Guide · Manufacturing

Get products manufactured through an API

Describe the product, the quantity, the deadline and the most you'd pay. Établi turns it into a spec a factory can bid on, with the questions a factory would ask first (wall construction, lid, who pays freight and duties), and puts it out to bid with factories wherever the job allows.

Try it: POST /v1/quotes/preview, no key
Legs: 1: a drinkware factory, anywhere (overseas is fine)
Orders: One lot of 2,000, delivered to one warehouse
Proof: Sample photos approved before production, then shipping documents and tracking

Try it, with no key

Say what the product is, the decoration and packaging, how many, where it goes, by when, and the most you'd pay a piece. Say whether it can be made overseas. This is the request we sent:

The request

“Manufacture 2,000 stainless steel water bottles to our design: 750 ml, powder-coated in our green, our logo laser-engraved, each in a printed box. Overseas is fine. Ship them all to our warehouse in Reno, Nevada within 10 weeks. Up to $8 a bottle, box included.”

curl -sX POST https://api.etabli.io/v1/quotes/preview \  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \  -d '{"request":"Manufacture 2,000 stainless steel water bottles to our design: 750 ml, powder-coated in our green, our logo laser-engraved, each in a printed box. Overseas is fine. Ship them all to our warehouse in Reno, Nevada within 10 weeks. Up to $8 a bottle, box included."}'

const response = await fetch("https://api.etabli.io/v1/quotes/preview", {  method: "POST",  headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },  body: JSON.stringify({    request: "Manufacture 2,000 stainless steel water bottles to our design: 750 ml, powder-coated in our green, our logo laser-engraved, each in a printed box. Overseas is fine. Ship them all to our warehouse in Reno, Nevada within 10 weeks. Up to $8 a bottle, box included.",  }),});const plan = await response.json();for (const leg of plan.legs) {  console.log(leg.key, leg.title, `${leg.questions.length} open questions`);}

import requests plan = requests.post(    "https://api.etabli.io/v1/quotes/preview",    json={"request": "Manufacture 2,000 stainless steel water bottles to our design: 750 ml, powder-coated in our green, our logo laser-engraved, each in a printed box. Overseas is fine. Ship them all to our warehouse in Reno, Nevada within 10 weeks. Up to $8 a bottle, box included."},    timeout=120,).json()for leg in plan["legs"]:    print(leg["key"], leg["title"], len(leg["questions"]), "open questions")

No key and no account. Planning takes up to a minute; nothing is ordered or sent to workshops. Ask the person before you send their name and email anywhere.

When the person wants workshops to bid, draft it, still with no key: POST /v1/projects with the same request and answers returns a line to show them, with a claim link. They check the plan and publish it on etabli.io. Draft and claim has the calls.

The plan it returns

One leg: a factory

What the live API returned for the request above, on 9 October 2026; its dates count from that day. Each preview is written fresh, so yours will be worded differently. The plan has no price of Établi's own: the only prices on it are the most the request said it would pay.

One leg: one workshop does it all

2,000 custom green stainless steel water bottles

Manufacture 2,000 custom 750 ml stainless steel water bottles to the buyer's design, powder-coated green with a laser-engraved logo and each packed in a printed box, delivered to the buyer's Reno, Nevada warehouse within 10 weeks.

