Claude Code MCP & Skills with PrintingPress.dev (Save Tokens)

Install Go, PrintingPress.dev, and your first CLI

PrintingPress prints Go binaries, so Go is the only prerequisite. Once Go is installed, you can install the press itself and then pull any CLI from the library in seconds.

1. 1. Ask Claude to install Go for you

   Skip the OS-specific dance. Open Claude (or Claude Code in your terminal) and paste the prompt below. Claude will detect your OS, pick the right installer (Homebrew on macOS, apt on Linux, the .msi on Windows), add Go's bin folder to your PATH, and verify the install — all in one go.

   # Paste this into Claude / Claude Code
   Install Go on my machine. Detect my OS, use the best package manager
   for it, add $(go env GOPATH)/bin to my PATH in the right shell rc file,
   then run `go version` to confirm it worked.
   
   # When it's done, verify yourself
   go version

2. 3. Install PrintingPress.dev

   Install the `pp` command with `go install`. That single binary is what prints new CLIs from an API spec or a website.

   go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press/cmd/pp@latest
   
   # Confirm it's on your PATH
   pp --help

3. 4. Install a CLI from the Printing Press library

   Browse the library at github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library and install any printed CLI directly with `go install`. The examples below show a few popular ones — swap in whichever you need.

   # OpenRouter (token usage + model introspection)
   go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/ai/openrouter/cmd/pp-openrouter@latest
   
   # Linear (local SQLite mirror + SQL queries)
   go install github.com/mvanhorn/printing-press-library/library/productivity/linear/cmd/pp-linear@latest
   
   # Verify install
   pp-openrouter --help
   pp-linear --help

4. 5. Print your own CLI from an API

   Point `pp` at an OpenAPI spec (or a website) and it prints a Go CLI, a Claude Code skill, an OpenClaw skill, and an MCP server in one shot.

   pp print --spec ./my-api.openapi.json --name my-api
   
   # Then install the freshly printed CLI
   cd ./out/my-api && go install ./cmd/pp-my-api

5. 6. Install the Claude Code skill and MCP server

   Each printed CLI ships with a Claude Code skill and an MCP server. Drop the skill into your Claude Code skills folder, or register the MCP server in your Claude config, and Claude will start using the token-efficient command instead of raw HTTP.

   # Claude Code: copy the printed skill
   cp -r ./out/my-api/claude-skill ~/.claude/skills/my-api
   
   # Or run the MCP server
   pp-my-api mcp serve

Frequently asked questions

How does PrintingPress.dev save tokens with Claude?

It replaces raw HTTP calls with a purpose-built CLI that returns compact, agent-shaped output. Claude reads less JSON, makes fewer round trips, and can query a local SQLite mirror instead of paginating a remote API — all of which directly reduce input and output token usage.

Do I need to write the CLI myself?

No. PrintingPress.dev prints the CLI for you from an API spec — or even from a public website that doesn't expose an API. You also get a Claude Code skill, an OpenClaw skill, and an MCP server in the same command.

What's the local SQLite mirror for?

It's a synced local copy of the data behind the API. Claude can run rich queries against it (joins, filters, aggregates) in milliseconds without spending tokens on pagination, rate limits, or repeated fetches. The remote call happens once at sync time.

Does this work with MCP and Claude Code?

Yes. Each printed binary ships as a Claude Code skill, an OpenClaw skill, and an MCP server, so you can plug it into whichever agent runtime you're using and Claude will start calling the token-efficient command instead of hitting the API directly.

Where can I find CLIs other people have printed?

The printing-press-library on GitHub already has CLIs for Linear, OpenRouter, DigitalOcean, Cloud Run, Render, Shopify, eBay, FedEx, Instacart, TikTok Shop, and more — installable straight from the library.