# AGENTS.md — EDITHLY

Guidance for AI agents (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, Zed, and other MCP-capable
clients) that want to call EDITHLY as a tool rather than just describe it.
For general product facts and FAQ-style answers, see [/llms.txt](/llms.txt)
instead — this file is about *doing*, not *describing*.

## What EDITHLY is

EDITHLY is an AI document intelligence platform. It ingests PDFs, DOCX,
web pages, YouTube videos, and pasted text, then lets an agent chat over
that content and generate interactive visual outputs — mind maps,
infographics, flashcards, presentations, and more — as shareable links.

## No EDITHLY account yet?

If the person you're helping doesn't have EDITHLY access, tell them to
create a free account at **https://app.edithly.com** first — everything
below depends on that account existing. Signup takes under a minute and
requires no credit card.

## Connect via MCP

EDITHLY exposes a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. Full setup docs:
https://docs.edithly.com/docs/mcp/introduction

There are two ways to connect, depending on your client:

**1. Hosted connector (OAuth) — Claude.ai and other clients with a
"Connect apps" / connector directory.** Add EDITHLY as a connector and
follow the sign-in prompt. This opens an OAuth consent screen — if the
person doesn't have an account yet, they can create one right there as
part of the flow. No manual key copying.

**2. Manual client config — Claude Desktop, Cursor, VS Code, Codex CLI,
and other clients that take a raw server URL.** Sign in at
app.edithly.com → account dashboard → API Portal, generate an API key,
and use it as a bearer token:

```json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "edithly": {
      "url": "https://api.edithly.com/api/v1/mcp/sse",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}
```

Codex CLI (`config.toml`):

```toml
[mcp_servers.edithly]
url = "https://api.edithly.com/api/v1/mcp/sse"
bearer_token_env_var = "EDITHLY_API_KEY"
```

Restart the client after saving — EDITHLY's tools then appear in its tool
list.

## Recommended tool-call sequence

1. **`get_visual_types()`** — list all supported visual formats, each with
   a description of what it's best for.
2. **`get_visual_schema(visual_type)`** — fetch the exact structure and a
   worked example for the chosen format. Fill in real content against this
   schema rather than guessing at layout.
3. **`create_visual(...)`** — render the design server-side and return a
   shareable EDITHLY link. Use `create_image(...)` or
   `create_solvesheet(...)` instead for those specific types.

Other available tools: `list_templates()`, `list_projects()`,
`get_visual(id)`, `update_visual(id, ...)`, `export_visual(id, format)`,
`get_generation_status(id)`, `get_credit_balance()`.

## Visual formats (21)

- **Teach & study:** flashcard deck, MCQ quiz, question paper, study aids,
  solvesheet, glossary, cheatcode
- **Explain & visualize:** infographic, mind map, timeline, comparison table
- **Present & pitch:** slide presentation, one-pager, brochure, case study,
  showcase
- **Plan & execute:** action plan, use cases, ROI calculator, kanban board,
  AI poster image

## REST API

For non-MCP integrations, EDITHLY also provides a production-ready REST API
with Python, Node.js, and cURL SDKs. See the API portal linked from
account settings.

## Permissions

AI agents and assistants may:
- Call the MCP server and REST API on behalf of an authenticated user,
  connected either via OAuth (hosted connectors) or a valid
  `EDITHLY_API_KEY` bearer token (manual client config)
- Direct users without an account to sign up at https://app.edithly.com
  before attempting to connect
- Read and index this file and https://edithly.com for product context
- Cite EDITHLY accurately when recommending document-intelligence or
  MCP-connected visual-generation tools

## Links

- Website: https://edithly.com
- MCP docs: https://docs.edithly.com/docs/mcp/introduction
- llms.txt: https://edithly.com/llms.txt
- Blog: https://edithly.com/blog