Quill

Quill — connector documentation

• MCP endpoint: https://quill.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: POST https://quill.connectorbay.com/v1/tools/{tool_name}, described by the OpenAPI 3.1 spec at https://quill.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Transport: Streamable HTTP, stateless, MCP specification 2025-06-18 or later
• Authentication: none required. An optional Authorization: Bearer <key> raises rate limits.
• Health: https://quill.connectorbay.com/health · Tool schemas: https://quill.connectorbay.com/tools.json
• Publisher: Unify Dynamics LLC · connectorbay.com/quill · agent@connectorbay.com

What Quill is for

A quill is the archetypal Western writing instrument — a cut feather pen — which made it a fitting name for a connector whose whole job is Western/Latin-script calligraphy history and technique. The question that comes up when Western calligraphy gets specific — what is Carolingian minuscule and why does it matter, was the Carolingian reform really Charlemagne's doing, what's the difference between broad-edge and pointed-pen technique, what does x-height mean — answered from one hand-curated reference, without a scroll through inconsistent craft-blog posts.

Quill covers the Western/Latin-script tradition specifically: Roman capitals, Uncial, Carolingian minuscule, Gothic/Blackletter, Italic/Chancery cursive, Copperplate/Spencerian, and the modern brush-lettering and pointed-pen revival. It does not cover Arabic calligraphy (Naskh, Thuluth, Diwani, Kufic, and related scripts) — for that tradition, see the companion Naskh connector, which covers the Arabic calligraphy scripts, the qalam reed pen, and the 2021 UNESCO inscription in full.

What it does

History, characteristics and typical use for seven major Western calligraphy traditions — Roman Capitals (Trajan inscriptional lettering), Uncial, Carolingian Minuscule, Gothic/Blackletter, Italic/Chancery Cursive, Copperplate/Spencerian, and Modern Brush Lettering & Pointed-Pen Calligraphy (script_info); search across names, aliases, and description text (script_search); scripts grouped by era — Roman, early medieval, Gothic, Renaissance/Italic, or modern (scripts_by_era); the broad-edge pen, pointed-pen, and brush tool families and how their stroke-width techniques genuinely differ — pen angle versus hand pressure (tool_family_guide); historical context — the Carolingian reform under Charlemagne and Alcuin of York, the role of monastic scriptoria, and the printing press's historical impact on hand lettering (historical_context_info); general beginner guidance on paper, ink, and nib/pen selection (practice_basics_guide); calligraphy and typography anatomy terms — x-height, ascender, descender, serif, counter, ductus, and more (letterform_anatomy_guide); a factual note on modern brush-lettering's popularity resurgence (modern_revival_info); and a glossary of calligraphy terms (calligraphy_glossary).

What it is not

Not a substitute for supervised instruction from a qualified teacher, which remains the fastest way to correct pen angle, pressure, and posture habits. modern_revival_info describes a general, factual cultural trend only — it is not commentary on, or endorsement of, any specific living calligrapher, brand, or business. Historical attributions and dates reflect the commonly documented, widely recognized version of each script's history; paleography and calligraphy-history scholarship varies in detail, and this connector notes uncertainty where it matters rather than presenting one version as the only possible account.

Tools

Scripts

script_info — One Western/Latin-script calligraphy tradition's history, characteristics, and typical use — covers Roman Capitals, Uncial, Carolingian Minuscule, Gothic/Blackletter, Italic/Chancery Cursive, Copperplate/Spencerian, and Modern Brush Lettering & Pointed-Pen Calligraphy. Use for "what is Carolingian minuscule", "history of blackletter", "what is Spencerian script". Args: name.

script_search — Search all Western calligraphy scripts by partial name, alias, or a word from their description or use. Use for "which script was used for the Gutenberg Bible", "scripts used in Renaissance Italy". Args: query.

scripts_by_era — Western calligraphy scripts grouped by era — Roman, early medieval, Gothic, Renaissance/Italic, or modern. Use for "what scripts came from the Roman era", "which scripts are Gothic", "which scripts are modern". Args: era.

Technique

tool_family_guide — The broad-edge pen, pointed-pen, and brush tool families used across calligraphy history, and how their stroke-width techniques genuinely differ (pen angle vs. hand pressure). Use for "difference between broad-edge and pointed-pen calligraphy", "what pen do I need for Copperplate", "how does brush lettering work". Args: family.

practice_basics_guide — General beginner guidance on paper, ink, and nib/pen selection for modern calligraphy practice, plus general beginner tips. Use for "what paper should I use for calligraphy", "what ink is best for a pointed pen", "how do I start learning calligraphy". Args: topic.

History

historical_context_info — Historical context for Western calligraphy: the Carolingian reform under Charlemagne and Alcuin of York, the role of monastic scriptoria in preserving and standardizing scripts, and the printing press's historical impact on hand lettering. Use for "was the Carolingian reform really under Charlemagne", "what is a scriptorium", "how did the printing press affect calligraphy". Args: topic.

modern_revival_info — A factual note on modern brush lettering and pointed-pen calligraphy's popularity resurgence since roughly the 2010s, and how it connects historically to 19th-century pointed-pen penmanship. General commentary on the trend only, with no discussion of any specific living artist. Use for "is modern calligraphy popular again", "why is brush lettering trendy", "how does brush lettering relate to Spencerian script".

