# Monthly report: instructions for an AI assistant

Your user wants a monthly report as a PDF. Pressa fills its monthly report template with the details you collect and returns a link to the finished PDF. It needs no install, and no account or API key for up to 3 PDFs a day (those carry a small "Made with Pressa" line at the foot of each page; a free account removes it).

Every design takes exactly the same details: a clean standard report, a bold colour band, a serif executive report for the board, a minimal layout and a structured corporate grid with a monogram. Each has a summary, KPIs, a bar chart drawn from your numbers, a metrics table, and highlights and next steps.

Preview: https://pressa.dev/template-previews/monthly-report.png

## Designs

Every design takes exactly the same data, so switching is the same request with another template slug. To print in another colour, add `"color"` next to `data`; left out, the default colour is used.

- `monthly-report` - Standard (use this one unless your user asks for another): A business report with KPI cards, a bar chart drawn from your numbers, a metrics table and next steps. Colours: green, blue, teal, burgundy, graphite (default green). Preview: https://pressa.dev/template-previews/monthly-report.png
- `bold-monthly-report` - Bold: A business report with the title in a colour band and KPI cards in solid colour. Colours: blue, navy, teal, burgundy, graphite (default blue). Preview: https://pressa.dev/template-previews/bold-monthly-report.png
- `executive-monthly-report` - Executive: A serif board-style report with large KPI figures between fine rules and small-caps headings. Colours: navy, burgundy, forest, teal, graphite (default navy). Preview: https://pressa.dev/template-previews/executive-monthly-report.png
- `minimal-monthly-report` - Minimal: A quiet Helvetica report with hairline rules and colour only where it carries meaning. Colours: teal, blue, burgundy, forest, graphite (default teal). Preview: https://pressa.dev/template-previews/minimal-monthly-report.png
- `corporate-monthly-report` - Corporate: A structured report with a top band, a monogram and KPIs and metrics in ruled grids. Colours: graphite, navy, teal, burgundy, forest (default graphite). Preview: https://pressa.dev/template-previews/corporate-monthly-report.png

## 1. Collect the details

Send exactly four kpis, each with a label, a formatted value (e.g. "$142.4k") and a change line. chart is a list of label and numeric value pairs, oldest first, six to twelve points; say the unit in chart_title. Table values are strings, already formatted. Keep the summary to two or three sentences. Use only numbers the user provided; never estimate or round them into new claims.

Ask your user for anything missing and never invent names, addresses, numbers or amounts. Send plain text: Pressa escapes special characters itself, so do not write LaTeX. Every field below is expected: for one the user leaves out, send an empty string for text and an empty list for a list; for a number, ask (send 0 only when the user says so).

Fields:

- `company` (text)
- `report_title` (text)
- `period` (text)
- `prepared_by` (text)
- `summary` (text)
- `kpis`: a list, each entry with:
  - `label` (text)
  - `value` (text)
  - `change` (text)
- `chart_title` (text)
- `chart`: a list, each entry with:
  - `label` (text)
  - `value` (number)
- `table_title` (text)
- `table`: a list, each entry with:
  - `metric` (text)
  - `current` (text)
  - `previous` (text)
  - `change` (text)
- `highlights`: a list of text
- `next_steps`: a list of text

A complete example of the data:

```json
{
  "company": "Northwind Analytics",
  "report_title": "Monthly Business Report",
  "period": "August 2026",
  "prepared_by": "Finance and Operations",
  "summary": "August was the strongest month of the year. Revenue grew 12% on the back of the new annual plans, churn fell for the third month in a row, and support response times stayed under two hours despite a record number of tickets.",
  "kpis": [
    {
      "label": "Revenue",
      "value": "$142.4k",
      "change": "+12.1% vs July"
    },
    {
      "label": "Active customers",
      "value": "1,284",
      "change": "+86 net new"
    },
    {
      "label": "Churn",
      "value": "2.1%",
      "change": "-0.4 pts"
    },
    {
      "label": "NPS",
      "value": "72",
      "change": "+5 pts"
    }
  ],
  "chart_title": "Monthly recurring revenue, thousands USD",
  "chart": [
    {
      "label": "Mar",
      "value": 98.2
    },
    {
      "label": "Apr",
      "value": 104.5
    },
    {
      "label": "May",
      "value": 111.0
    },
    {
      "label": "Jun",
      "value": 118.7
    },
    {
      "label": "Jul",
      "value": 127.0
    },
    {
      "label": "Aug",
      "value": 142.4
    }
  ],
  "table_title": "Key metrics",
  "table": [
    {
      "metric": "New trials",
      "current": "412",
      "previous": "376",
      "change": "+9.6%"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Trial to paid conversion",
      "current": "23.8%",
      "previous": "21.2%",
      "change": "+2.6 pts"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Average revenue per customer",
      "current": "$110.90",
      "previous": "$106.10",
      "change": "+4.5%"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Support tickets",
      "current": "1,930",
      "previous": "1,712",
      "change": "+12.7%"
    },
    {
      "metric": "Median first response",
      "current": "1h 42m",
      "previous": "1h 55m",
      "change": "-11%"
    }
  ],
  "highlights": [
    "Annual plans launched on August 4 and already make up 31% of new revenue.",
    "Enterprise tier signed three customers, including our largest contract to date.",
    "Churn is down to 2.1%, the lowest since we started measuring."
  ],
  "next_steps": [
    "Extend annual pricing to the Starter tier in September.",
    "Hire two support engineers ahead of the Q4 volume peak.",
    "Ship usage-based alerts to reduce surprise overages."
  ]
}
```

