Mermaid to PDF Tools

Transform your ideas into professional PDF documents with beautiful diagrams - just by asking for them.

🤖 For AI Users

The magic way: Just ask your AI to create PDF documents with diagrams. The AI will automatically write beautiful documentation and convert it to PDF for you.

For Claude Desktop Users

1. Install the MCP server:

   npm install -g mermaid-to-pdf-mcp-server

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

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "mermaid-to-pdf": {
         "command": "mermaid-to-pdf-mcp",
         "args": []
       }
     }
   }

3. Restart Claude Desktop

For Claude Code Users

If you use Claude Code, you can configure the MCP server using Claude Code's built-in MCP management:

1. Install the MCP server:

   npm install -g mermaid-to-pdf-mcp-server

2. Add the MCP server to Claude Code:

   Option A: User scope (available across all projects):

   claude mcp add --scope user mermaid-to-pdf mermaid-to-pdf-mcp

   Option B: Project scope (for a specific project, creates .mcp.json):

   # Navigate to your project directory first
   claude mcp add --scope project mermaid-to-pdf mermaid-to-pdf-mcp

   Option C: Local scope (private to you in current project):

   # Navigate to your project directory first  
   claude mcp add --scope local mermaid-to-pdf mermaid-to-pdf-mcp

3. Verify the server is configured:

   claude mcp list

Alternative: Manual Configuration

You can also create a .mcp.json file in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mermaid-to-pdf": {
      "command": "mermaid-to-pdf-mcp",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

How to Use

Simply ask Claude to create PDF documents with visuals. Here are some examples:

"Create a PDF document that explains how Twitter works with diagrams."

"Make a PDF guide for our new employee onboarding process with flowcharts."

"Generate a PDF that documents our API architecture with sequence diagrams."

"Create a project timeline PDF with Gantt charts for the Q1 roadmap."

The AI will automatically:

• Write comprehensive documentation in Markdown
• Add relevant Mermaid diagrams (flowcharts, sequences, ERDs, etc.)
• Convert everything to a professional PDF
• Return the PDF file to you

What Makes This Special

• No manual work: Just describe what you want
• Professional quality: High-resolution diagrams, proper formatting
• Multiple diagram types: Flowcharts, sequence diagrams, database schemas, timelines
• Instant results: From idea to polished PDF in seconds
• Smart AI guidance: The AI knows best practices for visual documentation

🖥️ For Developers (Command Line)

The direct way: Convert your existing Markdown files with Mermaid diagrams to PDF.

Installation

npm install -g mermaid-to-pdf-cli

Basic Usage

# Convert any markdown file to PDF
mermaid-to-pdf your-document.md

# With custom options
mermaid-to-pdf document.md -o output.pdf -t dark -q high

CLI Options

Usage: mermaid-to-pdf <input.md> [options]

Options:
  -o, --output <file>    Output PDF file path (default: input.pdf)
  -t, --theme <theme>    Mermaid theme (default: light)
  -q, --quality <level>  PDF quality: draft, standard, high (default: high)
  -p, --page <size>      Page size: A4, Letter, Legal (default: A4)
  -h, --help            Show this help message

✨ Features

What You Get

• 📄 Professional PDFs: Clean typography and proper formatting
• 🎨 Crisp Diagrams: High-resolution rendering (2x scale factor)
• ⚡ Fast Performance: Browser pooling and diagram caching
• 🔧 Configurable: Custom themes, quality levels, and page sizes
• 🛡️ Reliable: Comprehensive error handling and validation

Supported Diagram Types

• Flowcharts: Process flows, decision trees, workflows
• Sequence Diagrams: API interactions, user journeys, system communications
• Class Diagrams: Software architecture, object relationships
• ER Diagrams: Database schemas, data relationships
• Gantt Charts: Project timelines, milestones, schedules
• State Diagrams: System states, user interface flows
• Git Graphs: Development workflows, branching strategies

🎯 Perfect For

Business Users (with AI)

• Project documentation with timelines and process flows
• System overviews for stakeholders with architecture diagrams
• Process documentation with clear visual workflows
• Training materials with step-by-step diagrams

Technical Teams (CLI or AI)

• API documentation with sequence diagrams and examples
• System architecture documentation with component diagrams
• Database documentation with ER diagrams and schemas
• Development workflows with git flow diagrams

Content Creators

• Technical tutorials with explanatory diagrams
• Product specifications with user flow diagrams
• Research reports with data flow visualizations
• Presentation materials in PDF format

🚀 Examples

With AI (Recommended)

Just ask Claude:

"Create a PDF that explains our microservices architecture. Include a system overview diagram, database relationships, and API interaction flows."

Claude will create something like this automatically, then convert it to PDF:

# Microservices Architecture Guide

## System Overview
Our platform uses a distributed microservices architecture...

```mermaid
flowchart TB
    subgraph "Frontend"
        Web[Web App]
        Mobile[Mobile App]
    end
    
    subgraph "Services"
        Gateway[API Gateway]
        Auth[Auth Service]
        Users[User Service]
        Orders[Order Service]
    end
    
    Web --> Gateway
    Mobile --> Gateway
    Gateway --> Auth
    Gateway --> Users
    Gateway --> Orders

Database Design

The system uses separate databases for each service...

erDiagram
    User ||--o{ Order : places
    User {
        int id
        string email
        string name
    }
    Order {
        int id
        int user_id
        decimal amount
        string status
    }

### With CLI
Create `architecture.md` with your content, then:
```bash
mermaid-to-pdf architecture.md -q high -t light

🔧 Requirements

• Node.js: 18.x or higher
• Operating System: Windows 10+, macOS 10.14+, or Linux (Ubuntu 18.04+)
• Memory: 2GB RAM minimum (4GB recommended)

🔗 Links

• Repository: https://github.com/costajohnt/mermaid-to-pdf-vscode
• Issues: GitHub Issues
• CLI Package: mermaid-to-pdf-cli
• MCP Package: mermaid-to-pdf-mcp-server
• Mermaid Documentation: https://mermaid.js.org/

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.