PDF Toolkit MCP Server

MCP server for PDF manipulation — create from Markdown, fill forms, merge, split, encrypt, add QR codes. Zero-config, TypeScript-native.

Install

npx -y @aryanbv/pdf-toolkit-mcp

No config files, no API keys, no Docker. Works offline.

Create PDFs from Markdown

The standout feature — turn Markdown into professional PDFs:

"Create a PDF from this Markdown with page numbers"

# Quarterly Report

## Revenue

Revenue grew **23% year-over-year**, driven by enterprise expansion.

| Region    | Q1 2025  | Q1 2026  | Growth |
|-----------|----------|----------|--------|
| Americas  | $1.2M    | $1.5M    | +25%   |
| EMEA      | $800K    | $960K    | +20%   |
| APAC      | $400K    | $520K    | +30%   |

## Key Wins

1. Signed 12 new enterprise contracts
2. Reduced churn to 3.1%
3. Launched self-serve tier

This produces a multi-page PDF with formatted headings, styled tables, numbered lists, bold/italic text, and page numbers — all from a single tool call.

Client Setup

Add to your Claude Desktop config (claude_desktop_config.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdf-toolkit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@aryanbv/pdf-toolkit-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

claude mcp add pdf-toolkit -- npx -y @aryanbv/pdf-toolkit-mcp

Add to .cursor/mcp.json (project) or ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdf-toolkit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@aryanbv/pdf-toolkit-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses "servers", NOT "mcpServers". Copying the config from other clients will silently fail. Requires the GitHub Copilot extension with Agent mode enabled.

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

{
  "servers": {
    "pdf-toolkit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@aryanbv/pdf-toolkit-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdf-toolkit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@aryanbv/pdf-toolkit-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

16 tools organized by category:

| Category | Tool | Description | |----------|------|-------------| | Create | pdf_create | Create new PDF from text content | | | pdf_create_from_markdown | Create rich PDF from Markdown (headings, tables, lists, code blocks) | | | pdf_create_from_template | Create PDF from template (invoice, report, letter) | | Read | pdf_extract_text | Extract text from PDF pages (first 10 by default) | | | pdf_get_metadata | Get title, author, page count, creation date | | | pdf_get_form_fields | List form fields with names, types, and values | | Modify | pdf_merge | Merge multiple PDFs into one | | | pdf_split | Extract page ranges into a new PDF | | | pdf_rotate_pages | Rotate pages by 90, 180, or 270 degrees | | | pdf_reorder_pages | Reorder pages in any order (supports duplication) | | Enhance | pdf_add_watermark | Add text watermark to pages | | | pdf_add_page_numbers | Add page numbers (configurable position and format) | | | pdf_embed_image | Embed PNG or JPEG image into a page | | Forms | pdf_fill_form | Fill form fields (text, checkbox, dropdown, radio) | | Security | pdf_encrypt | Password-protect with user/owner passwords | | | pdf_embed_qr_code | Embed QR code or barcode (Code128, DataMatrix, EAN-13, PDF417, Aztec) |

Templates

Generate professional documents from structured data:

"Create an invoice for Acme Corp"

{
  "templateName": "invoice",
  "data": {
    "companyName": "Your Company",
    "clientName": "Acme Corp",
    "invoiceNumber": "INV-001",
    "invoiceDate": "2026-04-01",
    "items": [
      { "description": "Web Development", "quantity": 40, "unitPrice": 150 },
      { "description": "Hosting (Annual)", "quantity": 1, "unitPrice": 299 }
    ],
    "taxRate": 18,
    "paymentTerms": "Net 30"
  },
  "outputPath": "/path/to/invoice.pdf"
}

Available templates: invoice, report, letter.

Encryption

"Encrypt report.pdf with password 'secure123'"

Applies RC4 128-bit encryption. Set separate user (open) and owner (edit) passwords for granular access control.

QR Codes & Barcodes

"Add a QR code linking to our website on page 1"

Supported types: QR Code, Code128, DataMatrix, EAN-13, PDF417, Aztec Code. Position and size are fully configurable.

Usage Examples

Just ask naturally:

• "Create a PDF from this Markdown report"
• "Generate an invoice for Client Corp — 10 hours consulting at $150/hr"
• "Merge january.pdf and february.pdf into q1-combined.pdf"
• "Extract text from pages 5-10 of thesis.pdf"
• "Fill the Name field with 'John Doe' in application.pdf"
• "Add a CONFIDENTIAL watermark to draft.pdf"
• "Encrypt financials.pdf with password 'budget2026'"
• "Add page numbers to presentation.pdf"
• "Embed a QR code with our URL on the cover page"
• "Reorder pages as 3,1,2 in report.pdf"

Known Limitations

• Merge/Split/Reorder: Form fields are not preserved. Visual content transfers, but interactive fields are lost.
• Text extraction: Returns PDF stream order, not visual reading order. Multi-column layouts may interleave.
• Extract text: Defaults to first 10 pages to avoid exceeding LLM context. Request specific pages for longer documents.
• Image embedding: Only JPEG and PNG formats are supported.
• Form filling: Non-Latin characters (Arabic, CJK, Devanagari) require providing a custom font file (.ttf/.otf).
• Encryption: Uses RC4 128-bit, not AES. Adequate for access control but not modern strong encryption.
• Markdown fonts: pdfmake uses Roboto only. Custom fonts are not yet supported for Markdown PDFs.

Tech Stack

Dual-engine architecture for maximum capability:

• pdfmake — Rich document creation (Markdown, templates, tables, headers/footers)
• @pdfme/pdf-lib — Existing PDF manipulation (merge, split, rotate, watermark, forms, images, QR codes)
• unpdf — Text extraction and metadata reading

Requirements

• Node.js >= 18

Development

npm install          # Install dependencies
npm run build        # Compile TypeScript
npm run test         # Run all 51 tests
npm run inspect      # Open MCP Inspector (requires Node >= 22.7.5)

See CLAUDE.md for architecture details and contribution guidelines.

License

MIT