Overage, 3,200 renders” at 3.2 × $4 — with a 7% tax rate, issued today and due in 30 days. Use the invoice starter template, pin the version, and give me the URL.

A good run looks like this:

1. list_templates — finds invoice in the starter library.
2. get_template with {"template": "invoice"} — reads the JSON Schema, sees that invoice_number, issued_on, seller, buyer and line_items are required.
3. validate_data — dry-runs the payload for free and fixes anything the schema rejects.
4. render — returns a signed URL, and the trial token if you started without a key.

The render call it makes is this:

{
  "template": "invoice@1",
  "format": "pdf",
  "data": {
    "invoice_number": "INV-1042",
    "issued_on": "2026-09-16",
    "due_on": "2026-10-16",
    "currency": "USD",
    "seller": { "name": "Galley Render", "email": "billing@galleyrender.com" },
    "buyer": { "name": "Acme Robotics", "email": "ap@acme.test" },
    "line_items": [
      { "description": "Starter plan, September", "quantity": 1, "unit_price": 19 },
      { "description": "Overage, 3,200 renders", "quantity": 3.2, "unit_price": 4 }
    ],
    "tax_rate": 0.07
  },
  "options": { "page_size": "Letter", "margin": "0.5in" }
}

and the result carries a url you can open straight from the terminal.

Tip

Signed URLs expire after about an hour; the stored file does not. If a link has gone stale, ask Claude to call get_render with the render id for a fresh one rather than re-rendering — it is free and instant.

Install the skill file

The MCP tool descriptions are enough for most tasks. The skill file is the whole product on one page — formats, options, the template language, the error table, the rules of thumb — and it is what you want when Claude is writing templates rather than just filling them in.

Project skill

mkdir -p .claude/skills/galley-render
curl -sS https://mcp.galleyrender.com/skill.md -o .claude/skills/galley-render/SKILL.md

Personal skill, every project

mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/galley-render
curl -sS https://mcp.galleyrender.com/skill.md -o ~/.claude/skills/galley-render/SKILL.md

The file already carries the frontmatter a skill needs — name: galley-render and a description that tells Claude when to reach for it. Restart Claude Code, and /skills lists it.

The skill and the MCP server complement each other: the skill explains the product, the server does the work. Install both.

Troubleshooting

Symptom	Cause
✗ Failed to connect	Wrong transport. Galley is --transport http, not sse or stdio.
Tools missing after editing .mcp.json	Restart Claude Code; .mcp.json is read at startup.
authentication_error	The header value is not a Galley key. Keys start with glr_sk_. A non-Galley Authorization: Bearer is ignored, which drops you onto the trial instead.
quota_exceeded	The 50 trial renders are spent. Ask Claude to call create_account with your email.
A new trial every few days	The derived trial identity follows your IP. Add X-Galley-Client-Id or carry the trial token as X-Galley-Api-Key.