Elf Messages for AI assistants

Ask Claude, ChatGPT, Gemini or other AI assistants for Elf on the Shelf ideas, or let them help you write and order a personalised Elf Message.

Last updated: 12 November 2026

What it is

Elf Messages has a public Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. MCP is the standard way for AI assistants such as Claude, ChatGPT and Gemini to use other services. Once your assistant is connected, it can:

  • tell you what an Elf Message is, what it costs and how delivery works,
  • suggest free Elf on the Shelf ideas, including the idea for any day from 1 to 25 December,
  • introduce the elves who record the messages,
  • start an order once you've agreed the message, and give you a secure Stripe link to pay for it.

Your assistant never takes payment. You always pay on Stripe's own page, in your browser.

How to connect

The server needs no account or sign-in. Its address is:

https://elfmessages.com/mcp

  • Claude (claude.ai or the desktop app): go to Settings, then Connectors, choose Add custom connector and paste the address above.
  • ChatGPT: in Settings, open Apps & Connectors (or Connectors), turn on developer mode under Advanced, then create a connector with the address above and no authentication. Custom connectors depend on your ChatGPT plan, and on a work plan your admin may need to allow them.
  • Gemini: where your Google account can add custom apps, go to Settings, then Connected apps, choose Add a custom app and paste the address above. In Gemini CLI, add the server to mcpServers in settings.json with "httpUrl": "https://elfmessages.com/mcp".
  • Other AI assistants and developer tools: add it as a remote MCP server using the Streamable HTTP transport, with no authentication.

Each assistant's menus and plan requirements change from time to time, so check its own help pages if these steps don't match what you see. If your assistant can't start orders, you can still order on our website.

Tools

Tool What it does Changes anything?
get_product_info What an Elf Message is, prices in pounds and US dollars, delivery, writing tips and the order page link. No
get_elf_idea An Elf on the Shelf idea: for a day of December (1 to 25), matching a search word, or at random. Includes what you need, the steps and a link to the photo page. No
list_elves The North Pole elves who record Elf Messages. No
start_order Starts an order with your name, email address and the message text, and returns a Stripe Checkout link to pay. Yes: it saves an unpaid order

Guided ordering

The server also offers a ready-made prompt, Order an Elf Message (order_elf_message). Pick it to have your assistant walk you through the order one question at a time: who it's for, what the elf should say, a draft for you to change until you're happy, the currency, then your name and email address. It checks everything with you before starting the order. You can fill in the children's names and the occasion when you pick it, or leave them for the assistant to ask.

  • Claude: choose it from the + menu in the message box, under the Elf Messages connector.
  • Gemini CLI, VS Code and other AI assistants that support MCP prompts usually offer it as a slash command.
  • ChatGPT doesn't show MCP prompts. Just ask it to help you write and order an Elf Message, as in example 3 below.

Example prompts

  1. 1. Tonight's idea

    “What's a quick Elf on the Shelf idea for 5 December? I've only got ten minutes after the kids are in bed.”

    The assistant uses get_elf_idea to fetch that day's idea, with what you need and the steps.

  2. 2. Finding out more

    “What is an Elf Message, how much does it cost in dollars, and how quickly does it arrive?”

    The assistant uses get_product_info, and may use list_elves to introduce the elves.

  3. 3. Writing and ordering a message

    “Help me write an Elf Message for Lily and Sam. The elf should say well done to Lily for her school nativity and remind Sam to keep his room tidy. Once I'm happy with it, order it for me. I'm Kate, kate@example.com, paying in pounds.”

    The assistant drafts the message with you (up to 120 words). When you confirm it, it uses start_order and gives you a Stripe link to pay.

Ordering and payment

  • An Elf Message costs £5.97 or $7.97, the same as on our website. Promo codes can be entered on the Stripe page.
  • Nothing is charged when the order is started. Open the Stripe link and pay within 30 minutes. If you don't, the link expires and the unpaid order is deleted within the hour.
  • If your assistant starts the same order twice (the same name, email, message and currency within 25 minutes), you get the same payment link, not a second order.
  • After you pay, we email you as usual: your elf says hello, and then you get a link to your finished recording, usually within about 30 minutes. You can edit the message once and have it re-recorded free.

Your data

The information tools don't ask for any personal details. start_order sends us only your name, your email address and the message text, which we use to record and deliver your message. We don't receive the rest of your conversation with the assistant, which its provider (such as Anthropic, OpenAI or Google) handles under its own privacy policy. The full details are in our privacy policy.

Limits

  • Messages can be up to 120 words.
  • Up to 5 orders can be started from the same internet address every 10 minutes, and up to 60 requests to the server.

Troubleshooting

  • "Too many orders started from here recently": wait a few minutes and try again, or order on our website.
  • "The order wasn't started": the message explains what to fix, for example an email address that isn't valid or a message over 120 words.
  • The payment link has expired: ask your assistant to start the order again. You get a fresh link.
  • The assistant can't connect: check that the address ends in /mcp and that no sign-in or API key is set for it.
  • You've paid but have no email: check your spam or junk folder. If it's not there after an hour, email us.

Help

For anything else, including questions about an order, email info@magnifica.co.uk. Please include the email address you ordered with.