polydoc-mcp
An MCP server for PolyDoc, a REST API that converts HTML or URLs to PDF, captures screenshots, and generates EU-compliant e-invoices (Factur-X / ZUGFeRD hybrid PDF/A-3). It lets MCP clients (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and others) drive PolyDoc directly.
PDF output can target PDF/A (archival) and PDF/UA-1 (accessible, ISO 14289-1). Both are best-effort by default; set verify on either to validate the result with veraPDF and fail the request instead of returning a non-conforming file.
Tools
polydoc_html_to_pdf- HTML, URL, or saved template to PDF (layout, margins, page format, page ranges, bookmarks, tagged PDFs, PDF/A and PDF/UA conformance).polydoc_screenshot- HTML, URL, or template to PNG / JPEG / WebP, with viewport and device-pixel-ratio control. Returns an inline image preview when small enough.polydoc_generate_einvoice- Factur-X or ZUGFeRD hybrid PDF/A-3 from structured invoice data, profiles fromminimumtoextended.polydoc_test_credentials- verify the configured API key with a minimal sandbox render (never draws production quota).
Content can come from a URL, an inline HTML string, or a saved template (with Liquid templateData). Downloads are written to a local directory and the file path is returned; you can also deliver to your cloud storage (presigned URL) or a webhook.
Installation
Requires Node.js >= 20.15. Published to npm, so clients can run it with npx:
npx -y polydoc-mcp
The server is configured entirely through environment variables (see below).
Configuration
| Variable | Required | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
POLYDOC_API_KEY | yes | - | API key from dashboard.polydoc.tech. |
POLYDOC_SANDBOX | no | false | Default sandbox mode (watermarked, rate-limited). A tool call can override per request. |
POLYDOC_BASE_URL | no | https://api.polydoc.tech | Override for self-hosted or staging. |
POLYDOC_OUTPUT_DIR | no | OS temp dir + /polydoc | Where downloads are written. Output never escapes this folder. |
Client setup
Claude Desktop
Add to claude_desktop_config.json (Settings > Developer > Edit Config):
{
"mcpServers": {
"polydoc": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "polydoc-mcp"],
"env": {
"POLYDOC_API_KEY": "your-key",
"POLYDOC_OUTPUT_DIR": "/Users/you/Documents/polydoc"
}
}
}
}
Claude Code
claude mcp add polydoc -e POLYDOC_API_KEY=your-key -- npx -y polydoc-mcp
Cursor
Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (or a project .cursor/mcp.json) using the same mcpServers block shown for Claude Desktop.
Output and delivery
- Download (default): the file is written under
POLYDOC_OUTPUT_DIRand the absolute path is returned with metadata (size, conversion id, credits). Screenshots also return an inline image block. PassreturnBase64: trueto also receive the bytes as base64 (heavy; for clients without a filesystem). - Cloud storage: set
delivery: "cloudStorage"andpresignedUrl. The upload URL is returned. - Webhook: set
delivery: "webhook"and awebhookobject ({ url, async?, method?, headers? }).
PDF/A and PDF/UA
polydoc_html_to_pdf takes two conformance targets inside pdfOptions:
{
"pdfOptions": {
"pdfa": { "level": "3b", "verify": true },
"pdfua": { "verify": true }
}
}
pdfa.level is 1b, 2b, or 3b. Setting pdfua forces a tagged render, so you do not need tagged as well.
Without verify, output is best-effort: it targets the standard but the request still succeeds if the toolchain cannot satisfy every machine-checkable rule. With verify: true, veraPDF validates the result and a non-conforming file fails with 422 instead of being returned. Use it when a downstream system will reject a bad file anyway.
Anything not in a tool's schema?
Every conversion tool has an advanced object that is deep-merged into the request body, so any API capability not surfaced as a typed field (for example pdf.watermark, pdf.encryption, render, request) is still reachable. See the field reference at docs.polydoc.tech.
Examples
Worked tool inputs for each angle live in examples/: a branded PDF from a template, a URL screenshot, and a ZUGFeRD / EN 16931 e-invoice.
Development
yarn installyarn build- compile todist/yarn lintyarn test- unit tests (request builder, output jail, tool handlers) and an in-memory MCP round-tripPOLYDOC_API_KEY=your-key yarn test:integration- live smoke tests against the sandboxyarn scrub:check- check for em-dashes in source and docs
Run the built server directly for a quick check:
POLYDOC_API_KEY=your-key node dist/index.js