markitdown-mcp

What it is and what it does

markitdown-mcp wraps the markitdown library as a Model Context Protocol server, making document-to-markdown conversion available to MCP clients like Claude Desktop. It exposes a single tool, convert_to_markdown(uri), that accepts URIs pointing to local files, remote HTTP/HTTPS resources, or embedded data, and returns the markdown equivalent. The server can run in three modes: STDIO (default, suitable for local integration), Streamable HTTP with SSE (for remote access), or Docker (recommended for Claude Desktop integration).

The package is designed for developers and AI assistants who need to ingest documents in various formats and work with them as markdown. It handles the transport layer and MCP protocol details, leaving the actual conversion to markitdown. Early beta status means the tool interface or command-line options may change; the repository is actively maintained and the underlying markitdown library is widely used.

Use it for:

• Integrate document conversion into Claude Desktop workflows by running the MCP server in Docker and configuring it in claude_desktop_config.json.
• Build a local markdown conversion service accessible over HTTP/SSE for applications that need to batch-convert web pages or files.
• Enable AI assistants to read and analyze documents in their native formats (PDF, Word, HTML) by converting them to markdown on-the-fly.
• Debug MCP server behavior using the mcpinspector tool to test the convert_to_markdown tool against various URIs.

Worth the install?

AI-flagged interpretation of the facts on this page — verify before relying

Exposes MarkItDown's document-to-markdown conversion as an MCP server, callable via STDIO, HTTP, or SSE with a single tool that accepts http, https, file, or data URIs.

Yes, if you need to expose MarkItDown's conversion capability to an MCP client (especially Claude Desktop) or build a markdown conversion microservice. The low install friction, active maintenance, and permissive license make it a straightforward choice. Be aware it is in early beta (0.0.1a4), so expect possible API changes; also note the server has no built-in authentication, so bind HTTP/SSE modes to localhost in production.

Install

markitdown-mcp on PyPI

pip install markitdown-mcp

uv add markitdown-mcp

poetry add markitdown-mcp

Installing markitdown-mcp

Before you install

Low friction install with two lightweight runtime dependencies. Active maintenance with recent commits; early beta status (0.0.1a4) means the API may shift.

License in practice

MIT license permits commercial and private use with minimal restrictions; suitable for most projects.

Quickstart

pip install markitdown-mcp

markitdown-mcp

# Or with HTTP/SSE:
markitdown-mcp --http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3001

Requires Python >=3.10; MCP client (e.g., Claude Desktop) needed to call the server's convert_to_markdown tool.

Verify before relying

• Whether the package handles all document types that markitdown itself supports (PDF, Word, HTML, images, etc.)
• Performance characteristics when converting large documents or remote URIs
• Whether error handling and timeouts are documented for network failures

Package facts

Evidence: markitdown_mcp-0.0.1a4-py3-none-any.whl

Tags

More Markup packages