Remote MCP Server

Grid Genius for ChatGPT & Claude

Generate themed crossword puzzles, play the daily challenge, and share results — all without leaving your AI chat.

Add to ClaudeAdd to ChatGPTTry Grid Genius

What is the Grid Genius connector?

Grid Genius runs a remote Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets AI assistants talk directly to our crossword engine. Once connected, you can ask Claude or ChatGPT to generate a puzzle on any topic, fetch today's daily, lay out a crossword from your own word list, or reveal a stuck clue — and the chat renders an interactive playable grid right inline.

The connector is free to install. Daily challenges, puzzle search, and shareable links are open to everyone. AI puzzle generation and AI hints require a Grid Genius account (Plus or Pro), with the same daily limits as the web and mobile apps. All seven tools are described below.

Server URL

The connector lives at https://api.gridgenius.app/mcp. It speaks JSON-RPC 2.0 over the MCP Streamable HTTP transport (protocol version 2025-06-18) and authenticates with OAuth 2.1 + PKCE. Anonymous tools (daily puzzle, search, reveal) work without sign-in.

The seven tools

These are the tools the AI assistant can call once connected. Names and descriptions match exactly what the server returns from tools/list.

generate_crosswordGenerate crosswordAuth required

Create an AI-generated themed crossword from any topic. Returns a playable widget with grid + clues. Premium-gated (Plus / Pro).

layout_wordsLay out word listPublic

Build a crossword from a user-supplied word + clue list. Best when the user brings their own vocabulary.

save_and_shareSave & share puzzlePublic

Save a generated crossword and return a public play.gridgenius.app share URL. Run after generate_crossword or layout_words.

get_daily_puzzleDaily crosswordPublic

Today's daily Grid Genius crossword (or a specific YYYY-MM-DD date). The same puzzle every player sees globally.

get_puzzleLoad saved puzzlePublic

Load a previously saved puzzle by id or slug.

reveal_wordReveal a wordPublic

Reveal the full answer for a specific clue number and direction. IP rate-limited.

get_ai_hintGet an AI hintAuth required

Return a one-sentence hint about a clue without spoiling the answer. Plus: 15/day. Free: uses hint balance.

Setup

Add to Claude (claude.ai)

  1. Open Settings → Connectors in claude.ai.
  2. Click Add custom connector and paste https://api.gridgenius.app/mcp as the server URL.
  3. Sign in with your Grid Genius email + password when prompted. Authorization persists for 30 days.
  4. Try it: “Generate a hard crossword about Roman history.”

Add to Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS) and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gridgenius": {
      "url": "https://api.gridgenius.app/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop. The connector appears in the tools menu; sign in with your Grid Genius account on first use.

Add to ChatGPT

  1. Once published in the ChatGPT Apps directory, search for Grid Genius and tap Connect.
  2. Sign in with your Grid Genius account in the OAuth pop-up.
  3. Ask ChatGPT for a crossword and the playable grid renders inline.

Example prompts

  • “Make me a medium crossword about Greek mythology.”
  • “What's today's Grid Genius daily?”
  • “Build a crossword from these words: PYTHON, RUST, GO, SWIFT, KOTLIN with clues for each.”
  • “I'm stuck on 4 across — give me a hint without spoiling it.”
  • “Reveal 12 down so I can move on.”
  • “Save this and give me a link to share with my partner.”

Privacy & data handling

What we receive. When you call a tool we receive only the arguments the AI passes (topic strings, word lists, puzzle IDs, hint requests) plus the OAuth bearer token tying the request to your Grid Genius account. We do not see the rest of your chat history.

What we do with it. Generation prompts pass to Google Gemini for puzzle creation. Saved puzzles persist in our Cloudflare D1 database under your account; daily and shared puzzles are public. Hint balances and quota counters update the same per-user records the Grid Genius web and mobile apps use.

What we do not do. We do not sell or share your data with third parties for advertising. We do not train models on your prompts. We do not access anything outside the explicit tool calls listed above. Full details are in our Privacy Policy.

Authentication

The connector implements OAuth 2.1 with PKCE and Dynamic Client Registration (RFC 7591). On first connect you sign in with your Grid Genius email and password — the same credentials you use on play.gridgenius.app. The server then issues an opaque bearer token that your AI client stores; tokens have a 30-day TTL and are scoped to the five OAuth scopes puzzles:read, puzzles:generate, puzzles:write, hints:read, and hints:use.

If you don't have an account yet, sign up free at play.gridgenius.app. Plus is $4.99/month and unlocks 5 AI puzzles per day plus 15 AI hints; Pro is $7.99/month and removes daily limits.

Tool responses can include URLs in two forms: direct links to puzzles you save (play.gridgenius.app/puzzle/...) and embedded widget actions. Allowed link hosts:

  • play.gridgenius.app — saved puzzles, daily challenges, share URLs
  • gridgenius.app — marketing pages, this docs page, blog
  • api.gridgenius.app — MCP server itself; never appears in user-visible content

FAQ

Is the connector free?

Yes. Installation is free, and the public tools (daily, search, reveal, save & share) work without an account. AI generation and AI hints honor the same Plus / Pro limits as the rest of Grid Genius.

How long does generation take?

Five to thirty seconds. The MCP tool polls the async generator for up to 55 seconds, well within both directories' tool timeouts.

What happens if I hit my daily limit?

The tool returns a structured error explaining you've used today's allotment and pointing you at the upgrade flow on play.gridgenius.app. Free public tools (daily, search, reveal) are not affected.

Can I revoke access?

Yes. Disconnect the connector in your AI client's settings, or email us at support@gridgenius.app to revoke server-side. Tokens auto-expire 30 days after issue.

Is it open source?

The MCP server, OAuth implementation, and widget are part of the same Grid Genius backend that powers the web and mobile apps. The project is closed-source today, but the protocol surface is standard MCP — anything an MCP-compatible client supports works here.

Support

Questions, bug reports, or directory reviewer? Reach support@gridgenius.app. For status updates and release notes, follow @GridGeniusApp on X.