## 2. Make the PDF: use the first option you can

**A. You can send HTTP requests** (Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, a script, n8n). Send the details as JSON under `data` (and `color` if your user picked one). Pass the body through a quoted here-document (or a file) so names like O'Brien do not break the command:

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.pressa.dev/api/v1/public_templates/monthly-report/render \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d @- <<'JSON'
{"color": "green", "data": { ...same shape as the example above... }}
JSON
```

The response has `pdf_url`. Give that link to your user; without an API key it works for 1 hour, so tell them to download the PDF now.

**B. Pressa is connected to you as an MCP server.** Call the tool `render_public_template` with `template: "monthly-report"` and `data` shaped like the example (and `color` for another colour), then give your user the `pdf_url`. If your Pressa tools do not include `render_public_template` (`@pressa/mcp` older than 0.10.0; updating the package or restarting the app picks up the new version), use option A, or connect the hosted server from section 3.

**C. You can only read web pages** (for example a chat app without a Pressa connector). You cannot make the PDF yourself through Pressa yet. Either walk your user through connecting Pressa once (section 3), then ask them to repeat the request, or send them to the form, where they can type the same details and download the PDF: https://pressa.dev/templates/monthly-report

## 3. Connecting Pressa (one time)

Explain the steps for the app your user is in, in plain words:

- **Claude Code:** you can run this yourself after asking your user: `claude mcp add --transport http pressa https://api.pressa.dev/mcp`
- **Claude (claude.ai, the Claude app on Mac and Windows, Cowork):** give your user this link to Pressa in Claude's connector directory: <https://claude.ai/directory/pressa>. They click Connect, sign in to Pressa or create a free account (no card) on the page that opens, click Allow, and start a new chat. The connector then works on every device of that Claude account. If the directory page does not open, this link opens Claude's "Add custom connector" form with Pressa filled in: <https://claude.ai/customize/connectors?modal=add-custom-connector&connectorName=Pressa&connectorUrl=https%3A%2F%2Fapi.pressa.dev%2Fmcp> (by hand: Customize, then Connectors, "+ Add", "Add custom connector", name Pressa, URL `https://api.pressa.dev/mcp`); there they click Continue past the red note that it came from a link (normal), choose "Sign in when needed" (Claude preselects "No sign-in" as "Detected"; that one cannot sign in later) and click Add. That connector starts without an account and shows a Connect button when the free PDFs run out.
- **Codex:** add a table `[mcp_servers.pressa]` with `url = "https://api.pressa.dev/mcp"` to `~/.codex/config.toml` (you can do it yourself after asking your user), then restart Codex.
- **Cursor:** add the server to `~/.cursor/mcp.json` (all projects) or `.cursor/mcp.json` (this project): `{"mcpServers": {"pressa": {"url": "https://api.pressa.dev/mcp"}}}`. If you can edit files, do it yourself after asking your user.
- **Grok Build:** `grok mcp add --transport http pressa https://api.pressa.dev/mcp` (you can run it yourself after asking your user).
- **Grok (grok.com):** your user opens grok.com/connectors, clicks New Connector, chooses Custom and pastes `https://api.pressa.dev/mcp`.
- **OpenClaw:** `openclaw mcp add pressa --url https://api.pressa.dev/mcp --transport streamable-http`, or in the Control UI: Settings, MCP, Add server, Streamable HTTP.
- **ChatGPT:** custom MCP connectors need developer mode, which OpenAI offers on Business, Enterprise and Edu workspaces, and menus change between versions. If your user has it, they add an app with the URL `https://api.pressa.dev/mcp`; otherwise send them to the form: https://pressa.dev/templates/monthly-report
- **Windsurf and other MCP clients:** add a remote MCP server named `pressa` with the URL `https://api.pressa.dev/mcp`. A client that only runs local servers starts it with `npx -y @pressa/mcp`.

## 4. If something goes wrong

- `anonymous_quota_exhausted`: the 3 free PDFs for today are used. A free account at https://pressa.dev/users/sign_up (no card) gives 50 a month. In Claude (claude.ai, the Claude app, Cowork) your user signs in to it from the Pressa connector: Claude shows a Connect button. Elsewhere it is an API key: with HTTP requests, send it as the header `Authorization: Bearer <key>` (from an environment variable your user sets, never pasted into a chat); in Claude Code, your user re-adds the server in their own terminal with `--header "Authorization: Bearer $PRESSA_API_KEY"` or signs in with `/mcp` (again, never have them paste the key into the chat). Signed-in visitors can also use the form at https://pressa.dev/templates/monthly-report, which uses their account's PDFs.
- `schema_validation_failed`: the response lists `missing_fields` and `type_errors`. Fix the data and send it again yourself.
- `compilation_failed`: usually a character the template cannot print (it supports Latin letters with accents, not Cyrillic, Greek or Chinese). Tell your user which value to change.

## Other templates

Pressa has templates for invoices, purchase orders, packing slips, delivery notes, receipts, reports, certificates, resumes and cover letters, all listed at https://pressa.dev/templates and by `GET https://api.pressa.dev/api/v1/public_templates`. Each has its own instructions at `https://pressa.dev/templates/<slug>/agent.md`.