MarkItDown MCP Server: Setup for Claude, Cursor and Other Apps
Lets Claude, Cursor and other assistants turn PDFs, Word, Excel, PowerPoint and web pages into markdown.
MarkItDown MCP is the MCP server for Microsoft's MarkItDown converter. It has one tool that takes a file path or web address and returns the content as markdown. It runs on your computer with no account or API key. The README says it is meant for local use with trusted assistants, because it has no sign-in and can read any file your user account can read.
Good for
- People who want an assistant to read PDFs, Word and Excel files
- Researchers who feed long documents and web pages to an assistant
- Developers building document workflows on a local machine
Works in
12 should work
Tap an app to see how to set it up and any known problems.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Supports local MCP servers.
Client does not support this transport.
Client does not support this transport.
Install markitdown MCP
Claude Code
- 1
Copy this prompt.
Add the markitdown MCP server to Claude Code. Run this command: claude mcp add markitdown -- uvx markitdown-mcp Then check that it loaded and tell me if I need to sign in or restart.
- 2
Paste it into Claude Code. It shows the change and asks before running it.
Requires uv (Python).
Built from the package data we hold. Not yet tested by us.
Tools
Turns a file or web page into markdown text
Takes an address starting with http, https, file or data and returns its content as markdown. It handles formats such as PDF, Word, PowerPoint, Excel, HTML, images and audio, so the assistant can read documents it could not open directly.
Try: “Convert file:///Users/me/Documents/report.pdf to markdown and summarize the key findings.”
Files ·
convert_to_markdown
Read from the source code
Permissions
low risk · 3 things to watch
Low risk
It has no sign-in and can read any file your user account can read, or any address your computer can reach. Run it only with assistants you trust, and consider a container if you need to limit what it can see.
What it can do
- Read your data
- Create and change things
- Delete things
- Read-only modeHow to turn it on
Watch out for
It can read any file your account can read
The README says the tool can read any file the server's user has access to, or data from the network. Run it in a container or virtual machine if you need to limit that. github.com
The HTTP mode has no sign-in
The server does not support authentication. In HTTP mode it binds to localhost by default, and the README says not to bind it to other interfaces. github.com
Plugins are off unless you turn them on
Setting MARKITDOWN_ENABLE_PLUGINS to true loads MarkItDown plugins. Leave it unset unless you trust the plugins you installed. github.com
Security advisories
No published security advisories as of Nov 1, 2026.
Technical details
| Turning on read-only | The only tool reads and converts; nothing in the README adds a write mode. |
|---|---|
| Talks to | Any http or https address the assistant asks it to convert |
| Sign-in and keys | No credentials needed. |
| Scopes |
|
Questions
Does MarkItDown MCP need an API key?
No. It runs on your computer with no account, sign-in or API key. The PyPI package is MIT licensed.
Which file types can it convert?
The MarkItDown project lists PDF, PowerPoint, Word, Excel, images, audio, HTML, text formats such as CSV and JSON, ZIP files, YouTube URLs and EPubs.
Can it read files on my computer?
Yes. Give the assistant a file address, and it reads any file your user account can read. In Docker it only sees folders you mount.
Can I run MarkItDown MCP in Docker?
Yes, but the README has you build the image yourself from the repo's Dockerfile. Mount a folder with -v to let it read local files, and it appears under /workdir in the container.
Is MarkItDown MCP safe to expose on a network?
No. It has no authentication, and the README says not to bind it to anything except localhost.
What is the difference between MarkItDown and MarkItDown MCP?
MarkItDown is the Python converter. MarkItDown MCP is the small server that lets an assistant call it. The server installs the converter for you.
Information
updated Nov 2, 2026
- Publisher
- Official
- Package
markitdown-mcp- Registry
- PyPI
- Transport
- stdio, Streamable HTTP, SSE
- Auth
- None
- License
- MIT
- Last commit
- Oct 28, 2026
- Open issues
- 318
- Listed in
- Docker MCP Catalog
Sources
Docs, issue trackers and discussions this page is built from. Issues, quotes and findings above link to their own source.
Show all 3Hide
- markitdown-mcp source · github.com
- MarkItDown README · github.com
- markitdown-mcp README · github.com