Model Context Protocol

A PDF MCP server for your AI assistant

Add PDFbat to Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor or Claude Code once, and your assistant can merge, compress, convert, redact and OCR PDFs, read and create documents, use your Drive and send files for signature, just by asking.

Get your API key Read the docs

Works with any MCP client
250 free calls a month
Uses your own API key

The PDFbat developer dashboard with an API key and MCP setup snippets for Claude Code, Cursor and Claude Desktop

Your assistant, with real PDF skills

AI assistants are great at reading and writing, but on their own they cannot compress a file, split a scan, stamp page numbers or collect a signature. The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets an assistant call tools that live somewhere else. PDFbat runs an MCP server at https://pdfbat.com/mcp, so any MCP client can use the same PDF engine that powers the PDFbat app.

Once connected, you talk to your assistant the way you always do. Ask it to "merge these three invoices, compress the result and save it to my Clients folder" or "send the signed NDA to Ana for signature and tell me when she signs". The assistant picks the right PDFbat tools, runs them on your files and reports back with the result.

Why connect PDFbat to your assistant

Every PDF tool

Merge, split, organize, rotate, compress, convert, protect, unlock, watermark, redact, OCR and more. The assistant can list every tool and its options, then run any of them.

Read and create PDFs

Pull the text out of any PDF so the assistant can reason about it, or have it write a brand new PDF from scratch.

Your Drive, in the chat

Browse folders, open files and save results where they belong. Create share links, including public links that search engines can index.

E signatures by conversation

Send a document for signature and check its status later, without opening another app.

AI on documents

With your AI credits, ask questions about a PDF, summarize it, extract data into tables and draft new documents with PDFbat AI.

Your key, your data

The server uses your own API key, so the assistant only sees your files. Revoke the key at any time and access stops immediately.

Connect in 3 steps

1
Create an API key
Sign up free, open the developer page and create a key. It starts with ppk_ and is shown once, so copy it somewhere safe.
2
Add the server to your client
Paste the setup snippet for Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop or any other MCP client. The server URL is https://pdfbat.com/mcp.
3
Just ask
Ask your assistant to work with a PDF. It finds the right PDFbat tool, runs it and hands you the result or saves it to Drive.

Get your API key

What your assistant can do with PDFbat

List and run tools: Discover every PDFbat tool with its accepted files and options, then run any of them: merge, split, compress, rotate, crop, resize, watermark, page numbers, Bates numbering, protect, unlock, redact, convert to and from images and text, and OCR.
Read PDF text: Extract the text of a PDF, page by page, so the assistant can quote it, check it or answer questions about it in its own words.
Create PDFs: Turn text the assistant wrote into a clean, searchable PDF in any language and script.
Drive files and folders: List folders, find files, open them as input for any tool and save results to the folder you name.
Share links: Create private share links, or public links that can be indexed, and hand the URL straight back to you in the chat.
Send for signature: Send a document to one or more signers and check where the envelope is at any time.
PDFbat AI (Pro): Ask questions about a document, summarize it, extract structured data and draft new documents. AI tools need the Pro plan.

Setup snippets

Claude Code: claude mcp add --transport http pdfbat https://pdfbat.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer ppk_your_key"

Cursor: add this to ~/.cursor/mcp.json: {"mcpServers":{"pdfbat":{"url":"https://pdfbat.com/mcp","headers":{"Authorization":"Bearer ppk_your_key"}}}}

Claude Desktop: use the mcp remote bridge: npx -y mcp-remote https://pdfbat.com/mcp --header "Authorization: Bearer ppk_your_key"

Any other client: the server speaks Streamable HTTP at https://pdfbat.com/mcp and expects the header Authorization: Bearer ppk_your_key. The developer page fills in your real key for you.

Pricing

Every MCP tool call counts as one API call. AI tool calls (questions, summaries, extraction, review, translation, redaction and drafting) use AI credits, charged by the real size of the job: 200 free a month, 4,000 on Pro, and packs from $5. The Free plan includes 250 calls a month, which covers plenty of everyday use. Pro and pay as you go remove the limit, and the AI tools use your AI credits.

Calls that fail are never counted. Without pay as you go, calls past the free allowance return a clear message to your assistant instead of a surprise bill.

Things people ask their assistant

Compress every PDF in my Invoices folder to under 1 MB.
OCR this scanned lease and tell me when the notice period ends.
Merge the cover letter and the CV, add page numbers and give me a share link.
Redact all email addresses and phone numbers from this report before I send it.
Send the contract in my Drive to [email protected] for signature and check back tomorrow.

Frequently asked questions

What is an MCP server?

MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is an open standard that lets AI assistants call tools hosted elsewhere. The PDFbat MCP server gives your assistant PDF tools, Drive access and e signatures.

Which assistants work with it?

Any MCP client, including Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor and ChatGPT clients that support remote MCP servers. Clients that only speak stdio can connect through the mcp-remote bridge.

How much does it cost?

Each tool call counts as one API call, and each AI tool call counts as 5. Free includes 250 calls a month. Pro and pay as you go are unlimited, and AI tools use your AI credits.

Can the assistant see other people's files?

No. The server acts as you, using your API key, so it can only reach your own Drive and envelopes. Revoke the key and access stops at once.

Do I need to install anything?

No. The server runs at https://pdfbat.com/mcp. You only add its URL and your key to your client. Claude Desktop uses the small mcp-remote bridge through npx.

Can it send documents for signature?

Yes. Your assistant can send a document to signers and check the envelope status. Signers sign in the browser and never need an account.