PDF Reader MCP

Local-first PDF evidence for agents. Structured text, tables, OCR, visual crops, and page-level citations your agent can defend - not invent.

People who work with llm tool, pdf and document processing and want it reachable from Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in TypeScript.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-09-17 · ★ 933 · #14 OF 945 MAINTAINED OTHER · VERIFIED 2026-09-18

MIT · TypeScript servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install PDF Reader MCP

before you install - you'll need

The README does not document required environment variables for a basic install.

Claude Code

claude mcp add sylphxai-pdf-reader-mcp -- npx -y @sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sylphxai-pdf-reader-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license MIT - declared in the repository

npm package @sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp - the @sylphx scope differs from the repo owner (sylphxai); confirm it's the project's official package

registry namespace io.github.SylphxAI is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What PDF Reader MCP can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

Latest releases

v4.1.3 · 2026-08-03

4.1.3 - malformed-CMap crash fix (#608) · Fix a whole-process crash when reading PDFs whose ToUnicode CMaps contain malformed destinations (pdfTeX 1-byte beginbfrange like <C5> <D6> <C5>): · Vendored patched…

v4.1.2 · 2026-07-28

@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp@4.1.2 · Fix Gemini Antigravity / dual-era MCP clients that send SEP-2575 server/discover before initialize: answer discovery without closing stdio, then complete the legacy handshake (#598…

v4.1.1 · 2026-07-24

Patch release to sync the published npm README with authorized 4.1 dual-mode performance claims and product proof wording. Engine same as 4.1.0 (warm cache + strip natives). Prefer latest 4.1.1.

04 · Who maintains PDF Reader MCP

PDF Reader MCP is maintained by sylphxai. We track 4 MCP servers from sylphxai - 3 actively maintained, 938 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Apr 2025. Full record: all servers from sylphxai.

  1. Video Reader MCP Evidence-first video MCP. Timeline document with ffprobe streams and subtitle cues. ★ 3
  2. Image Reader MCP Evidence-first image MCP. Agent Media Twin with metadata and citeable OCR evidence. ★ 2

05 · Facts

repository
github.com/sylphxai/pdf-reader-mcp
website
https://sylphxai.github.io/pdf-reader-mcp/
category
other - ranked #14 of 945 actively-maintained other servers as of 2026-09-18.
release cadence
8 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-08-03)
registry
io.github.SylphxAI/pdf-reader-mcp (active, first published 2026-07-08 · 13 versions)
packages
npm:@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp

06 · PDF Reader MCP FAQ

What is PDF Reader MCP?

Local-first PDF evidence for agents. Structured text, tables, OCR, visual crops, and page-level citations your agent can defend - not invent.

Is PDF Reader MCP still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-09-18, its last commit was 2026-09-17 and it shipped 8 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

How do I install PDF Reader MCP?

Run `npx -y @sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp`. The README does not document required environment variables for a basic install. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does PDF Reader MCP run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to PDF Reader MCP

Alternatives to PDF Reader MCP

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