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MCP PDF Tools in VS 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.

In agent mode pdf_merge and pdf_stamp are tools the agent can reach mid-task, so "stamp this PAID, then attach it to the release notes" is one instruction instead of a manual export step.

What you get in VS 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 VS Code

The file is .vscode/mcp.json, and the key inside it is servers.

Scope	Path
This workspace	`<workspace>/.vscode/mcp.json`
Every workspace	`the user profile mcp.json, opened by the MCP: Open User Configuration command`

// .vscode/mcp.json  (the key is "servers")
{
  "servers": {
    "pdf": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@theluckystrike/mcp-pdf"]
    }
  }
}

Or from a terminal:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"pdf","command":"npx","args":["-y","@theluckystrike/mcp-pdf"]}'

VS Code asks you to confirm you trust the server and its capabilities before it starts. Nothing runs until you answer.

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.

VS Code notes worth knowing first

The top-level key is "servers", not "mcpServers". A config pasted from a Claude Desktop or Cursor README parses cleanly, contributes no servers, and gives you no error to read, which makes it the most expensive one-word mistake here. Alongside it an "inputs" array holds secrets. The newer Agent Host reads a workspace .mcp.json instead.

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

Why does my mcp.json do nothing?

The key is servers, not mcpServers. A config copied from a Claude Desktop README parses cleanly and contributes nothing. Rename it. On the newer Agent Host, use a workspace .mcp.json instead.

Do I have to edit the file at all?

No. code --add-mcp takes the server object on the command line, and MCP: Add Server in the palette asks whether the target is Workspace or Global.

Where do the MCP PDF Tools tools show up?

In Chat, behind the tools picker, once the server has started. Adding or changing one raises a prompt asking you to confirm you trust it; if the picker is empty, that prompt is usually still waiting.

MCP PDF Tools in detail · The same server in Cursor and Windsurf · Every server in VS Code · Guides · VS Code docs