About MCP Document Reader
MCP Document Reader is an MCP server that reads DOCX, PDF, TXT and Excel files so AI assistants can work with local documents. It suits users of Trae IDE or Claude Desktop and can also be imported as a Python library.
Key features
- 01Supports XLSX, XLS, DOCX, PDF and TXT files
- 02Unified read_document tool interface
- 03Selects the reader by file extension
- 04Usable as a Python library
Use cases
- 01Letting an AI assistant read local Word or PDF reports
- 02Analyzing Excel spreadsheet data in a chat
- 03Passing document text to an AI for summarization
MCP support
The server exposes a read_document tool over MCP that takes a file path and returns the document content.
Configuration
Local server config is the same for every client. Copy it into your client’s MCP config file.
Tools
Local servers expose tools only once running on your machine, and the maintainer has not provided a tool list.
Details
From the project READMEMCP Document Reader
MCP (Model Context Protocol) Document Reader - A powerful MCP tool for reading documents in multiple formats, enabling AI agents to truly "read" your documents.
Features
- Multi-format Support: Supports 4 mainstream document formats: Excel (XLSX/XLS), DOCX, PDF, and TXT
- MCP Protocol: Compliant with MCP standards, can be used as a tool for AI assistants like Trae IDE
- Easy Integration: Simple configuration for immediate use
- Reliable Performance: Successfully tested and running in Trae IDE
- File System Support: Reads documents directly from the file system
📚 Documentation
User Guide · API Reference · Contributing · Changelog · License
Architecture
graph TB
A[AI Assistant / User] -->|Call read_document| B[MCP Document Reader]
B -->|Detect file type| C{File Type?}
C -->|.docx| D[DOCX Reader]
C -->|.pdf| E[PDF Reader]
C -->|.xlsx/.xls| F[Excel Reader]
C -->|.txt| G[Text Reader]
D -->|Extract text| H[Return Content]
E -->|Extract text| H
F -->|Extract text| H
G -->|Extract text| H
H -->|Text content| A
style A fill:#e1f5ff
style B fill:#fff4e1
style C fill:#f0f0f0
style D fill:#e8f5e9
style E fill:#e8f5e9
style F fill:#e8f5e9
style G fill:#e8f5e9
style H fill:#fff9c4
Supported Formats
| Format | Extensions | MIME Type | Features |
|---|---|---|---|
| Excel | .xlsx, .xls | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet | Sheet and cell data extraction |
| DOCX | .docx | application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document | Text and structure extraction |
| application/pdf | Text extraction | ||
| Text | .txt | text/plain | Plain text reading |
Installation
Using pip (Recommended)
pip install mcp-documents-reader
From Source
git clone https://github.com/xt765/mcp_documents_reader.git
cd mcp_documents_reader
pip install -e .
MCP Tools
This server provides the following tool:
read_document
Read any supported document type with a unified interface.
Arguments:
filename(string, required): Document file path, supports absolute or relative paths.
Configuration
Using in Trae IDE / Claude Desktop
Add the following to your MCP configuration file:
Option 1: Using PyPI (Recommended)
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-document-reader": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcp-documents-reader"
]
}
}
}
Option 2: Using GitHub repository
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-document-reader": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"--from",
"git+https://github.com/xt765/mcp_documents_reader",
"mcp_documents_reader"
]
}
}
}
Option 3: Using Gitee repository (Faster access in China)
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-document-reader": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"--from",
"git+https://gitee.com/xt765/mcp_documents_reader",
"mcp_documents_reader"
]
}
}
}
Usage
As an MCP Tool
After configuration, AI assistants can directly call the following tool:
# Read a DOCX file
read_document(filename="example.docx")
# Read a PDF file
read_document(filename="example.pdf")
# Read an Excel file
read_document(filename="example.xlsx")
# Read a text file
read_document(filename="example.txt")
As a Python Library
from mcp_documents_reader import DocumentReaderFactory
# Using factory (recommended)
reader = DocumentReaderFactory.get_reader("document.pdf")
content = reader.read("/path/to/document.pdf")
# Check if format is supported
if DocumentReaderFactory.is_supported("file.xlsx"):
reader = DocumentReaderFactory.get_reader("file.xlsx")
content = reader.read("/path/to/file.xlsx")
Tool Interface Details
read_document
Read any supported document type.
Parameters:
| Parameter | Type | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| filename | string | ✅ | Document file path, supports absolute or relative paths |
Dependencies
Core Dependencies
mcp>= 1.26.0 - MCP protocol implementationpython-docx>= 1.2.0 - DOCX file readingpypdf>= 6.8.0 - PDF file reading (replaces PyPDF2)openpyxl>= 3.1.5 - Excel file reading
Development Dependencies
pytest>= 8.0.0 - Testing frameworkpytest-asyncio>= 0.24.0 - Async testing supportpytest-cov>= 6.0.0 - Coverage reportingbasedpyright>= 0.28.0 - Type checkingruff>= 0.8.0 - Linting and formatting
License
MIT License
Contributing
Issues and Pull Requests are welcome!
Related Projects
- MCP Document Converter - MCP document converter supporting multiple format conversions
- Model Context Protocol - Official Model Context Protocol documentation
Comments
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