MCP Server -- Read Papers in the local Specified Directory
RemoteAbout MCP Server -- Read Papers in the local Specified Directory
This Go-based MCP server reads PDF papers from a specified local directory. It is for users who want MCP clients to find and read locally stored papers, with the directory selected at startup.
Key features
- 01Specify a local PDF directory
- 02Find papers in the directory
- 03Read PDF contents
- 04Serve over SSE
Use cases
- 01List local paper files
- 02Locate a paper by filename
- 03Let an MCP client read paper contents
MCP support
The server provides `find_pdf` and `read_pdf` tools to MCP clients for finding and reading PDF papers in the specified directory.
Configuration
Remote servers need no local install. Pick your client, then copy the config or install in one click.
http://127.0.0.1:8080/sseclaude mcp add --transport http pdf http://127.0.0.1:8080/sse{"mcpServers":{"pdf":{"type":"http","url":"http://127.0.0.1:8080/sse"}}}Open in Cursor{"servers":{"pdf":{"type":"http","url":"http://127.0.0.1:8080/sse"}}}Open in VS Code{"mcpServers":{"pdf":{"type":"http","url":"http://127.0.0.1:8080/sse"}}}{"mcpServers":{"pdf":{"serverUrl":"http://127.0.0.1:8080/sse"}}}Run commands in a terminal; paste JSON into the client’s MCP config and restart. Servers that need sign-in will prompt on first connect.
Tools
Details
From the project READMEMCP Server -- Read Papers in the local Specified Directory
Compile
go build -o pdf-mcp-server main.go
Installation
Add the path where the pdf-mcp-server binary is located to your environment variable.
Take macOS as an example:
export PATH=$PATH:/your/path/pdf-mcp-server
source ~/.zshrc
Start the MCP Server
pdf-mcp-server -pdfdir=your_paper_directory
For example: pdf-mcp-server -pdfdir=/Users/sirix/lunwen
Cursor Settings
{
"mcpServers": {
"pdf-mcp-server": {
"url": "http://127.0.0.1:8080/sse"
}
}
}
Set Cursor Rules
Example:
When handling PDF-related requests, call the find_pdf tool of the mcp server named "pdf-mcp-server" to list all papers in the /Users/sirix/lunwen directory, search for the paper with the corresponding file name in this directory, and use the read_pdf tool of the pdf-mcp-server to read it.
Comments
New to MCP?
From what the protocol is to installing your first server, these answers cover most first questions.
An open protocol that defines how AI applications connect to external tools and data in a uniform way. Clients talk to the model; MCP servers provide tools, resources and prompt templates. They exchange standard messages, so one server can be reused by many clients.