Filetopdf MCP

What FileToPDF/filetopdf-mcp MCP server does

FileToPDF/filetopdf-mcp MCP server gives MCP clients access to FileToPDF document conversion. It can turn publicly accessible office files, images, HTML pages, Markdown, and existing PDFs into PDF output. Supported source examples include DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, ODT, RTF, TXT, CSV, PNG, JPG, and WebP files.

The server is suited to agents that need to produce shareable documents from generated content or convert an existing resource available at a public URL. Common outputs include invoices, reports, receipts, certificates, letters, summaries, and documentation.

How it works

The server communicates with the FileToPDF API using an API key. For a file URL, the conversion engine is selected from the source file extension. Raw HTML and Markdown use dedicated tools so the agent can provide the content directly instead of hosting it first.

Successful conversion calls return metadata together with the PDF as an embedded application/pdf resource. A client that supports embedded resources can save the result, and the caller can also provide save_path to write the PDF locally. The FILETOPDF_OUTPUT_DIR environment variable can be used to configure an output directory.

HTML and Markdown rendering use a Chromium-based engine. Both formats accept optional CSS and document layout settings, including paper dimensions, margins, landscape orientation, scaling, page ranges, background printing, PDF/A output, and password protection. Markdown receives a default stylesheet when custom CSS is not supplied.

Setup and configuration

For a local stdio deployment, run the package with npx -y filetopdf-mcp and provide FILETOPDF_API_KEY in the MCP client environment. The repository documents configuration for Claude Desktop, Cline, Cursor, VS Code, and Claude Code. The API key can be obtained from FileToPDF, which provides 10 free conversions without signup.

A hosted Streamable HTTP endpoint is also available at https://api.filetopdf.dev/mcp. Remote clients can authenticate with an x-api-key header, an Authorization: Bearer header, or an apiKey query parameter. The project also documents self-hosting its HTTP mode with npm run build && npm run start:http; the service listens on the PORT value, defaulting to 8080, and serves /mcp.

Tools and capabilities

FileToPDF/filetopdf-mcp MCP server exposes four tools:

• get_account checks the API key and reports the plan, remaining conversion credits, and subscription status. This check does not consume credits.
• convert_file converts a document at a public URL. Existing PDFs pass through the conversion service, while other supported formats are converted according to their extensions.
• convert_html renders a supplied HTML string, with optional CSS and PDF layout controls.
• convert_markdown renders a supplied Markdown string, with optional CSS and PDF layout controls.

Limitations and notes

An API key is required for the FileToPDF service. Each successful conversion consumes one credit, while failed conversions do not. The free allowance covers 10 conversions; the documentation also references Starter, Basic, Pro, and Scale plans. Advanced layout settings are available on the free trial and Pro or Scale plans, but return an upgrade error on Starter and Basic.

The convert_file tool requires a public URL, so it is not the direct route for private local files. Use convert_html or convert_markdown when the source is a raw string. The repository is licensed under MIT.