File Converter MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that aggregates various file conversion tools for quick formatting and file type transformations.

Features

Supported Conversions

• PDF to Markdown - Convert PDF documents to markdown format
• Image Format Conversion - Transform between common image formats (PNG, JPG, WebP, etc.)
• Document Conversion - Convert between document formats (DOCX, TXT, HTML, etc.)
• Spreadsheet Conversion - Transform spreadsheet formats (CSV, XLSX, JSON, etc.)
• Code Format Conversion - Convert between code formats and syntax highlighting
• Archive Operations - Extract and create archive files (ZIP, TAR, etc.)

Conversion Engines

• PDF Engine: marker (recommended) and pymupdf4llm support
• Image Engine: Sharp and ImageMagick integration
• Document Engine: Pandoc integration for broad format support
• Archive Engine: Built-in Node.js compression libraries

Installation

npm install -g file-converter-mcp

Dependencies

Install conversion engines based on your needs:

# PDF conversion engines
pip install marker-pdf pymupdf4llm

# Image processing (choose one)
npm install sharp
# OR
brew install imagemagick  # macOS
apt-get install imagemagick  # Ubuntu

# Document conversion
brew install pandoc  # macOS
apt-get install pandoc  # Ubuntu

# Archive tools (usually pre-installed)
# zip, unzip, tar, gzip

Usage

MCP Configuration

Add to your MCP client configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "file-converter": {
      "command": "file-converter-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

PDF Conversion

• convert_pdf_to_markdown - Convert PDF files to Markdown
• extract_pdf_text - Extract plain text from PDF files
• extract_pdf_images - Extract images from PDF files

Image Conversion

• convert_image_format - Convert between image formats
• resize_image - Resize images with quality options
• compress_image - Reduce image file size

Document Conversion

• convert_document - Convert between document formats using Pandoc
• extract_document_text - Extract text from various document formats
• convert_markdown_to_html - Convert Markdown to HTML with styling

Spreadsheet Conversion

• convert_csv_to_json - Convert CSV data to JSON format
• convert_json_to_csv - Convert JSON data to CSV format
• convert_xlsx_to_csv - Extract CSV data from Excel files

Archive Operations

• create_archive - Create ZIP or TAR archives from files/folders
• extract_archive - Extract contents from archive files
• list_archive_contents - List files in archive without extracting

Utility Tools

• detect_file_type - Identify file format and encoding
• validate_conversion - Check if conversion is supported
• batch_convert - Convert multiple files in one operation

Examples

Basic PDF Conversion

// Convert PDF to Markdown
await client.callTool("convert_pdf_to_markdown", {
  input_path: "/path/to/document.pdf",
  output_path: "/path/to/output.md",
  options: {
    engine: "marker",
    preserve_formatting: true
  }
});

Image Format Conversion

// Convert PNG to WebP with compression
await client.callTool("convert_image_format", {
  input_path: "/path/to/image.png",
  output_path: "/path/to/image.webp",
  options: {
    quality: 80,
    format: "webp"
  }
});

Document Conversion

// Convert DOCX to Markdown using Pandoc
await client.callTool("convert_document", {
  input_path: "/path/to/document.docx",
  output_path: "/path/to/document.md",
  options: {
    format: "markdown",
    preserve_styles: false
  }
});

Batch Operations

// Convert multiple files at once
await client.callTool("batch_convert", {
  input_directory: "/path/to/input/",
  output_directory: "/path/to/output/",
  conversions: [
    { from: "pdf", to: "markdown" },
    { from: "png", to: "webp" },
    { from: "docx", to: "txt" }
  ]
});

Configuration Options

Conversion Settings

interface ConversionOptions {
  engine?: string;                    // Conversion engine to use
  quality?: number;                   // Output quality (1-100)
  preserve_formatting?: boolean;      // Maintain original formatting
  output_format?: string;             // Specific output format
  compression_level?: number;         // Compression level (0-9)
  custom_options?: Record<string, any>; // Engine-specific options
}

Supported File Types

Input Formats

• Documents: PDF, DOCX, DOC, RTF, TXT, HTML, XML
• Images: PNG, JPG, JPEG, WebP, GIF, BMP, TIFF, SVG
• Spreadsheets: CSV, XLSX, XLS, JSON, TSV
• Archives: ZIP, TAR, GZ, 7Z, RAR (extract only)
• Code: Various programming language files

Output Formats

• Text: Markdown, HTML, TXT, RTF
• Images: PNG, JPG, WebP, GIF, BMP
• Data: JSON, CSV, XML, YAML
• Archives: ZIP, TAR, GZ

Performance Considerations

• Memory Usage: Large files are processed in chunks to prevent memory issues
• Processing Speed: Different engines have different speed/quality tradeoffs
• Batch Processing: More efficient for multiple file conversions
• Caching: Converted files can be cached to avoid re-processing

Error Handling

The server provides comprehensive error handling:

• Input file validation and format detection
• Graceful fallback between conversion engines
• Detailed error messages with suggested solutions
• Progress tracking for long-running conversions

Development

# Clone repository
git clone https://github.com/cordlesssteve/file-converter-mcp.git
cd file-converter-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build project
npm run build

# Run development mode
npm run dev

# Run tests
npm test

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Add support for new file formats or conversion engines
4. Add tests for new functionality
5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

• Issues
• Discussions
• Wiki