Markdownify

by zcaceres

1.3k 762 downloads Not rated yet MIT
GitHub

About

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.

Details

Repository
zcaceres/markdownify-mcp
License
MIT

Explore

- 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

Setting up with Highlight

This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:

  1. Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
  2. Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
  3. Configure the plugin with the settings below
    Plugin Name Markdownify
    Command (node, npx, python, etc.) node
    Arguments
    • Argument 1 {ABSOLUTE PATH TO FILE HERE}/dist/index.js
    Environment
    • MD_SHARE_DIR unset
    • REPOMIX_PATH <project>/node_modules/.bin/repomix
    • MARKITDOWN_PATH <project>/.venv/bin/markitdown
    • MD_ALLOWED_PATHS unset

    Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.

  4. Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches

From the repository

1. Clone this repository
2. Install dependencies:

   bun install

The preinstall step creates a Python virtual environment at .venv and installs markitdown[all].

3. Build the project:

   bun run build

4. Start the server:
   bun start

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"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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. |

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.

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.

- 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.

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "markdownify": {
            "env": {
                "MD_SHARE_DIR": "unset",
                "REPOMIX_PATH": "<project>/node_modules/.bin/repomix",
                "MARKITDOWN_PATH": "<project>/.venv/bin/markitdown",
                "MD_ALLOWED_PATHS": "unset"
            },
            "args": [
                "{ABSOLUTE PATH TO FILE HERE}/dist/index.js"
            ],
            "command": "node"
        }
    }
}

Linux

{
    "env": {
        "MD_SHARE_DIR": "unset",
        "REPOMIX_PATH": "<project>/node_modules/.bin/repomix",
        "MARKITDOWN_PATH": "<project>/.venv/bin/markitdown",
        "MD_ALLOWED_PATHS": "unset"
    },
    "args": [
        "{ABSOLUTE PATH TO FILE HERE}/dist/index.js"
    ],
    "command": "node"
}

Macos

{
    "env": {
        "MD_SHARE_DIR": "unset",
        "REPOMIX_PATH": "<project>/node_modules/.bin/repomix",
        "MARKITDOWN_PATH": "<project>/.venv/bin/markitdown",
        "MD_ALLOWED_PATHS": "unset"
    },
    "args": [
        "{ABSOLUTE PATH TO FILE HERE}/dist/index.js"
    ],
    "command": "node"
}

Windows

{
    "env": {
        "MD_SHARE_DIR": "unset",
        "REPOMIX_PATH": "<project>/node_modules/.bin/repomix",
        "MARKITDOWN_PATH": "<project>/.venv/bin/markitdown",
        "MD_ALLOWED_PATHS": "unset"
    },
    "args": [
        "{ABSOLUTE PATH TO FILE HERE}/dist/index.js"
    ],
    "command": "node"
}

markdownify mcp logo

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.

<a href="https://glama.ai/mcp/servers/bn5q4b0ett">Markdownify Server MCP server</a>

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

1. Clone this repository
2. Install dependencies:

   bun install

The preinstall step creates a Python virtual environment at .venv and installs markitdown[all].

3. Build the project:

   bun run build

4. 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.

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