markdownify MCP Server

Use This MCP server To

Turn a PDF into text I can summarize or quote Get a written transcript of a YouTube video Convert a Word file or slide deck into readable text Pull a long web page into clean, plain text Transcribe a recorded meeting or voice memo Read a spreadsheet as text I can ask questions about

README

Markdownify MCP Server

Markdownify is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that converts various file types and web content to Markdown format. It provides a set of tools to transform PDFs, images, audio files, web pages, and more into easily readable and shareable Markdown text.

Features

Convert multiple file types to Markdown:
- PDF
- Images
- Audio (with transcription)
- DOCX
- XLSX
- PPTX
Convert web content to Markdown:
- YouTube video transcripts
- Bing search results
- General web pages
Retrieve existing Markdown files

Getting Started

Clone this repository
Install dependencies:
```
bun install
```
The preinstall step creates a Python virtual environment at .venv and installs markitdown[all].
Build the project:
```
bun run build
```
Start the server:
```
bun start
```

Development

Use bun run dev to start the TypeScript compiler in watch mode
Modify src/server.ts to customize server behavior
Add or modify tools in src/tools.ts

Usage with Desktop App

To integrate this server with a desktop app, add the following to your app's server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markdownify": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "{ABSOLUTE PATH TO FILE HERE}/dist/index.js"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Environment variables

All paths default to sensible values; override only when the defaults don't fit your install layout.

Variable	Default	Purpose
`MARKITDOWN_PATH`	`<project>/.venv/bin/markitdown`, then `markitdown` on `PATH`	Absolute path to the `markitdown` executable. Set this when you've installed markitdown system-wide (e.g. `pipx install "markitdown[pdf]"`) instead of using the bundled venv.
`REPOMIX_PATH`	`<project>/node_modules/.bin/repomix`, then `repomix` on `PATH`	Absolute path to the `repomix` executable used by `git-repo-to-markdown`.
`MD_ALLOWED_PATHS`	unset (unrestricted)	Path-delimiter-separated list (`:` on POSIX, `;` on Windows) of directories the server is allowed to read. When set, all file-input tools (`pdf-to-markdown`, `get-markdown-file`, etc.) reject paths outside these directories.
`MD_SHARE_DIR`	unset	Deprecated alias for `MD_ALLOWED_PATHS` (single directory). Still honored for backward compatibility.

Usage with Docker

Build and run:

docker build -t markdownify-mcp .
docker run --rm -i \
  -v "$HOME/Documents:/data:ro" \
  -e MD_ALLOWED_PATHS=/data \
  markdownify-mcp

Notes for the Docker MCP catalog (mcp/markdownify):

Mount any host directories you want the server to read into the container, then pass the container paths to the tools (e.g. /data/foo.pdf, not /Users/you/Documents/foo.pdf).
Set MD_ALLOWED_PATHS to the colon-separated list of mounted directories so the server enforces a read boundary that matches the bind mount.
The published Docker image installs markitdown[pdf] only — audio transcription and image OCR (audio-to-markdown, image-to-markdown) require the [all] extras and will fail in the slim image. Use the local install (bun install) for the full feature set.

Available Tools

youtube-to-markdown: Convert YouTube videos to Markdown
pdf-to-markdown: Convert PDF files to Markdown
bing-search-to-markdown: Convert Bing search results to Markdown
webpage-to-markdown: Convert web pages to Markdown
image-to-markdown: Convert images to Markdown with metadata
audio-to-markdown: Convert audio files to Markdown with transcription
docx-to-markdown: Convert DOCX files to Markdown
xlsx-to-markdown: Convert XLSX files to Markdown
pptx-to-markdown: Convert PPTX files to Markdown
get-markdown-file: Retrieve an existing Markdown file. File extension must end with: *.md, *.markdown.

OPTIONAL: set MD_ALLOWED_PATHS to restrict every file-input tool to a list of directories, e.g. MD_ALLOWED_PATHS=/data/in:/data/out bun start.

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

markdownify-mcp FAQ

Which file types does it handle?

PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, and audio files, plus YouTube videos, Bing search results, and ordinary web pages.

Do I need an account or a paid key?

No. It runs on your own computer and nothing in the setup asks for an account.

How hard is setup?

This one wants someone comfortable with a terminal: you clone the project, install it, build it, then point your assistant at the built file.

Can I use this to summarize a long report?

Yes — convert the PDF to text first, then ask your assistant for the summary in the same conversation.

Can I stop it reading files I do not want it touching?

Yes. You can list the only folders it is allowed to open, and anything outside them is refused.

Does audio transcription work in every setup?

Not in the slim container image. Audio and image reading need the full install on your own machine.