You can draw without one. You need one when the picture has to live outside the chat.
Making and checking on your machine stay free forever. `npx -y @slickfast/mcp` draws charts and Pages locally. No telemetry. No key.
A free SF- key is not a paywall on drawing. It is the door for when you want the work in the world — a URL someone else can open, an embed that updates, a Page with a twin and a fingerprint.
Paid is permanence and volume. Not the right to draw.
Free Pages: up to 5 alive, 7-day TTL, watermark. Paid: more slots, permanent.
1. Get a free key at slickfast.com — email only, no card.
2. In `~/.cursor/mcp.json`, under the `slickfast` server, set env `SLICKFAST_API_KEY` to your `SF-…` key.
3. Reload the MCP server (or restart Cursor).
4. Call `mcp_status` — you should see API key: yes (from MCP config env).
5. Ask to share a chart or publish a Page — or call `my_pages`.
Hosted / claude.ai: Connect `mcp.slickfast.com` and use the same free key (or OAuth).
1. No key = free to draw. Key = free to keep a URL in the world.
2. 250/mo, no card — enough to learn live, share, and publish.
3. Unguessable ≠ private — anyone with the link sees the Page and the twin.
1. Local `render_chart` / `render_page` need no key. Don’t nag for one before the first picture.
2. On share / publish / `my_pages` / live: if no key, send them to slickfast.com and show the `SLICKFAST_API_KEY` env paste — then reload.
3. After they have a key: prefer url + jsonUrl + specHash. Don’t dump HTML.
4. Cold path: `get_started` → `news` → gallery → one render → free key when they ask to keep it.
Free to make. Free key to keep it live.
Doors: Get started · News · Free key · Archive