Illudex in ChatGPT and Claude

#Overview

Illudex is an MCP server, the standard way assistants like ChatGPT and Claude connect to outside tools. Once it's added, your assistant can search every card on Illudex, Pokémon and One Piece, by what the art shows and how it feels, find cards like one you point at, tell you about a card, and lay out a binder page around a theme.

Server URL

https://www.illudex.com/mcp

Transport

Streamable HTTP, one JSON answer per request

Authentication

None

Tools

4, all read-only (see below)

Card view

Drawn inline in ChatGPT and other apps that show app views

Price

Free

#ChatGPTAbout 2 minutes

1. Turn on developer mode

   Open Settings›Security and login›Developer mode and switch it on. Some versions keep it under Settings›Apps & Connectors›Advanced settings instead.

   Developer mode is on chatgpt.com in a browser, on paid plans. On a Business or Enterprise workspace, an admin has to allow it first.

2. Create the app

   Open Plugins in the sidebar and press +. In Create MCP App, fill in:

   Field	Enter
   Icon (optional)	Download the Illudex icon
   Name	IlludexCopy Illudex
   Description (optional)	Find Pokémon cards by how the art feelsCopy Find Pokémon cards by how the art feels
   Connection	Leave Server URL selected and paste https://www.illudex.com/mcpCopy https://www.illudex.com/mcp
   Authentication	Switch it from OAuth to no authentication

   Tick I understand and want to continue, then press Create. Illudex's four tools show up on the next screen.

3. Ask for cards

   In a new chat, type @Illudex and describe what you want, or pick Illudex from the + menu. Naming it is the surest way. Without it, ChatGPT sometimes answers on its own.

   @Illudex find me cards with autumn leaves and fall colorsCopy

#ClaudeAbout 1 minute

1. Add a custom connector

   On claude.ai, open Settings›Connectors and press Add custom connector. Name it IlludexCopy Illudex and paste https://www.illudex.com/mcpCopy https://www.illudex.com/mcp as the server URL. Leave the advanced settings empty and press Add.

   The free plan allows one custom connector. Once it's added on the web, it's in Claude's desktop and mobile apps too.

2. Turn it on in a chat

   Press + under the message box, open Connectors and switch Illudex on. Then ask away.

   Use Illudex to make me a binder page of snowy cardsCopy

#Editors and other apps

Anything that connects to MCP servers over HTTP can use Illudex: point it at the address and choose no authentication. Handy if you're building a collection site or a Discord bot and want card art by description.

claude mcp add --transport http illudex https://www.illudex.com/mcp

From a terminal

Every tool is one POST. This asks for three cards of snow at night:

curl -s https://www.illudex.com/mcp \
  -H 'content-type: application/json' \
  -d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/call",
       "params":{"name":"search_cards",
                 "arguments":{"query":"snow at night","limit":3}}}'

#What to ask

Describe the picture, not the card: a mood, a place, the weather, the light, colors, a drawing style, or a Pokémon doing something somewhere. Then keep going from what comes back.

• Find cozy Pokémon cards set on a rainy street at nightsearch_cards
• Show me Charizard cards where it's flying in the skysearch_cards
• More cards drawn in the same style as the first onesimilar_cards
• Tell me about the Charizard ex from 151card_details
• Make me a binder page of snowy cardsbinder_page
• One Piece cards set out on the oceansearch_cards

Illudex doesn't do prices, deck building, rules or grading, so your assistant won't use it for those.

#Tools

Four tools, all read-only: they look things up and return cards and links, and never change anything. Every card comes back with its name, set, year, a picture and a link to its page.

#Privacy and limits

• Illudex gets only what a tool needs: the words of a search, a card you asked about, or the theme of a page. Not your name, your email, your account or the rest of your conversation, and it doesn't keep the words it gets.
• Links back to Illudex carry a tag saying they came from an assistant, so a visit counts like any other.
• 120 requests a minute for each address. Plenty for chatting; a script should slow down.
• Illudex is an independent fan site, not affiliated with The Pokémon Company or any card publisher. Card images belong to their owners.

The full details are in the privacy policy.

#Troubleshooting

Still stuck? Get in touch and say which app you're using and what it said.