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Printful MCP Server

Connects Printful's print-on-demand API to AI assistants like Claude and Cursor to automate business operations. It enables users to browse catalogs, manage orders, generate mockups, and calculate shipping rates through natural language.

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Jan 28, 2026

🎨 Printful MCP Server

Automate Your Print-on-Demand Business with AI

Connect Printful's powerful API to Claude, Cursor, and other AI assistants through the Model Context Protocol.

📚 Quick Start🔧 Configuration🚀 Examples📖 Documentation


Made by Purple Horizons License: MIT Python 3.10+ Printful API v2

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Sign up for Printful

Start your print-on-demand business today • No upfront costs • 300+ products • Global fulfillment


✨ Features

🎯 Complete API Coverage

  • ✅ Full Printful API v2 support
  • ✅ Smart v1 fallback for legacy features
  • ✅ 17 tools across all major domains
  • ✅ Real-time stock & pricing data

🛡️ Production Ready

  • ✅ Type-safe Pydantic validation
  • ✅ Robust error handling
  • ✅ Rate limit management
  • ✅ Dual output formats (JSON/Markdown)

🚀 Easy Integration

  • ✅ Works with Claude Desktop
  • ✅ Works with Cursor IDE
  • ✅ Local execution (stdio)
  • ✅ No hosting required

🤖 AI Skill Included

  • ✅ Cursor skill teaches AI how to use tools
  • ✅ Best practices built-in
  • ✅ Auto-applies workflows
  • ✅ Better experience out of the box

🎁 Bonus: This repo includes a Cursor AI skill that automatically teaches AI assistants how to use the Printful MCP effectively. Just open the project and start asking questions!


🚀 Quick Start

📋 Prerequisites
⚡ Installation (3 steps)

Step 1: Clone & Install

git clone https://github.com/Purple-Horizons/printful-ph-mcp.git
cd printful-ph-mcp
pip install -e .

Step 2: Set up API Key

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env and add: PRINTFUL_API_KEY=your-key-here

Step 3: Configure Your AI Assistant

For Cursor

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "printful": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "printful_mcp"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/printful-ph-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PRINTFUL_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}
For Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "printful": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "printful_mcp"],
      "cwd": "/path/to/printful-ph-mcp",
      "env": {
        "PRINTFUL_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

That's it! Restart your AI assistant and start using Printful tools.


🎨 What You Can Do

🛍️ Catalog📦 Orders🚚 Shipping🖼️ Mockups📁 Files🏪 Stores
Browse 300+ productsCreate & manage ordersCalculate ratesGenerate mockupsUpload designsView statistics
Check availabilityConfirm fulfillmentList countriesCheck statusGet file infoMulti-store support
Get pricingTrack ordersDelivery timesCustom placements--

💡 Usage Examples

🎯 Example 1: Find the Perfect Product

# Ask your AI assistant:
"Show me all t-shirts available for DTG printing under $15"

# It will use:
printful_list_catalog_products(
    types="T-SHIRT",
    techniques="dtg",
    limit=20,
    format="markdown"
)

💰 Example 2: Get Pricing

# Ask your AI assistant:
"What's the price for variant 4011 in USD?"

# It will use:
printful_get_variant_prices(
    variant_id=4011,
    currency="USD",
    format="markdown"
)

📦 Example 3: Create an Order

# Ask your AI assistant:
"Create a draft order for John Doe at 123 Main St, Los Angeles, CA 90001"

# It will use:
printful_create_order(
    recipient_name="John Doe",
    recipient_address1="123 Main St",
    recipient_city="Los Angeles",
    recipient_state_code="CA",
    recipient_country_code="US",
    recipient_zip="90001"
)

🎨 Example 4: Generate Product Mockups

# Ask your AI assistant:
"Generate a mockup for product 71 with my design"

# It will use:
printful_create_mockup_task(
    product_id=71,
    variant_ids="4011,4012",
    design_url="https://example.com/design.png",
    placement="front"
)

🛠️ Available Tools

🛍️ Catalog Tools (5) - Browse products & check availability
ToolDescriptionExample Use
printful_list_catalog_productsBrowse 300+ products with filters"Show me all hoodies"
printful_get_productGet detailed product info"Tell me about product 71"
printful_get_product_variantsGet all sizes/colors"What sizes are available?"
printful_get_variant_pricesGet pricing by currency"How much in EUR?"
printful_get_product_availabilityCheck stock status"Is this in stock?"
📦 Order Tools (4) - Create & manage orders
ToolDescriptionExample Use
printful_create_orderCreate draft order"Create order for John"
printful_get_orderView order details"Show me order #12345"
printful_confirm_orderStart fulfillment"Confirm this order"
printful_list_ordersList all orders"Show my recent orders"
🚚 Shipping Tools (2) - Calculate rates & delivery
ToolDescriptionExample Use
printful_calculate_shippingGet shipping rates & times"How much to ship to UK?"
printful_list_countriesList supported countries"What countries do you ship to?"
🖼️ Mockup Tools (2) - Generate product images
ToolDescriptionExample Use
printful_create_mockup_taskGenerate mockup images"Create mockup with my design"
printful_get_mockup_taskCheck generation status"Is my mockup ready?"
📁 File Tools (2) - Upload & manage designs
ToolDescriptionExample Use
printful_add_fileUpload design file"Upload my logo"
printful_get_fileGet file info & status"Check file #12345"
🏪 Store Tools (2) - Manage stores & stats
ToolDescriptionExample Use
printful_list_storesList your stores"Show all my stores"
printful_get_store_statsView sales & profit"What are my sales?"
🔄 Sync Product Tools (2) - Legacy v1 features
ToolDescriptionExample Use
printful_list_sync_productsList synced products"Show my Etsy products"
printful_get_sync_productGet sync product details"Details on sync #123"

