About PDFMonkey
PDFMonkey MCP Server connects AI clients to the PDFMonkey API to manage existing templates and generate documents. It also provides document status, workspace and quota information, but cannot create or edit templates.
Key features
- 01List workspaces and templates
- 02Read template HTML, CSS, and sample data
- 03Generate documents from templates
- 04Track, list, and delete documents
- 05Inspect snippets, quota, and account details
- 06Four prompts for common tasks
Use cases
- 01Generate an invoice from an existing template
- 02Check a generated document and retrieve its download URL
- 03Review workspace templates and remaining quota
MCP support
An MCP server that runs locally over stdio and exposes PDFMonkey API operations and four prompts to MCP clients. It requires a PDFMonkey API key.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
npx -y pdfmonkey-mcp-serverPDFMONKEY_API_KEYSecretYour PDFMonkey API key from https://dashboard.pdfmonkey.io/accountLocal servers need a runtime on your machine (e.g. Node.js 18+). Config file locations differ by client; see your client’s docs.
Tools
11Saved tool list · updated 2d ago
This tool takes no parameters.
Details
From the project READMEPDFMonkey MCP Server
The official Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for PDFMonkey. It lets AI assistants such as Claude, Cursor or any other MCP client list your templates, generate documents and check your quota through the PDFMonkey API.
- Runs locally over stdio, with your API key
- Listed in the MCP Registry as
io.github.pdfmonkey/pdfmonkey-mcp - Documentation: pdfmonkey.io/docs/integrations/mcp
The MCP server works with existing templates: it can read them but not create or edit them. To let an agent build and preview templates, use the PDFMonkey CLI.
Get your API key
Sign up at dashboard.pdfmonkey.io/register, then copy your API key from your account page.
Setup
The server needs Node.js 18 or later and reads your key from the PDFMONKEY_API_KEY environment variable.
Claude Code
claude mcp add pdfmonkey -e PDFMONKEY_API_KEY=your-api-key -- npx -y pdfmonkey-mcp-server
Claude Desktop, Cursor and other clients
Add this to your client’s MCP configuration (claude_desktop_config.json for Claude Desktop, .cursor/mcp.json for Cursor):
{
"mcpServers": {
"pdfmonkey": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "pdfmonkey-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"PDFMONKEY_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}
Claude Desktop’s configuration file lives in ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ on macOS and %APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows.
Docker
No image is published yet, so build it locally:
docker build -t pdfmonkey-mcp-server .
{
"mcpServers": {
"pdfmonkey": {
"command": "docker",
"args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "-e", "PDFMONKEY_API_KEY", "pdfmonkey-mcp-server"],
"env": {
"PDFMONKEY_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
}
}
}
}
See DOCKER-MCP-TOOLKIT.md to use it with the Docker MCP Toolkit.
Tools
| Tool | What it does |
|---|---|
list_workspaces | List the workspaces your API key can access |
list_templates | List the templates of a workspace |
get_template | Get a template’s HTML, CSS and sample data |
generate_document | Generate a document and wait for it (polls every 1.5 s, up to 3 minutes) |
get_document_status | Check a document’s status and get its download URL |
list_documents | List documents, filtered by status, template or update time |
delete_document | Delete a document permanently |
list_snippets | List the Liquid snippets of a workspace |
get_snippet | Get a snippet’s code |
get_quota | Get your quota and plan |
get_user_info | Get your account details |
The server also exposes four prompts: list-templates-formatted, show-documents-status, generate-invoice and workspace-overview.
Good to know:
- Download URLs expire after one hour. Download the file right away, or use a share link (Pro+ and Premium plans).
- If a generation takes longer than 3 minutes, call
get_document_statuslater with the document ID.
Example
You: Generate an invoice for ACME with my invoice template.
Claude: [calls list_templates, then generate_document]
Your invoice is ready: https://…
Development
npm install
npm run build # compile to dist/
npm test # run the test suite
npm run watch # rebuild on change
To try the server against the real API:
PDFMONKEY_API_KEY=your-api-key npm start
Troubleshooting
- “PDFMONKEY_API_KEY environment variable is required”: the key is missing from your client configuration.
- 401 errors: the key is wrong or was regenerated. Copy it again from your account page.
- Docker container exits immediately: run it with
-i, MCP talks over stdin.
Resources
Questions about the server? Open an issue. Questions about PDFMonkey itself? Contact us.
License
MIT, see LICENSE.
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.