MinerU Open MCP vs Pdffr
A side-by-side look at the MinerU Open MCP and Pdffr MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose MinerU Open MCP for search & data extraction work as a local process; choose Pdffr for search & data extraction as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MinerU Open MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
parse_documents, get_ocr_languages.
Choose Pdffr when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Search & Data Extraction domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Search & Data Extraction | Search & Data Extraction |
| Quality signal | 61/100 · Good | 40/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner |
Tools & capabilities
MinerU Open MCP tools 2
parse_documentsConvert PDF, Office (DOCX, PPTX), spreadsheets (XLSX in Flash mode), images, and http(s) URLs to Markdown using the MinerU cloud API (content is uploaded to mineru.net; do not use for data that must stay on-device). Does not modify source files; may write Markdown under output_dir when saving results. Auth: without MINERU_API_TOKEN, Flash mode applies (Markdown-only, about 20 pages and 10 MB per file; service rate limits). With MINERU_API_TOKEN, higher limits and optional formats per plan. Use for extraction and conversion. Use get_ocr_languages only to list OCR language codes, not to parse files. Not for fully offline parsing. Parameters: file_sources is paths/URLs or objects with source and pages for PDF ranges; language is an OCR code (default ch); enable_ocr defaults to auto (null); set model to html only if every source is a web page URL.get_ocr_languagesReturn supported MinerU OCR and script language codes (e.g. ch, en, japan, latin). Read-only; no uploads. Use before setting the language argument on parse_documents for scanned or multilingual documents. Do not use for file conversion; call parse_documents instead.
Pdffr tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MinerU Open MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"mineru-open-mcp": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mineru-open-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Pdffr
{
"mcpServers": {
"pdffr": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"pdffr"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MinerU Open MCP is categorized under Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pdffr belongs to Search & Data Extraction and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MinerU Open MCP for search & data extraction work and Pdffr for search & data extraction.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
MinerU Open MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Pdffr has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add mineru-open-mcp and pdffr as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MinerU Open MCP has a quality signal of 61/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 222 GitHub stars. Pdffr has 40/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.