PuzzleTide Puzzle GeneratorVerifiedFeatured

What is PuzzleTide?

PuzzleTide is a local-first MCP server for puzzle generation: a word search generator, crossword generator, and sudoku generator + solver in one package. Ask a language model to hand-write a word search and half the words break; ask it for a sudoku and you get one with several solutions. PuzzleTide is the deterministic code agents should call instead — every word search placement is verifiable, every sudoku is checked to have exactly one solution, and every crossword is validated against its own clues. Same seed in, same puzzle out.

Setup

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "puzzletide": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "puzzletide-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Works with Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP client. Everything runs locally — no account, API key, telemetry, or network access.

Tools (15)

• puzzle_wordsearch_generate — word search from custom words or 30 themed word banks; 8 directions with kid-friendly presets
• puzzle_crossword_generate — interlocking crossword grids with standard numbering and validated clues
• puzzle_sudoku_generate — easy, medium, hard, and expert sudoku with a unique-solution guarantee
• puzzle_sudoku_solve / puzzle_sudoku_validate — instant solver; conflict and uniqueness checks
• words_themes, words_list, words_match, words_anagram, words_random, words_categories, words_stats — word bank browsing, crossword-style pattern matching, anagrams
• eval_generate / eval_check — reproducible puzzle tasks with by-construction grading for benchmarking LLMs (no answer key to trust, no LLM judge)
• play_daily — a shared daily sudoku

Key features

• Printable PDF puzzle worksheets: pass a pdf file path to any generator and get a print-ready sheet with puzzle and solution pages (letter or A4), plus SVG output
• Deterministic seeds — reproducible puzzles for teachers, activity packets, and benchmark sets
• Verifiable LLM evals: a sudoku answer either satisfies the rules or it doesn't; a word search answer either spells the word in the grid or it doesn't
• Property-tested generators shipped as the open-source puzzletide CLI (ptide)

Use cases

• Generate a printable word search for a classroom, party, or activity book in one prompt
• Create sudoku packets at graded difficulties with answer keys
• Build crosswords from your own word/clue lists
• Benchmark a model's reasoning with reproducible, objectively gradable puzzle tasks

Play online

Prefer a browser? Play free at https://puzzletide.com

• Word search: https://puzzletide.com/word-search
• Crossword: https://puzzletide.com/crossword
• Sudoku: https://puzzletide.com/sudoku
• Printable puzzles: https://puzzletide.com/printable
• Puzzle maker: https://puzzletide.com/maker

FAQ

Does it need an API key?

No. All generation runs locally over stdio via the puzzletide-mcp npm package.

Can it make printable puzzles?

Yes — every generator accepts pdf and svg file-path arguments and writes print-ready worksheets with solution pages.