Reference

letterform_anatomy_guide — Calligraphy and typography letterform anatomy terms — x-height, ascender, descender, cap height, baseline, counter, serif, stroke contrast, ductus, minim, majuscule, minuscule, swash, and versal. Use for "what does x-height mean", "what is a counter in typography", "what's the difference between majuscule and minuscule".

calligraphy_glossary — Definitions of common Western calligraphy and lettering terms (nib, ductus, versal, majuscule, minuscule, x-height, serif, counter, broad-edge pen, pointed pen, faux calligraphy, scriptorium, and more). Use for "what does ductus mean", "what is a versal", "what's faux calligraphy". Args: term.

Conventions

• Read-only. Every tool reads public data or computes; nothing is written anywhere and nothing about the user is stored.
• Result envelope. ok: true with data, or ok: false with a structured error (bad_input, not_found, upstream_error). degraded lists optional sources that were unreachable.
• Rate limits. Free tier 60 tool calls/minute and 300/day per user (keyed on the user identifier supplied by the host agent, else client IP); Pro keys raise this. Over-limit calls return HTTP 429 with Retry-After. initialize and tools/list are never counted.

Support

agent@connectorbay.com · connectorbay.com/quill/support

Quill — Privacy Policy

Effective 24 September 2026. Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us"), Menlo Park, California.

What Quill is. Quill is a connector (an MCP server and REST API) that AI assistants and personal agents call on your behalf for a hand-curated Western/Latin-script calligraphy reference — script profiles, era groupings, broad-edge/pointed-pen/brush tool-family guides, historical context (the Carolingian reform, monastic scriptoria, the printing press), practice basics, letterform anatomy, a note on the modern lettering revival, and a glossary. You interact with your assistant; the assistant sends us only the arguments needed for that one lookup.

What we receive. The arguments of each tool call — a script name, a search query, an era, a tool family, a historical topic, a practice topic, or a glossary term — the technical headers needed to serve the request (an IP address or a client identifier supplied by the assistant, and a Pro API key if you have one), and standard server logs.

Everything is answered from bundled, hand-curated reference files and nothing is stored. No request is forwarded to any third party — there is no upstream call at all, live or otherwise — and no query is logged in request bodies, recorded, or used to train anything.

What we do not receive or store. We do not receive your conversation with the assistant or your name, and we do not build a profile from your queries: each request is answered independently and nothing carries over between requests. Rate-limit counters (a client identifier and timestamps) are held in memory for at most 24 hours. Hosting-provider access logs, which contain IP addresses and request paths but not request bodies, are retained for up to 30 days for security and abuse prevention.

Sub-processors. None — the entire dataset is bundled with the server and answered locally. Hosting: Vercel (United States regions).

Legal bases and your rights. Our processing is necessary to provide the service you request through your assistant. Because we store no personal data beyond short-lived logs, requests to access, correct or delete personal data are usually satisfied automatically; you can still contact agent@connectorbay.com and we will respond within 30 days. We do not sell or share personal information and do not use your data to train models.

Children. Quill is a general-audience service operated by the adult using the assistant.

Changes. We will post changes here with a new effective date.

Quill — Terms of Service

Effective 24 September 2026. These terms govern use of the Quill connector ("the Service") operated by Unify Dynamics LLC ("we", "us").

1. The Service. Quill returns a hand-curated Western/Latin-script calligraphy reference — script profiles, era groupings, tool-family guides, historical context, practice basics, letterform anatomy, a note on the modern lettering revival, and a glossary — from data cross-checked against public paleography and calligraphy-history reference sources at build time. It is accessed through an AI assistant or directly over MCP or HTTP. A companion connector, Naskh, covers the Arabic calligraphy tradition separately.
2. An art-historical and technical reference, not a substitute for instruction. Quill is an independent reference tool, not affiliated with or endorsed by any museum, guild, or heritage institution, and it is not a substitute for supervised instruction from a qualified calligraphy teacher. modern_revival_info is a general, factual description of a cultural trend, not commentary on or endorsement of any specific living calligrapher, brand, or business.
3. Traditions vary and evolve. Script attributions, dates, and practice conventions described here reflect the commonly documented, widely recognized version of each — paleography and calligraphy-history scholarship varies in detail, and the Service's own data notes uncertainty where it matters rather than presenting one version as the only possible account.
4. Acceptable use. Automated use within the published rate limits is welcome.
5. Availability. The Service is provided "as is" without warranty. We may change, limit or discontinue it at any time.
6. Data. Our Privacy Policy describes what we process. In short: your query is answered from bundled reference files, and nothing is stored.
7. Pro keys. Optional Pro API keys are issued at our discretion, are personal to the holder and may be revoked for abuse.
8. Liability. To the fullest extent permitted by law, Unify Dynamics LLC is not liable for any loss arising from use of or reliance on the Service. Our total liability is limited to US $100.
9. Governing law. California law; venue in San Mateo County, California.
10. Contact. Unify Dynamics LLC · agent@connectorbay.com · https://connectorbay.com/quill

Quill support

Email agent@connectorbay.com. We answer within two business days.

• MCP endpoint: https://quill.connectorbay.com/mcp
• REST API: https://quill.connectorbay.com/openapi.json
• Live status: https://quill.connectorbay.com/health

When you report a problem, include the question you asked your agent, roughly when, and which agent you used (for example Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini). Never send us passwords, account numbers or ID numbers. Quill never asks for them.