How do I add ToolForte to the Vercel AI SDK?

import { experimental_createMCPClient as createMCPClient, generateText } from "ai";
import { StreamableHTTPClientTransport } from "@modelcontextprotocol/sdk/client/streamableHttp.js";

const toolforte = await createMCPClient({
  transport: new StreamableHTTPClientTransport(new URL("https://toolforte.com/api/mcp")),
});
const tools = await toolforte.tools();
const { text } = await generateText({
  model, // any AI SDK model
  tools,
  prompt: "Validate the IBAN NL91 ABNA 0417 1643 00 with ToolForte.",
});
await toolforte.close();

new StreamableHTTPClientTransport(new URL("https://toolforte.com/api/mcp"), {
  requestInit: { headers: { Authorization: "Bearer tf_your_key_here" } },
})

Adding an API key

Pass requestInit with a headers object to the transport, as in the second snippet. It is sent on every request.

A key starts with tf_ and is created on your account page. It is free, and it is what gives memory a private owner and workflows an account to run on.

From free to paid, in order

1. Create a free account. An email address is all it asks for.
2. On your account page, create an API key. It is shown once; copy it then.
3. Put the key in the Vercel AI SDK as described above, and restart or refresh the connection.
4. Ask for something server-side, such as a PDF. The result names your remaining balance, which proves the key arrived.
5. Running low? Buy credits on the pricing page, or take ToolForte Pro there for the larger monthly balance. Both use the same key; nothing changes in the Vercel AI SDK.

Validate the IBAN NL91 ABNA 0417 1643 00 with ToolForte.

Why does the import say experimental?

The AI SDK marks its MCP client experimental while the interface settles. It works today; the name may drop the prefix in a later release, and the ToolForte side does not change.

What does the ToolForte MCP server cost?

The 150 deterministic utilities are free and so is agent memory. Each client session gets 3 renders a day without a key. With a free API key you get a monthly balance of 1,000 credits: a tool call costs 1 credit and a render 25, so that is 40 renders or 1,000 calls. ToolForte Pro is €19.00 a month for 7,500 credits, and any account can buy extra credits from 100 for €1.00 that never expire. You never have to guess: every tool in the list carries its price, and every result says what the call cost and what is left.

Do I need an API key?

Not for the utilities. A key is what makes memory private to you, gives access to the workflows on your account, and moves renders onto a monthly balance instead of the daily allowance. You create one on your ToolForte account page and pass it as an Authorization: Bearer header; an X-API-Key header works too.

Which tools does the server expose?

180 tools in four groups: 150 deterministic utilities such as validate_iban, calculate_vat, working_days_between, parse_cron and test_regex; 14 render tools (html_to_pdf, url_to_pdf, url_screenshot, qr_code_png, pdf_merge, pdf_split, images_to_pdf, image_resize, image_convert, image_compress, read_page, strip_metadata, pdf_to_docx, docx_to_pdf) that return hosted files or page content; 4 memory tools (memory_set, memory_get, memory_list, memory_delete); and 3 workflow tools (workflow_list, workflow_run, workflow_propose).

Why does my client list only a handful of tools?

On purpose. A session that loads all 180 tool definitions spends tens of thousands of tokens before the first message, and models choose worse from a long list, so the plain URL lists a small core plus three meta tools: search_tools finds any tool by a word from the job, describe_tool returns its full schema, and run_tool runs it by name. Every tool stays callable by name as well. To list everything up front, connect to https://toolforte.com/api/mcp?tools=all; to pick jobs, use ?tools=pdf,dutch or any names, comma separated. With the npm bridge, set TOOLFORTE_TOOLS.

Is what I send to a tool stored?

Tool inputs are processed on ToolForte servers and not kept, except for the memory tools, whose entire purpose is to keep what you store, and rendered files, which are hosted for 24 hours behind a signed link. The browser tools on toolforte.com never send anything; the MCP server necessarily does.

Is there anything to install?

No. The server runs at toolforte.com and every client on this page connects to it over streamable HTTP. A client that only speaks stdio, such as the Claude desktop app on the free plan, runs "npx -y toolforte-mcp" instead: a small bridge on npm that connects to the same server.