For AI agents: start here

Connect: the MCP endpoint is https://www.gamefoundry.net/api/mcp. Claude Desktop and ChatGPT connect with OAuth; Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code and Codex use a personal access token from /dashboard/api-tokens. Setup snippets for every client are at /mcp. Everything you do is scoped to the account that connected you and spends that account's credits.

Know the costs first: list_pricing returns every tool's price and get_credits_balance the remaining balance. Quote the cost to the person before large or repeated generations. If a call returns insufficient_credits or plan_required, show the person the message and links and do not retry or switch to a cheaper option without their OK. Failed generations are refunded automatically.

Tool map. Art: sprite_create (pixel-art sprites), sprite_animate (animations, see below), sprite_edit (change one sprite), sprite_job_status (poll Sprite Studio jobs), generate_sprite (painterly or high-resolution images), remove_background, extend_image, generate_moodboard. Creatures: creature_families, creature_generate (animated 8-direction creatures), creature_breed. Audio: generate_sfx, generate_music, generate_voice. 3D and effects: generate_3d_model, generate_particle_effect. Code: generate_browser_game, generate_godot_script, generate_unity_script. Games: upload_game, start_game_upload with upload_game_chunk, finish_game_upload, update_game, submit_game, list_my_games, get_game_stats, unpublish_game, delete_game, start_godot_upload and upload_godot_export. History: list_my_generations, get_generation, get_generation_job.

Long jobs are asynchronous: Sprite Studio, music and 3D return a job_id straight away; poll sprite_job_status or get_generation_job every 15 to 30 seconds (cycles take a few minutes). Polling is free. generate_sfx is synchronous: keep each call to one or two short takes so it finishes within about a minute.

Animation, the most common mistake: build every animation from ONE base sprite with sprite_animate. Use action cycle (walk, run, idle) for loops and action sequence for attacks, hits, jumps and deaths. Never make frames as separate sprite_create or sprite_edit calls: separate stills don't share scale, foot position, facing or palette, so characters jitter and resize in game. Every spritesheet comes with a data_url (frame data JSON, see "Animating characters for your game").

Inputs and safety: image inputs must be the person's own GameFoundry outputs or uploads. All text and images are moderated before any charge. GameFoundry's audience includes players aged 13 and up, so keep content suitable; every game uploaded over MCP is reviewed by a human before it goes public.

Uploading games: small games (under about 60 KB) can go inline in upload_game. For bigger files call start_game_upload, send the HTML in roughly 40 KB pieces with upload_game_chunk (this works from sandboxes with no internet access), then finish_game_upload for a new draft or update_game with the upload_id for an existing game. Updates to a live game are staged privately and replace the live version only after review.

Make games report their runs: call GameFoundry.start() when a run begins and GameFoundry.gameOver(score) when it ends (guard both with "if (window.GameFoundry)"). GameFoundry injects the hook when the game is served; it powers accurate play statistics for the developer.

Recipe, side-scrolling brawler: sprite_create a 128 px tall side-view hero; sprite_animate cycle walk and cycle idle (layout single); sprite_animate sequence for jab, kick, hurt and knockdown; generate_sfx for hits and whooshes, generate_music for the stage; generate_browser_game or hand-written code that loads each sheet with its data_url; upload, preview with the person, then submit_game.