{"page":{"title":"SlickFast News — Why take a free key","description":"Local draw is free forever. A free SF- key keeps a live URL, a share link, and a Page in the world. Email, no card, 250/mo.","theme":"teal-dark","sections":[{"type":"hero","badge":"news · #10","heading":"Why take a free key","sub":"You can draw without one. You need one when the picture has to live outside the chat."},{"type":"stats","items":[{"label":"Local draw","value":"free"},{"label":"Free key","value":"250/mo"},{"label":"Card","value":"none"},{"label":"Sign-up","value":"email"}]},{"type":"text","body":"## The point\n**Making and checking on your machine stay free forever.** `npx -y @slickfast/mcp` draws charts and Pages locally. No telemetry. No key.\nA free [SF- key](https://slickfast.com) 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.\nPaid is permanence and volume. Not the right to draw."},{"type":"chart","spec":{"type":"versus","title":"No key vs free key","background":"#0a0f14","sides":[{"title":"Local only","items":[{"label":"Draw","value":"Yes — free"},{"label":"Public URL","value":"No"},{"label":"Best for","value":"Taste + drafts"}]},{"title":"Free SF- key","items":[{"label":"Draw","value":"Still free"},{"label":"Public URL","value":"Yes"},{"label":"Best for","value":"Keep + share"}]}]}},{"type":"text","body":"## What the free key unlocks\n- **Live URL** — `share_chart` / `POST /live/{name}` → same `.png` / `.svg` while your cron pushes fresh data ([News #8](https://pages.slickfast.com/s/12fc49b6a8cdf10aeadf7d39ee8d893d))\n- **Share** — README, Slack, email — prefer PNG for mail clients that cache\n- **Publish a Page** — hero + prose + charts → `pages.slickfast.com/s/{hex}` + `.json` twin + fingerprint\n- **My Pages** — call `my_pages` — this key’s publish history as a Page ([News #9](https://pages.slickfast.com/s/38f0eca33ec1052be52d1c4509fa6ded))\n- **Hosted MCP** — `mcp.slickfast.com` for cloud agents (metered like the API)\n\nFree Pages: up to **5** alive, **7-day** TTL, watermark. Paid: more slots, permanent."},{"type":"chart","spec":{"type":"steps","title":"Two minutes to a public URL","background":"#0a0f14","steps":[{"label":"Key","description":"slickfast.com"},{"label":"Paste","description":"MCP config env"},{"label":"Reload","description":"restart MCP"},{"label":"Share","description":"share_chart / Page"}]}},{"type":"text","body":"## How to put it in Cursor\n1. Get a free key at [slickfast.com](https://slickfast.com) — email only, no card.\n2. In `~/.cursor/mcp.json`, under the `slickfast` server, set env `SLICKFAST_API_KEY` to your `SF-…` key.\n3. Reload the MCP server (or restart Cursor).\n4. Call **`mcp_status`** — you should see **API key: yes (from MCP config env)**.\n5. Ask to share a chart or publish a Page — or call **`my_pages`**.\n\nHosted / claude.ai: Connect `mcp.slickfast.com` and use the same free key (or OAuth)."},{"type":"text","body":"## Takeaways (humans)\n1. **No key = free to draw.** Key = free to keep a URL in the world.\n2. **250/mo, no card** — enough to learn live, share, and publish.\n3. **Unguessable ≠ private** — anyone with the link sees the Page and the twin."},{"type":"text","body":"## Takeaways (agents)\n1. Local `render_chart` / `render_page` need **no key**. Don’t nag for one before the first picture.\n2. On share / publish / `my_pages` / live: if no key, send them to [slickfast.com](https://slickfast.com) and show the `SLICKFAST_API_KEY` env paste — then reload.\n3. After they have a key: prefer **url + jsonUrl + specHash**. Don’t dump HTML.\n4. Cold path: `get_started` → `news` → gallery → one render → **free key when they ask to keep it**."},{"type":"text","body":"## One sentence to steal\n**Free to make. Free key to keep it live.**\n\nDoors: [Get started](https://slickfast.com/start) · [News](https://slickfast.com/news) · [Free key](https://slickfast.com) · [Archive](https://slickfast.com/news/archive)"},{"type":"footer","note":"SlickFast News #10 · free key · keep it in the world · add .json for the twin","link":"https://slickfast.com/news/archive"}]},"specHash":"sha256:495aa1303079ef42965841b27c7d03dc09b2c38b27a0d1f10281c92a2718af57","frozen":true,"expiresAt":null}