Getting Started#

Connect Claude Desktop to your Guild Wars 2 account in about 15 minutes.

By the end of this tutorial, you will have:

  • A running GW2 MCP server inside Docker
  • Claude Desktop configured to use it
  • Queried your GW2 wallet, looked up an item, and checked Trading Post prices – all through natural language

Prerequisites#

Before starting, make sure you have:

Step 1: Pull the server image#

Open a terminal and pull the GW2 MCP server Docker image:

docker pull alyxpink/gw2-mcp:v1

This downloads the pre-built server image. You should see output ending with:

Status: Downloaded newer image for alyxpink/gw2-mcp:v1

Checkpoint#

Verify the image is available:

docker images alyxpink/gw2-mcp

You should see a row listing alyxpink/gw2-mcp with the tag v1. If you see it, the image is ready.

Step 2: Create a GW2 API key#

Open your browser and go to https://account.arena.net/applications . Log in with your Guild Wars 2 account.

  1. Click New Key.
  2. Give the key a name (for example, mcp-server).
  3. Check all permission boxes: account, characters, inventories, progression, guilds, tradingpost, unlocks, wallet.
  4. Click Create API Key.
  5. Copy the generated key. It is a long string of letters, numbers, and dashes.

Save this key somewhere safe. You will use it in the next step.

Checkpoint#

You have an API key string that looks similar to this format:

XXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXX-XXXXXXXXXXXX

If the key management page did not load, make sure you are logged in to the correct Guild Wars 2 account. For details on what each scope enables, see the API Scopes reference .

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop#

Open Claude Desktop. Navigate to the MCP server configuration:

  1. Open Settings (click the gear icon or use the menu).
  2. Go to the Developer section.
  3. Click Edit Config. This opens a JSON file in your text editor.

Replace the file contents with the following JSON, substituting your actual API key for YOUR_KEY_HERE:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "gw2-mcp": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--rm", "-i", "-e", "GW2_API_KEY", "alyxpink/gw2-mcp:v1"],
      "env": {
        "GW2_API_KEY": "YOUR_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

If the file already has other MCP servers configured, add the "gw2-mcp" block inside the existing "mcpServers" object rather than replacing the entire file.

Save the file and restart Claude Desktop (quit and reopen it).

Checkpoint#

After restarting, open a new conversation in Claude Desktop. Look for the MCP tools icon (a hammer or plug icon near the text input). Click it and confirm that GW2 tools appear in the list – you should see tools like get_wallet, get_items, and wiki_search.

If the tools do not appear, double-check that:

  • Docker Desktop is running
  • The JSON is valid (no trailing commas, correct bracket matching)
  • You saved the config file before restarting Claude Desktop

Step 4: Make your first query#

In Claude Desktop, start a new conversation and type:

Check my GW2 wallet

Claude will call the get_wallet tool through the MCP server. After a moment, you should see a response listing your in-game currencies – gold, karma, gems, laurels, and more – with their current balances.

Checkpoint#

You see your wallet data displayed in the conversation. The response includes currency names and amounts that match what you would see in-game. If you see an error about GW2_API_KEY, go back to Step 3 and verify that you replaced YOUR_KEY_HERE with your actual API key.

Step 5: Look up game data#

Now try looking up an item. Type:

Look up the item Mystic Coin

Claude will use the get_item_by_name tool to search for the item and return its details. You should see information including the item name, rarity, type, level, description, and vendor value.

Checkpoint#

You see detailed item information for Mystic Coin, including that it is an Exotic rarity currency item. This lookup works without an API key – it queries public game data.

Step 6: Check Trading Post prices#

Type:

What's the Trading Post price for Glob of Ectoplasm?

Claude will look up the item and retrieve current Trading Post prices using the get_tp_price_by_name tool. You should see buy and sell prices displayed in gold, silver, and copper.

Checkpoint#

You see current buy and sell prices for Glob of Ectoplasm. The prices reflect the live Trading Post market. Compare them to the in-game Trading Post to confirm they match.

What you accomplished#

You now have a working setup where Claude Desktop can access Guild Wars 2 data on your behalf:

  • Docker runs the GW2 MCP server as a container, with no build tools needed
  • Claude Desktop launches the container automatically when you start a conversation
  • Your API key lets the server access your personal account data (wallet, characters, bank)
  • Public tools like item lookups and Trading Post prices work for any game data

The server provides 34 tools in total, covering account data, the Trading Post, achievements, guilds, the Wizard’s Vault, and general game metadata.

Next steps#

Now that your setup is working, explore further:

  • Set up other MCP clients – See the Configure MCP Clients guide for Claude Code, LM Studio, and other editors
  • Browse all 34 tools – See the Tools reference for the complete list of available tools
  • Understand API key permissions – See the API Scopes reference for which scopes each tool requires

Try asking Claude about your characters, bank contents, achievement progress, or the current Wizard’s Vault objectives. The server handles caching automatically, so repeated queries are fast.

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