# Sharing a Combine Plan

_Published September 20, 2026_

Turning a calculator result, built for Min XP or Min prior work, into a link or image someone else can follow step by step, without seeing your inventory.

Once the calculator has produced a combine order, tapping **Share** copies a link anyone can open to follow the exact same steps — without ever seeing what's in your inventory.

## What actually gets shared

A plan link encodes only the **already-resolved result**: the item, each step's base/sacrifice/result, its cost, which steps are marked done, and the optimization mode it was built with (**Min XP** or **Min prior work**, see [How to Use the Calculator](/guides/using-the-calculator)) — never your raw inventory contents or which specific items of yours were used to get there. That's a deliberate, separate design from [Sharing Your Inventory](/guides/sharing-your-inventory): a plan link is for handing someone a *recipe*, not your *pantry*.

## The review page (`/plan`)

Opening a shared link lands on a focused page with just the item, total cost, the mode it was built with ("Mode: Min XP" or "Mode: Min prior work", plus the prior-work count the finished item ends up with), and step list — no item grid, no enchantment pickers, since the plan is already fully decided. From there:

- **Mark done** on each step as you complete it in-game — tap it again to undo, so a plan can be un-marked and re-followed, or shared onward at an earlier point of progress.
- Once a step is marked done, a **Save to inventory** control appears under it, letting you add that step's *resulting* item straight into one of your own inventories (tap the inventory name shown to pick a different one first). This is the only way a plan ever writes to an inventory — nothing happens automatically.
- **Copy link** grabs the current URL, which updates in place as you check off steps, so re-sharing it later reflects your actual progress.

## Copying the plan as an image

**Copy as image** on the calculator puts a picture of the plan on your clipboard, ready to paste into chat. The picture shows the same mode line as the plan itself, so whoever sees it knows whether it was optimized for the fewest XP levels or the fewest prior-work operations. (The plain link copied alongside it opens the same plan on the review page.)

## Older links

Links created before the optimization modes existed carry no mode and open as **Min XP**, which is the only thing the calculator did then, so they show exactly the same steps and costs as before.

## Building your own

A plan link only exists once the calculator has a feasible result — pick an item and enchantments there, tap **Share**, and hand the link to whoever needs it. A plan that can't be completed as is (a needed book is missing, or a step is over the level cap) can be shared too: the link opens with the same blocked-steps summary and the same banner on each blocked step, the total is labelled hypothetical, and blocked steps can't be marked done.

[Open the calculator →](https://anvilcalc.com/)

## Frequently asked questions

**Does the person I share a plan with see my inventory?**

No. A plan link only encodes the already-resolved result — the item, each step's cost, and which steps are marked done — never your raw inventory contents or which of your items were used to get there.

**Can they mark steps done on their own copy independently of mine?**

Yes. Mark done/undone is just a toggle on whatever copy of the link someone is looking at — there's no live sync between your view and theirs. If you want them to see your latest progress, copy and re-send the link after checking off steps.

**Does a shared plan show whether it was built for Min XP or Min prior work?**

Yes. The review page and the copied image both state the mode (and the finished item's prior-work count). Links made before the modes existed have no mode recorded and open as Min XP.

**What's the difference between sharing a plan and sharing an inventory?**

A plan link hands over an already-resolved sequence of anvil steps for one specific item — a recipe. An inventory link hands over a collection of books/items you own — a pantry. They're separate mechanisms with different payloads.

**Does Save to inventory on a shared plan add the item to my inventory or theirs?**

Whoever is viewing the plan when they tap it. Save to inventory always writes to the viewer's own active inventory (letting them pick which one first) — it never reaches back into the inventory of whoever originally shared the link.