PrintSmith MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that connects Claude to PrintSmith Vision, enabling AI-assisted print shop management.

All operations are READ-ONLY - this server only queries data, never modifies it.

Features

Quick Start (Mock Data)

Test the server without a PrintSmith connection:

cd printsmith-mcp
pip install -r requirements.txt
USE_MOCK_DATA=true python src/server.py

Deployment on Proxmox LXC

Step 1: Create the LXC Container

On your Proxmox host:

# Download the setup script
scp scripts/setup-lxc.sh root@proxmox:/tmp/

# SSH to Proxmox and run
ssh root@proxmox
cd /tmp

# Edit variables at top of script, then run:
bash setup-lxc.sh

This creates an Ubuntu 24.04 LXC container with Python installed.

Step 2: Deploy Application Files

From your local machine (where you downloaded this repo):

# Set your container ID
CTID=200

# Copy files to container
pct push $CTID src/server.py /opt/printsmith-mcp/src/server.py
pct push $CTID src/printsmith_client.py /opt/printsmith-mcp/src/printsmith_client.py
pct push $CTID requirements.txt /opt/printsmith-mcp/requirements.txt
pct push $CTID scripts/install.sh /opt/printsmith-mcp/scripts/install.sh

Or use the deploy script:

bash scripts/deploy-to-lxc.sh 200

Step 3: Install Inside Container

pct enter 200

cd /opt/printsmith-mcp
bash scripts/install.sh

Step 4: Configure PrintSmith Connection

nano /opt/printsmith-mcp/.env

Edit these values:

PRINTSMITH_BASE_URL=https://your-printsmith-server.com
PRINTSMITH_API_TOKEN=your-api-token-here
USE_MOCK_DATA=false

Step 5: Start the Service

systemctl start printsmith-mcp
systemctl status printsmith-mcp

# View logs
journalctl -u printsmith-mcp -f

Step 6: Test

# From inside container
curl http://localhost:8080/health

# From Proxmox host (replace IP)
curl http://10.0.0.50:8080/health

Connecting to Claude

Option A: Claude Desktop (if LXC has STDIO access)

Not recommended for LXC. Use Option B.

Option B: Remote MCP Connection (Recommended)

The server runs in HTTP/SSE mode, accessible at:

http://<container-ip>:8080/sse

To use with Claude, you'll need an MCP client that supports remote servers. Check Anthropic's documentation for current options.

Option C: For Development/Testing

You can also run the server locally in STDIO mode for Claude Desktop:

MCP_TRANSPORT=stdio python src/server.py

PrintSmith API Reference

Getting Your API Token

1. Log into PrintSmith Vision as administrator

2. Go to Setup → Preferences → API Settings

3. Generate or copy your API token

API Endpoints Used (Read-Only)

Authentication

PrintSmith uses token-in-URL authentication:

GET https://your-server.com/AccountAPI/YOUR_API_TOKEN?account_id=1234

Common Query Parameters

Response Format

All responses are JSON:

{
  "id": "1234",
  "name": "Acme Corporation",
  "balance": 2450.00,
  "credit_status": "good"
}

Error Responses

{
  "status": "Failure",
  "message": "Account with number(account_account_id): 9999 was not found."
}

Environment Variables

Project Structure

printsmith-mcp/
├── src/
│   ├── server.py              # MCP server (main entry point)
│   └── printsmith_client.py   # PrintSmith API client (read-only)
├── scripts/
│   ├── setup-lxc.sh           # Create LXC container on Proxmox
│   ├── deploy-to-lxc.sh       # Copy files to container
│   └── install.sh             # Install inside container
├── requirements.txt
└── README.md

Security Considerations

1. API Token: Stored in .env file with restricted permissions (600)

2. Read-Only: All operations are GET requests only

3. Network: Consider firewall rules to restrict access to MCP port

4. SSL: Enable PRINTSMITH_VERIFY_SSL in production

For a multi-tenant SaaS, you'll need additional:

• Per-customer credential storage (encrypted)

• Authentication for the MCP endpoint

• Rate limiting

• Audit logging

Troubleshooting

Container won't start

pct status 200
pct config 200
journalctl -u pve-container@200

Service fails to start

pct enter 200
journalctl -u printsmith-mcp -n 50

Can't connect to PrintSmith

# Test from inside container
curl -v "https://your-printsmith-server.com/AccountAPI/YOUR_TOKEN?limit=1"

SSL certificate errors

# Temporarily disable SSL verification
echo "PRINTSMITH_VERIFY_SSL=false" >> /opt/printsmith-mcp/.env
systemctl restart printsmith-mcp

Next Steps

1. Test with mock data - Verify everything works

2. Connect to real PrintSmith - Add your credentials

3. Identify high-value features - What do users need most?

4. Add authentication - Secure the MCP endpoint

5. Build multi-tenant - Credential management for multiple customers

Resources

• MCP Documentation

• MCP Python SDK

• PrintSmith Vision - Contact EFI/ePS for API documentation