Leg 1 of 1Draft
Custom 750 ml powder-coated steel bottles, boxed
Make, decorate, box and deliver all 2,000 bottles to the Reno warehouse.
Who does it
Drinkware factory making stainless steel water bottles with in-house powder coating, laser engraving and custom printed gift-box packaging, accepting orders of around 2,000 units and able to ship to the US.
Where the workshop can be
Anywhere
Provided
Bottle design (dimensions, 750 ml capacity, construction, lid): Workshop confirms steel grade, wall construction, lid type and lid material against it in the bid.
Brand green color reference (Pantone or RAL): For powder coat color matching.
Logo vector art for laser engraving
Retail box artwork
Stainless steel bottle bodies, lids and powder coat (workshop supplies): Food-grade stainless steel; grade stated in bid.
Printed retail boxes and master cartons (workshop supplies): One retail box per bottle; master cartons suitable for freight.
Work
Manufacture 2,000 stainless steel 750 ml bottles to the buyer's design as a single lot; powder-coat in the buyer's brand green; laser-engrave the buyer's logo; print retail boxes from buyer artwork; pack each bottle in its own box and pack boxes into freight-ready master cartons. Before mass production, provide a pre-production sample or photos of the coated, engraved bottle and printed box for buyer approval. Arrange production and freight so all units arrive in Reno by the deadline, and state in the bid who handles freight, US customs clearance and import duties, and the Incoterm (DDP Reno or EXW/FOB).
Result
2,000 finished bottles, each in a printed retail box, packed in master cartons and delivered in one lot to the buyer's warehouse in Reno, Nevada.
Most you'll pay
$8.00a piece
Includes bottle manufacture, powder coating, laser engraving, printed retail box, master cartons and pre-production sample or photos
When
By Fri, Dec 18, 2026
Proof
Photos, document and tracking number
Where
Buyer's warehouse, Reno, Nevada, USA
Rules
Pre-production sample or photos must be approved by the buyer before mass production.
Bottle materials must be food-contact safe (FDA food-contact compliant, lead-free coatings, no exposed lead solder).
Bid must state steel grade, wall construction, lid type and lid material, Incoterm, and who arranges freight, US customs clearance and import duties.
All 2,000 units must arrive in Reno by 2026-12-18; production lead time plus freight must fit inside that window.
We assumed
- Capabilities list laser engraving and box printing; stainless bottle forming and powder coating have no catalog capability, so bidders are expected to be bottle manufacturers with these in-house or via partners.
- Proof of completion is approval photos, shipping and customs documents, and freight tracking to Reno.
- Delivery is one lot to a single warehouse address with a standard receiving dock.
3 questions below

Open questions, with Établi's suggested answers

Should the $8.00 per bottle ceiling include ocean/air freight, US customs clearance and import duties (delivered DDP Reno)?
Suggested: Yes, $8.00 is all-in DDP Reno, including freight, customs clearance and duties.
Why we ask: Freight and US duties on overseas steel drinkware can add $1–3 per bottle, which decides whether $8 is feasible and makes bids comparable.
What wall construction and lid does your design specify (e.g. double-wall vacuum insulated with stainless/PP screw lid, or single-wall)?
Suggested: Double-wall vacuum insulated, 18/8 (304) stainless, with a PP screw lid with carry loop; full design file attached.
Why we ask: Vacuum-insulated versus single-wall construction and the lid type change unit cost substantially, so workshops need it to price.
How many days will you need to approve the pre-production sample, and will you accept photo approval to save time?
Suggested: Photo approval within 2 business days of receipt; physical sample optional if it doesn't delay production.
Why we ask: With ocean freight taking 3–5 weeks, sample shipping and approval time determines whether the 2026-12-18 arrival is achievable without costly air freight.

From the plan to orders

Answer the questions. The plan has 3 open questions: whether the most you'd pay includes freight, customs and duties to the warehouse, which wall construction and lid the bottle has, and how fast you'll approve a sample. Each has a suggested answer.
Draft it; the person claims it. POST /v1/projects with no key returns a line to show the person, with a claim link: they check the spec and their ceiling on etabli.io and publish it. Or, with a buyer key, run it as a project yourself (below).
Choose the offer. When bidding closes, Établi contacts the person to confirm the offer they choose: one contract. The factory sends sample photos to approve before it makes the run.
Order the lot. One order for all 2,000, to the warehouse. Its proof is the approval photos, the shipping and customs documents, and tracking.

# 1. Plan the request into legs; each leg is a tender with a spec and questions.curl -sX POST https://api.etabli.io/v1/projects \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ETABLI_API_KEY" \  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \  -d '{"request":"Manufacture 2,000 stainless steel water bottles to our design: 750 ml, powder-coated in our green, our logo laser-engraved, each in a printed box. Overseas is fine. Ship them all to our warehouse in Reno, Nevada within 10 weeks. Up to $8 a bottle, box included."}' # 2. Answer each leg's questions (or take the suggested answers).curl -sX POST https://api.etabli.io/v1/tenders/$TENDER_ID/answers \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ETABLI_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" \  -d '{"acceptSuggested": true}' # 3. Publish: every ready leg goes out to bid.curl -sX POST https://api.etabli.io/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/publish -H "Authorization: Bearer $ETABLI_API_KEY" # 4. Offers per leg, all-in (Établi's fee included).curl -s https://api.etabli.io/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/offers -H "Authorization: Bearer $ETABLI_API_KEY" # 5. Award: one contract per leg. Ask the person first: this commits real money.curl -sX POST https://api.etabli.io/v1/projects/$PROJECT_ID/award \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ETABLI_API_KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{}'

A buyer key is etb_live_… in Authorization: Bearer (how to get one). Award only once the person has chosen an offer: it commits real money.

