# Use shurco.ai with your AI assistant

Ask your assistant to check an automation idea, compare model costs or search the guides. Use a private plan only when you want one.

Updated 12 October 2026 . 4 min read . Alexey Shurov

## The short answer

shurco.ai has a public MCP server at https://shurco.ai/mcp. MCP is the standard way an AI assistant connects to outside tools. Here, those tools let you look up AI model prices, work out a workload cost and check whether a repetitive task is worth automating.

Any assistant that can connect to a remote MCP server over HTTP can use it. HTTP is the way it connects over the web. The server is listed in the official MCP registry as ai.shurco/llm-pricing. The registry is a directory of MCP servers.

### 1. Connect the server

Use https://shurco.ai/mcp as the server address in an assistant that supports this kind of connection. The address connects the assistant to the tools listed below. If your assistant cannot connect to a remote MCP server over HTTP, this connection method is the wrong fit. The plain text pages offer another way to read the site.

### 2. Ask about one task

Start with the work you want to change. For example, ask your assistant, "Ask shurco whether typing forty emailed orders a day is worth automating". The score_automation_candidate tool uses five questions about a task and gives a plain verdict. The automation_roi tool works out hours returned and payback, meaning how long it takes to cover the cost of automating the task.

### 3. Ask about model costs

A second example is "Ask shurco what my workload would cost on the model I name". The llm_cost_estimate tool works out the workload cost on a model. For a different question, llm_price_lookup gives today's price of a named model. The llm_cheapest_models tool finds the cheapest models that meet a need.

### 4. Find something to read

A third example is "Ask shurco to find guides and field notes about entering orders". The search_shurco tool searches that material. If your question is about the person behind the site, use about_alexey_shurov. It explains who Alexey is, what his work fits and how to reach him. These are separate questions from checking a task or comparing model costs.

### 5. Choose whether to use a private plan

The plan tools act only when you ask. open_plan_page makes a private plan page for you. Its link is emailed to you and is never shown to the assistant. read_plan_page reads a plan when you give your own private link. ask_alexey_on_plan_page sends Alexey a question on your plan. Plan pages are limited to a few an hour.

## What needs your involvement

The first seven tools in the table need no sign up and store nothing about you. They cover prices, costs, automation questions, site search and information about Alexey. The last three deal with a private plan and act only when you ask. Choose the tool that matches the thing you want done.

## Read a page as plain text

Every page also has a plain text copy for assistants. Add index.html.md to the page address. For example, /tools/what-to-automate-first/ becomes /tools/what-to-automate-first/index.html.md. The site index is at https://shurco.ai/llms.txt. Use it to find site content, or give your assistant the plain text address of the page you want to discuss.

## The ten tools

| Tool | What it does | Needs the person |
|---|---|---|
| llm_price_lookup | Gives today's price of a named AI model | No sign up |
| llm_cost_estimate | Works out what a workload costs on a model | No sign up |
| llm_cheapest_models | Finds the cheapest models that meet a need | No sign up |
| automation_roi | Works out hours returned and payback from automating a task | No sign up |
| score_automation_candidate | Asks five questions about a task and gives a plain verdict | No sign up |
| search_shurco | Searches the guides and field notes | No sign up |
| about_alexey_shurov | Explains who Alexey is, what his work fits and how to reach him | No sign up |
| open_plan_page | Makes a private plan page and emails its link to the person, never the assistant | Yes, only when asked |
| read_plan_page | Reads a plan using the person's own private link | Yes, the person supplies their own private link |
| ask_alexey_on_plan_page | Sends Alexey a question on the person's plan | Yes, only when asked |

## Start with your question

Choose a task check for a question about repetitive work. Choose the pricing tools for a question about model costs. Choose search for something to read. A private plan is a separate choice. You do not need to start one to use the first seven tools.

## Common questions

### Does every assistant support this connection?

An assistant must support a remote MCP server over HTTP to use these tools. That is the connection requirement. The plain text copies of pages are also available for assistants.

### Do I need to sign up?

The first seven tools need no sign up and store nothing about you. The three plan tools act only when you ask. Plan pages are limited to a few an hour.

### Does the assistant see a new private plan link?

No. open_plan_page emails the link to you and never shows it to the assistant. If you want the assistant to read a plan, read_plan_page uses your own private link when you supply it.

### Where can my assistant find the plain text pages?

Add index.html.md to a page address to get its plain text copy. The site index at https://shurco.ai/llms.txt is another starting point for finding the content.

## Useful next[Free toolWhat to automate first, a scoring toolPick a task your team repeats every week and answer five quick questions. You get a plain answer on whether it is worth automating, what helps and what to watch. Score up to four tasks and it tells you where to start, and you can keep the result as a private plan page.](https://shurco.ai/tools/what-to-automate-first/)[Free toolLLM API pricing compared, updated dailyWhat every major AI model costs per million tokens, checked every morning, with a calculator for your own monthly bill.](https://shurco.ai/tools/llm-api-pricing/)[Free toolAI automation ROI calculatorPut in the hours a task takes, what an hour costs and what the system would cost to build and run. It shows the hours returned to the team and how long the automation takes to pay for itself.](https://shurco.ai/tools/ai-automation-roi-calculator/)

## More guides[GuideAI agent pricing in 2026, what vendors actually chargeVendors now charge for agents by the conversation, the outcome, the action or the credit. Here are the published prices, what each unit really means, and how to compare them on your own workload.](https://shurco.ai/guides/ai-agent-pricing/)[ServiceA monthly test for your customer facing AI assistantOnce a month, I ask your website or phone assistant ordinary customer questions. You get what it got wrong, its exact words and what to change. The first test is free.](https://shurco.ai/guides/ai-assistant-monthly-test/)[PlaybookHow to automate daily site reports across many sitesThe report takes days because the data lives in many places and someone has to chase it. Here is how to gather it in parallel, catch the numbers that disagree and produce a report a manager can check.](https://shurco.ai/guides/automate-daily-site-reports/)[PlaybookHow to automate quoting for a manufacturer or distributorSlow quotes lose work. There are three quite different kinds of quoting automation, and most buying mistakes come from picking the wrong kind. Here is how to tell which one your quotes need.](https://shurco.ai/guides/automate-quoting-for-manufacturers/)[PlaybookHow to automate sales order entry in Business CentralCustomers email orders as PDFs, spreadsheets and free text, and someone keys each line into Business Central. Here are the three ways to take that work away, with what Microsoft's own agent does and where it stops.](https://shurco.ai/guides/automate-sales-order-entry-business-central/)[PlaybookHow to automate timesheet processing for payrollTimesheets arrive as spreadsheets, PDFs, photos and scans, and payroll has a deadline that does not move. This is the order to automate it in, and the checks that stop a wrong payslip.](https://shurco.ai/guides/automate-timesheet-processing-for-payroll/)

## Want this in your operation

I build and run production AI agents that take repetitive work off operational teams. [Tell me what your team spends too long on.](https://shurco.ai/#contact)

Web version https://shurco.ai/guides/use-shurco-with-your-assistant/
