Complete guide

How Dans MTG works

Everything you need to know — from installation to identifying your first card and managing your collection.

What is Dans MTG?

Dans MTG is a Chrome browser extension designed for Magic: The Gathering players who buy and sell cards through Australian Facebook groups and auction pages.

When you're browsing a Facebook post and see a card photo, right-clicking it instantly identifies the card and pulls up live pricing from six different stores — all without leaving Facebook. No searching, no typing the card name, no switching tabs.

It also connects to your personal card collection, so you'll know immediately whether you already own that card or a similar version of it before you decide to bid.

Installing the extension

  1. Open the Chrome Web Store and search for Dans MTG, or follow the direct install link on the home page.
  2. Click Add to Chrome and confirm when prompted.
  3. A small icon appears in your browser toolbar. Click it to open the extension popup.
  4. On first run, you'll be asked for the API URL — enter it and click Save. This is provided by the service administrator.
  5. Click Sign Up, enter your email and a password (min 8 characters, 1 uppercase, 1 number), then verify your email with the code sent to your inbox.
  6. You receive 500 free credits automatically the moment your account is confirmed.
Dans MTG requires a backend API to be deployed on AWS. If you're setting it up for a group, see the deployment guide in the project repository.

Identifying a card

  1. Go to any Facebook group or page that sells Magic cards.
  2. Find a post with a card photo.
  3. Right-click directly on the card image.
  4. In the context menu, select Identify MTG Card.
  5. A dark overlay panel appears showing:
    • Card name, set code, and collector number
    • Foil or non-foil (detected from the ★ symbol in the card's bottom-left stamp)
    • Frame treatment (normal, extended art, borderless, showcase, etc.)
    • Type line, power/toughness, and artist
    • Live prices from up to six sources
    • How many copies you own of this version, and how many other versions you hold
Scanning only happens when you explicitly choose the context menu option. Dans MTG never automatically monitors your browsing, uploads images in the background, or scans posts you haven't asked it to.

Reading the scan result

Card details

Shows the card name with foil/non-foil and frame treatment badges, the set and collector number, type line, power/toughness (for creatures), loyalty (for planeswalkers), and artist credit.

Your collection

Shows whether you own this specific version (e.g., foil extended art) and how many copies, plus a total count of other versions of the same card name you hold. You can add, update, or remove cards directly from this panel without leaving Facebook.

Live pricing

Prices fetched in real time from Scryfall (USD/TCGPlayer), Good Games AU, MTGMate, Card Hub Australia, Pro Gamers, and MTG Singles Australia. Results are cached for 6 hours so repeat lookups are instant.

Managing your collection

Import from ManaBox

  1. In ManaBox, go to your Collection → tap the menu (⋮) → Export → CSV.
  2. Open the Dans MTG popup → Settings tab → Import Collection.
  3. Paste the CSV text and click Import. Your entire collection syncs in seconds.

Add cards manually

From any scan result overlay, use the + Add to My Collection button to record a card with your chosen quantity and condition. Update or remove cards from the same panel.

Browse your collection

Open the popup and the My Collection tab shows all your cards with a live search box. Tap ✕ next to any card to remove it.

Understanding credits

Running AI-powered card identification costs money (cloud computing and AI inference fees). Dans MTG uses a community credit system to share this cost fairly.

How you earn and spend credits

Running out of credits

If your balance hits zero, Dans MTG will automatically open a short ad to earn credits back before continuing the scan. You can also tap Watch Ad in the extension popup at any time. Credits return passively as others in the community visit posts you have previously scanned.

Foil detection

Foil status is detected from the card's own printed text, not from the reflective sheen in the photo (which varies too much with lighting to be reliable). The bottom-left stamp on every Magic card contains the signal:

Seller labels in the photo (e.g. a "FOIL" sticker) are used as secondary confirmation.

Supported frame treatments