PDF to Markdown MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that converts PDF pages to markdown format using the Qwen VL vision model.

Features

• Convert PDF to Markdown: Extract text, tables, and document structure from any PDF page.
• Vision-Powered Accuracy: Uses AI vision (Qwen VL) for high-fidelity extraction that regular text parsers often miss.
• Easy Integration: Works with any MCP client like Claude Desktop.

Requirements

• Node.js: Version 18 or higher.
• Qwen VL API Access: An API key and access to a Qwen VL endpoint.

Installation & Configuration

1. Install Dependencies

npm install
npm run build

2. Environment Variables

The server needs the following environment variables:

• QWEN_API_URL: The endpoint URL (e.g., https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1/chat/completions)
• QWEN_API_KEY: Your authentication key.
• QWEN_MODEL: The specific model name (defaults to qwen-vl-max).

3. Setup with Claude Desktop

Add this to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdf-to-markdown": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "pdf-to-markdown-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "QWEN_API_URL": "https://your-qwen-api-endpoint.com/v1/chat/completions",
        "QWEN_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
        "QWEN_MODEL": "qwen-vl-max"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage

Once connected, you can use the convert_pdf_page_to_markdown tool.

Tool: convert_pdf_page_to_markdown

Converts a specific page from a PDF file to markdown.

Arguments:

• pdf_path (string): Absolute path to the PDF file on your computer.
• page_number (number): The page number you want to convert (starting from 1).

Example Prompt:

"Please convert page 5 of C:\Documents\Report.pdf to markdown for me."

System Dependencies

Depending on your OS, you may need additional libraries for PDF rendering:

• Windows: No additional steps required.
• macOS: brew install pkg-config cairo pango libpng jpeg giflib librsvg
• Linux (Ubuntu/Debian): sudo apt-get install build-essential libcairo2-dev libpango1.0-dev libjpeg-dev libgif-dev librsvg2-dev

Troubleshooting

• "PDF file not found": Ensure the path is absolute and the file is accessible.
• "Invalid page number": Check that the page number exists in the document.
• API Errors: Verify your QWEN_API_URL and QWEN_API_KEY.
• Render Failures: If conversion fails on Linux/macOS, ensure the System Dependencies above are installed.

License

Apache 2.0