# The whole run, 2,000 bottles, to the warehouse in Reno.curl -sX POST https://api.etabli.io/v1/contracts/$CONTRACT_ID/orders \  -H "Authorization: Bearer $ETABLI_API_KEY" \  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \  -H "Idempotency-Key: bottles-run-1" \  -d '{    "quantity": 2000,    "address": { "name": "Receiving", "line1": "500 Example Pkwy", "city": "Reno", "region": "NV", "postalCode": "89502" }  }'

// The whole run, 2,000 bottles, to the warehouse in Reno.const order = await fetch(`https://api.etabli.io/v1/contracts/${contractId}/orders`, {  method: "POST",  headers: {    Authorization: `Bearer ${process.env.ETABLI_API_KEY}`,    "Content-Type": "application/json",    "Idempotency-Key": "bottles-run-1", // a retry never orders twice  },  body: JSON.stringify({    "quantity": 2000,    "address": {      "name": "Receiving",      "line1": "500 Example Pkwy",      "city": "Reno",      "region": "NV",      "postalCode": "89502"    }  }),}).then((response) => response.json());

Use it from your agent

Add Établi's MCP server (https://api.etabli.io/mcp, no key) and the same steps become tools: preview_quote, create_project (a draft the person claims on etabli.io) and get_project; with a buyer key, awarding and ordering. Or install the skill, which tells an agent when Établi fits.

Claude Code
claude mcp add --transport http etabli https://api.etabli.io/mcp
Codex
codex mcp add etabli --url https://api.etabli.io/mcp
Or add it to ~/.codex/config.toml, which the Codex CLI, the IDE extension and the ChatGPT desktop app share:
~/.codex/config.toml
```
[mcp_servers.etabli]url = "https://api.etabli.io/mcp"
```
Cursor
Add to Cursor
Or open cursor.com/install-mcp in a browser.
VS Code (Copilot)
Add to VS Code
Or run code --add-mcp '{"name":"etabli","type":"http","url":"https://api.etabli.io/mcp"}'.
Gemini CLI
gemini mcp add --transport http etabli https://api.etabli.io/mcp
Skill (70+ agents)
npx skills add https://etabli.io
Installs Établi's skill, order-physical-work, into the agents on your machine: when to use Établi and how to order with it.

Every other client, and the tools: the MCP server. The API: docs.

Use something else when…

You have a CAD file for a machined, molded or 3D-printed part. Instant-quote manufacturing services such as Xometry and Protolabs price a part from the file in minutes.
A stock item with your logo is enough. Print-on-demand catalogs (Printful, Printify) and promotional-products companies have fixed items and prices, no tooling, and small quantities.
You'll run the sourcing yourself, at volume. A marketplace such as Alibaba.com lists thousands of factories: you message them, compare quotes, order samples and arrange freight and customs.
It ships outside the US. Établi's orders go to US addresses only.

Good to know

Who arranges freight, customs and import duties is part of the contract: say it in the request if you know ("delivered, duties paid"), or answer the plan's question.
Orders go to US addresses and are priced in US dollars. Workshops can be in any country a leg allows.
Prices come from workshops' bids, with Établi's fee included in each offer. Établi has no price list; the most you say you'd pay caps the bids. Pricing.
When no workshop on Établi fits a leg yet, Établi finds suitable ones and asks them to bid, which can take a few days. A person at Établi approves every message first.
An agent needs no account: it previews the plan and drafts the project, and the person claims and publishes it on etabli.io. Buyer keys are for companies that run the whole loop through the API themselves: request API access.
Online payment isn't live yet: while Établi is in early access, it arranges payment with each buyer and workshop directly.

More guides

The API, auth and every endpoint: docs. For agents, everything in one file: llms-full.txt.