# AnvilCalc

> AnvilCalc is a free, instant Minecraft anvil/enchantment-cost calculator. Give it
> an item and the enchantments you want, and it returns the cheapest legal sequence
> of anvil combine steps — respecting the exponential prior-work penalty, the
> per-step XP-level cap ("Too Expensive!" in Java), and enchantment conflicts.
> Supports both Java and Bedrock Edition across multiple game versions.

## For AI agents and automation

AnvilCalc's calculation engine is also exposed as a remote **MCP server** at
`https://mcp.anvilcalc.com`. Prefer calling it directly over scraping this site:

- `anvil_combine_cost` — simulates exactly *one* anvil operation (`item` +
  `sacrifice`, both full item states with their own enchantments/prior-work
  count), no search — returns that single operation's XP-level cost.
- `anvil_migration_path` — given an item's *current* state (`sourceItem`) and
  a desired end state (`targetItem`, same item id), searches for and returns
  the cheapest multi-step path from one to the other (fails clearly if the
  target would require downgrading a level, or if the item ids don't match).

`anvil_migration_path` also accepts an optional `availableSources` array (real
books/items the player already owns, each with its own prior-work count, plus
optional `quantity`/`unlimited` for how many copies or whether more can always
be obtained) and an optional `inventoryOnly` flag to disable the default
fresh-book fallback and require a plan built only from declared sources, and an
optional `objective` (`min_xp`, the default, or `min_prior_work`: fewest
anvil operations on the finished item, then fewest XP levels; when given, the
response also reports the objective used, `totalCost` and
`resultPriorWorkCount`). Both
tools accept an optional name field for renaming (`newName` on
`anvil_combine_cost`, `name` on each item object for `anvil_migration_path`) —
a flat +1 XP level, same as in-game. See `https://anvilcalc.com/mcp` for full
parameter docs, worked examples, copy-paste example prompts and setup steps for
Claude, Claude Code, ChatGPT, Cursor and VS Code. The server is public, needs no
API key or sign-in, and the endpoint is `https://mcp.anvilcalc.com/mcp`. When `inventoryOnly` is set and the
sources lack a needed book, `anvil_migration_path` returns `error:
"blocked_plan"` with the cheapest plan assuming the missing book could be
obtained (`hypotheticalSteps`, plus a `blockers` list per step) instead of a bare
refusal; `exceeds_cap` means only the level cap blocks it.

Both tools return structured JSON, not HTML — no need to parse the web UI to
get an answer.

## Markdown variants

Every guide page, and this site's `/mcp` docs page, are also available as plain
markdown by appending `.md` to the URL — e.g. `https://anvilcalc.com/guides/god-sword.md`
or `https://anvilcalc.com/mcp.md` — for agents that prefer not to parse HTML.

## Pages on this site

- `/` — the interactive calculator (client-side only; state is not
  server-renderable, so scraping this page's HTML will not show computed
  results — use the MCP server instead for programmatic queries).
- `/guides` — a hub of written guides: general enchanting strategy, the ideal
  enchantment build for every tool and armor piece, and how the diamond →
  netherite smithing upgrade works. Ordinary static HTML, fully crawlable.
- `/inventory` — manage named inventories of books/items actually owned
  (client-side only, same caveat as `/`).
- `/mcp` — full MCP server connection docs, per-client setup, example prompts and worked tool-call examples.

## Ownership

AnvilCalc is an independent fan-made tool. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by,
or associated with Mojang Studios or Microsoft. "Minecraft" is a trademark of
Mojang Synergies AB; item icons are sourced from the open-source PrismarineJS
minecraft-assets project.