Cursor + pdfmcp: setup guide

Add pdfmcp to Cursor via mcp.json.

What you need: a free pdfmcp API key — sign in with your email (no password) and copy the key shown at first login. Then replace pdfmcp_live_YOUR_KEY in the config below.

Where it goes: ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json in a project

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfmcp": {
      "url": "https://mcp.pdfmcp.org/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "X-API-Key": "pdfmcp_live_YOUR_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Steps

Get a free API key from the pdfmcp dashboard and replace pdfmcp_live_YOUR_KEY in the config.
Save the config at the location above (Cursor → Settings → MCP → Add new server also works).
Restart Cursor; pdfmcp should show a green dot with the full tool list.
In Agent mode, try: “Use pdfmcp to compress report.pdf”.

Troubleshooting

401 / unauthorized: the key header is missing or mistyped. The header name is exactly X-API-Key (Claude Code uses Authorization: Bearer … — both work).
Tools don't appear: fully restart the client after editing its config; most clients only load MCP servers at startup.
Server unreachable: check the public status page — and your network's outbound HTTPS to mcp.pdfmcp.org.

Try it with

On-deviceMerge PDFsCombine multiple PDF files into one, in upload order.On-devicePDF to textExtract plain text, one form-feed separated section per page.On-deviceCompress PDFReduce file size with Ghostscript. Presets: light (printer quality), medium (ebook), heavy (screen, smallest).

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