PandaDoc API Patterns

PandaDoc MCP Tools & API Patterns

Overview

PandaDoc provides a hosted MCP server at https://developers.pandadoc.com/mcp for AI tool integration. The MCP server provides direct API access to PandaDoc's document automation platform, documentation search, and code generation assistance.

Anti-triggers

• Your own documents — pandadoc-search-docs and pandadoc-get-code-sample search PandaDoc's developer documentation, not your PandaDoc account; use pandadoc-documents.
• Document status values and what each transition allows — use pandadoc-documents.

Connection & Authentication

MCP Server

PandaDoc hosts an official MCP server. Authentication uses an API key passed via the Authorization header:

1. Log into app.pandadoc.com
2. Navigate to Settings > Integrations > API
3. Generate an API key

MCP Server URL: https://developers.pandadoc.com/mcp

Required Header:

Authentication Modes

Note: Documentation search and code generation work without an API key. All live API operations (creating documents, managing templates, sending for signature) require a valid API key.

Environment Variables

export PANDADOC_API_KEY="your-api-key"

Claude Desktop Configuration

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pandadoc": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y", "mcp-remote",
        "https://developers.pandadoc.com/mcp",
        "--header", "Authorization:API-Key YOUR_API_KEY"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Complete MCP Tool Reference

Document Tools

Template Tools

Recipient Tools

Documentation Tools

Pagination

Page-Based Pagination

List tools use 1-based page pagination with configurable count:

Pagination Parameters:

Iterating Through All Pages

To fetch all results, call the list tool repeatedly, incrementing page from 1 until the number of results returned is less than count:

1. Call the tool with page=1 and count=100
2. If the response contains 100 results, call again with page=2
3. Continue until fewer than 100 results are returned
4. Collect results from each response

Filtering & Sorting

Document Filters

Template Filters

Response Format

Single Document:

{
  "id": "msFYActMfJHqNTKH9tcPFa",
  "name": "Acme Corp - Managed Services Agreement",
  "status": "document.sent",
  "date_created": "2026-01-15T10:30:00.000000Z",
  "date_modified": "2026-01-16T14:22:00.000000Z",
  "expiration_date": "2026-02-15T00:00:00.000000Z",
  "version": "2",
  "recipients": [
    {
      "email": "john@acme.com",
      "first_name": "John",
      "last_name": "Smith",
      "role": "Client",
      "signing_order": 1,
      "has_completed": false
    }
  ],
  "tokens": [
    {
      "name": "Client.Company",
      "value": "Acme Corporation"
    }
  ],
  "grand_total": {
    "amount": "2500.00",
    "currency": "USD"
  }
}

Paginated Document List:

{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "msFYActMfJHqNTKH9tcPFa",
      "name": "Acme Corp - Managed Services Agreement",
      "status": "document.sent",
      "date_created": "2026-01-15T10:30:00.000000Z"
    }
  ]
}

Rate Limiting

Rate Limit Details

When rate limited, the API returns HTTP 429. Wait before retrying. Use exponential backoff for automated retries.

Rate Limit Best Practices

1. Batch operations - Minimize total API calls by using filters and pagination efficiently
2. Cache template data - Templates change infrequently; cache for minutes to hours
3. Avoid polling - Use webhooks where possible instead of repeatedly checking document status
4. Stagger requests - When processing multiple documents, add small delays between calls

Error Handling

Common Errors

Troubleshooting MCP Connection

1. Verify API key - Ensure the API key is valid and not revoked
2. Check URL - MCP server URL must be https://developers.pandadoc.com/mcp
3. Test with docs search - Try pandadoc-search-docs (no auth required) to verify connectivity
4. Test with a simple call - Try pandadoc-list-documents with count=1 to verify authentication
5. Regenerate key - If authentication fails, generate a new key from PandaDoc Settings > API

Best Practices

1. Use template-based creation - Always create documents from templates for consistency
2. Filter server-side - Use status, q, and tag parameters to narrow results
3. Use document tags - Tag documents by client, type, or project for easy filtering
4. Check status before sending - Verify a document is in draft status before sending
5. Use content tokens - Populate template variables (tokens) to personalize documents
6. Set expiration dates - Use expiration dates on proposals to create urgency
7. Track recipient completion - Check has_completed for each recipient to monitor progress
8. Download completed documents - Archive signed documents after completion
9. Use folders - Organize templates and documents in folders for better management

Related Skills

• PandaDoc Documents - Document management
• PandaDoc Templates - Template library
• PandaDoc Recipients - Recipient and signature management
• PandaDoc Proposals - MSP proposal workflows