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Free the Tools

Runs local PDF, image, text, data, and developer utilities for AI assistants without uploading files.

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Install Free the Tools

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "free-the-tools": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "freethetools"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

We couldn’t confirm it starts correctly

We ran the install command but it didn't respond within our test window — this can mean a slow first-time install rather than a real problem.

npx -y freethetools

No response to initialize.

This is an experimental automated check and can have false negatives — missing environment variables, a slow cold install, etc. It doesn’t necessarily mean something’s wrong. Last checked Today.

Overview

Free the Tools MCP server gives AI assistants access to local PDF, image, text, data, developer, and everyday utilities. The npm package runs on the user’s computer, reads input files by path, writes results to a home-directory folder, and records jobs locally. Use it when an agent needs file conversion or lightweight data operations without sending files to a hosted service. Setup is available for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gemini CLI, VS Code, and other MCP clients.

Use cases

  • Compress and merge local PDFs from an AI assistant
  • Convert images and remove photo location data
  • Format JSON or convert CSV files locally
  • Generate hashes, UUIDs, QR codes, and passwords
  • Run file operations without uploading source files

Key features

  • Local MCP package for AI clients
  • PDF, image, text, data, and developer utilities
  • Path-based file input and local result storage
  • Browser-based processing with offline support after loading
  • CLI mode for agents without MCP
  • Machine-readable tool catalogue

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked 3d ago

Recent health check succeeded.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

Critical 0High 0Medium 0Low 0

Scanned 2d ago via OSV.dev · freethetools (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

GitHub stars1Stargazers on the source repository.
Last commit3d agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Install checkInconclusiveDidn't respond in our test window — often a slow first install.
Directory activity1 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How Free the Tools works

What Free the Tools does

Free the Tools MCP server exposes a catalogue of browser-based utilities to AI assistants through the freethetools npm package. The available groups cover PDF, image, text, data, developer, and everyday tasks. Examples include compressing, merging, splitting, rotating, protecting, unlocking, editing, and converting PDFs; resizing and converting images; comparing or transforming text; converting CSV to JSON; formatting JSON; and generating hashes, UUIDs, passwords, QR codes, and encoded values.

The tools are intended for jobs that can run on the local machine. Files are not sent to a hosted MCP service because no hosted MCP server is provided. The project also offers the same underlying catalogue through browser pages, where processing occurs on the device and tools can continue working offline after loading.

How it works

An MCP client starts the package locally and invokes a selected tool with structured input. The package reads files from paths supplied to it, performs the operation locally, and saves generated results in a freethetools directory inside the user’s home folder. Each job is recorded in library.jsonl.

The package uses one definition per tool across its supported AI channels. The repository also publishes a machine-readable catalogue at /api/tools.json and an /llms.txt file for agents that need to discover available tools. For environments without MCP support, the package includes a command-line mode using npx -y freethetools run <tool> '<json>'.

Setup and configuration

Install or run the package through npm. A manual MCP registration uses:

Terminal
claude mcp add freethetools -- npx -y freethetools mcp

The repository also documents a Claude Code plugin, a Gemini CLI extension, and add-to-client actions for Cursor and VS Code. Client-specific instructions are maintained in the project’s AI usage documentation. No account, login, or remote server is required for the local MCP package.

Tools and capabilities

Free the Tools MCP server includes utilities in these areas:

  • PDF: compress, merge, split, rotate, protect, unlock, fill, edit, and convert pages or images.
  • Images: compress, resize, convert formats, convert HEIC to JPG, remove location data, create SVGs, and make GIFs from video.
  • Text and data: change case, convert Markdown to HTML, compare text, count words, convert CSV to JSON, and format JSON.
  • Developer and everyday tasks: encode Base64 and URLs, create hashes, decode JWTs, generate passwords, QR codes, UUIDs, colour conversions, file conversions, time-zone conversions, unit conversions, and Unix timestamp conversions.

Limitations and notes

The package is local rather than hosted, so each MCP client must run it on the computer that has access to the input files. Its output location and job history are local as well. Browser-based WebMCP access is a separate channel: Chrome and Edge support it in origin trials, while other browsers ignore it.

Processing depends on what can run in a browser or local package. The project does not add a server for operations that cannot yet run on the device. The software is licensed under AGPL-3.0, and the repository states that the package is published on npm and listed in the official MCP Registry.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

Reviews

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Frequently Asked Questions about Free the Tools

Free the Tools is an MCP server that connects AI assistants to local PDF, image, text, data, developer, and everyday tools. Its main capabilities include PDF compression and conversion, image resizing and format conversion, text and JSON processing, file conversion, hashing, encoding, QR-code creation, and UUID generation while keeping files on the user’s device.

Run `claude mcp add freethetools -- npx -y freethetools mcp` to add it manually to Claude. The project also provides a Claude Code plugin, a Gemini CLI extension, and add-to-client buttons for Cursor and VS Code.

No, Free the Tools processes files locally and does not provide a hosted MCP server. The package reads files by path, saves results in a `freethetools` folder under the home directory, and records jobs in `library.jsonl`.

Free the Tools documents support for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Gemini CLI, VS Code, and other MCP clients. Client setup differs, with manual npm registration, a plugin, an extension, or an add-to-client action depending on the application.

Yes, the package provides a command-line mode for agents without MCP. Run `npx -y freethetools run <tool> '<json>'` with the selected tool name and JSON input.

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