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MCP PDF Tools in Claude Code

Merge, split, stamp and read PDFs, pure JavaScript, no upload. It merges and splits PDFs, extracts and reorders pages, rotates a sideways scan, stamps PAID or DRAFT or any text, watermarks the business name and VAT id from the shared profile, and reads text back best effort with no OCR.

Merging or stamping a PDF sits well next to the rest of a terminal workflow: `claude mcp add pdf -- npx -y @theluckystrike/mcp-pdf --scope project` puts it in the repository the invoices or contracts already live in.

What you get in Claude Code

You say	Tool
Stamp PAID on this invoice and save a copy.	`pdf_stamp`
Join these three PDFs into one file.	`pdf_merge`
Split the scan: pages 1-3 are the invoice, 4 onwards is the receipt.	`pdf_split`

The worked run stamped PAID on a 1-page invoice and wrote a new 0.9 MB file; the original file was byte-for-byte unchanged, which every writing tool here guarantees on purpose.

Install it in Claude Code

The file is .mcp.json, and the key inside it is mcpServers.

Scope	Path
local (default)	`~/.claude.json, this project only`
project	`.mcp.json at the repository root`
user	`~/.claude.json, every project`

claude mcp add pdf -- npx -y @theluckystrike/mcp-pdf
claude mcp list    # health-check it before the first prompt

# or --scope project, committed to .mcp.json for the team

No restart. The entry is picked up in the next session, and `/mcp` reconnects one on demand.

The npm publish of @theluckystrike/mcp-pdf is pending; until then use the .mcpb bundle or a clone and build from the latest release.

No install: the hosted endpoint

There is no hosted endpoint for this one yet. MCP PDF Tools runs locally over stdio with the config above, which is also the only form in which it reads and writes files on your own disk. Three of the servers in this collection are served at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp/<name> over MCP streamable HTTP: time-tracker, price-tracker and invoice.

Claude Code notes worth knowing first

The `--` is load-bearing: it separates Claude Code's own options, such as --transport, --env and --scope, from the command that runs the server. And the default scope is local, private to you and to the directory you ran it in, so adding it in the wrong folder leaves the tools absent with no error at all.

Free: info, count and text unlimited; merge up to 5 files; edits on files up to 30 pages; the PAID and DRAFT stamp presets. Pro is $19 once, verified offline.

Questions

Which scope should I use for MCP PDF Tools?

Local, the default, writes ~/.claude.json and is private to you and that directory. --scope project writes .mcp.json at the repository root, shared through version control. --scope user loads it everywhere.

Why did my first prompt ignore the server?

Measured, not documented: of three fresh projects, one first prompt made zero tool calls although initialize answered in 1.05 seconds. Run claude mcp list once first: it prints Connected, and the next run used the tool.

Can I use MCP PDF Tools without installing anything?

Not yet. MCP PDF Tools runs locally over stdio, which is also how it reads and writes files on your disk. The hosted endpoints at https://mcp.zovo.one/mcp currently cover time-tracker, price-tracker and invoice.

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