🎓 Documentation

📖 Quick Start Guide

Get up and running in 5 minutes

🔑 API Token Setup

Detailed token configuration guide

🧪 Testing Guide

Learn how to test your integration

🔐 API Scopes Reference

Required permissions explained

💻 Examples

Real code examples

🔧 Cursor Config

Ready-to-use config file


🔄 API Version Strategy

This server uses Printful API v2 (production-ready beta) with smart v1 fallback:

🎯 v2 (Primary)

  • ✅ Catalog & Products
  • ✅ Orders & Fulfillment
  • ✅ Shipping Rates
  • ✅ Mockup Generation
  • ✅ File Management
  • ✅ Store Statistics

🔄 v1 (Fallback)

  • ✅ Sync Products
  • ✅ Product Templates
  • ⚠️ Auto-switches when needed
  • 🚀 Future-proof architecture

Why v2? Better pagination • Real-time stock • Enhanced orders • Improved security • Standardized formats


⚙️ Rate Limiting & Performance

📊 Rate Limits

  • 120 requests / 60 seconds
  • Leaky bucket algorithm
  • Auto-retry on 429 errors

🚀 Performance

  • Response times: 100-500ms
  • Concurrent requests: Supported
  • Timeout handling: Built-in

🐛 Troubleshooting

❌ "PRINTFUL_API_KEY environment variable is required"

Solution: Make sure your API key is set in .env or passed via environment variables in the MCP config.

# Check your .env file
cat .env

# Should contain:
PRINTFUL_API_KEY=your-actual-key-here
⏱️ "Rate limit exceeded"

Solution: Wait for the time specified in the error message (usually 60 seconds).

  • Default limit: 120 requests/minute
  • Consider implementing request batching
  • Check X-Ratelimit-Reset header for exact reset time
🔍 "Resource not found"

Solution: Double-check the ID you're using.

  • For orders: You can use external IDs by prefixing with @ (e.g., @my-order-123)
  • For products: Verify the product/variant ID exists in the catalog
  • Check if the resource belongs to your store
🎨 Mockup generation stuck on "pending"

Solution: Mockup generation typically takes 10-30 seconds.

  • Wait at least 30 seconds before checking status
  • If stuck longer than 2 minutes, check task status - it may have failed
  • Verify your design URL is publicly accessible

🧪 Testing

Choose Your Testing Method

Quick Test

Automated test suite

export PRINTFUL_API_KEY=your-key
python test_server.py

✅ Tests 6 core features ⏱️ Takes 30 seconds

🌐 Interactive Test

Web-based MCP Inspector

export PRINTFUL_API_KEY=your-key
./test-with-inspector.sh

🎯 Test any tool visually 🌍 Opens at localhost:5173

🤖 Live Test

In Claude/Cursor

Just ask:

"List Printful countries"

💬 Natural language ✨ Real integration test

📖 Full testing guide: See TESTING.md for comprehensive testing instructions.


🏗️ Project Structure

printful-ph-mcp/
├── 📁 src/
│   └── 📁 printful_mcp/
│       ├── 🐍 server.py          # FastMCP server + tool registrations
│       ├── 🔌 client.py          # API client with auth/error handling
│       ├── 📁 tools/             # Tool implementations by domain
│       │   ├── 🛍️ catalog.py    # Product browsing (5 tools)
│       │   ├── 📦 orders.py     # Order management (4 tools)
│       │   ├── 🚚 shipping.py   # Shipping rates (2 tools)
│       │   ├── 🖼️ mockups.py    # Mockup generation (2 tools)
│       │   ├── 📁 files.py      # File management (2 tools)
│       │   ├── 🏪 stores.py     # Store statistics (2 tools)
│       │   └── 🔄 sync.py       # v1 fallback (2 tools)
│       └── 📁 models/
│           └── 📋 inputs.py      # Pydantic input models
├── 📄 pyproject.toml
├── 🔐 .env.example
└── 📖 README.md

🤝 Contributing

We welcome contributions! Here's how you can help:

🐛 Report Bugs

Found an issue? Open a bug report

Request Features

Have an idea? Suggest a feature

🔧 Submit PRs

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create your feature branch
  3. Commit your changes
  4. Push and open a Pull Request

📚 Resources & Links

ResourceLink
📘 Printful API v2 Docsdevelopers.printful.com/docs/v2-beta
📗 Printful API v1 Docsdevelopers.printful.com/docs
🔌 MCP Protocol Specmodelcontextprotocol.io
🐍 FastMCP Frameworkgithub.com/modelcontextprotocol/python-sdk
🎨 Purple Horizonspurplehorizons.io
👨‍💻 Made by Giannigiannidalerta.com

📄 License

MIT License - Free to use, modify, and distribute

View LicensePurple Horizons LLC • 2026


💝 Support This Project

If this project helped you, consider:

Star this repo on GitHub

🐦 Share it on social media

🤝 Contribute to the codebase

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