blackout — Claude Code MCP server: what it does, how to install
Permanently strips private data from PDF files locally by rasterising pages and destroying the underlying text layer.
claude mcp add blackout -- npx -y @thrain/blackout-mcpWhat blackout does
AI assistants tasked with redacting files frequently place black boxes over text while leaving the raw strings selectable underneath. This server provides redact_pdf and check_pdf tools that rasterise each page, burn the redactions into raw pixels, and discard the original text layer entirely.
Under the hood, the engine relies on Skia in Node.js to handle canvas rendering. It targets identifiers such as payment card details, phone records, email addresses, and SSNs. Every run performs an automated text extraction check on the newly minted document; if any selectable characters remain, the process exits with an error instead of saving an insecure file.
All operations run on your local device without sending network traffic during document processing.
What it helps with
- sanitize sensitive records in PDF format without cloud uploads
- rasterize pages so hidden text cannot be recovered by copy-paste
- verify through check_pdf that a redacted document has zero extractable text
Example prompts for the agent
- Redact social security numbers and emails from
contract.pdfusingredact_pdf - Sanitize
records.pdfby removing phone numbers and card data - Run
check_pdfonfinal.pdfto confirm the text layer is gone
How to install blackout
Platform CLI
claude mcp add blackout -- npx -y @thrain/blackout-mcpPlatform CLI
codex mcp add blackout -- npx -y @thrain/blackout-mcpConfig file
{
"mcpServers": {
"blackout": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@thrain/blackout-mcp"
]
}
}
}Config file
{
"servers": {
"blackout": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@thrain/blackout-mcp"
]
}
}
}Platform CLI
gemini mcp add blackout npx -y @thrain/blackout-mcpStep by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about blackout
How to install blackout in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add blackout -- npx -y @thrain/blackout-mcp.
What does blackout do?
It spots confidential records such as emails or card numbers, turns PDF pages into flattened raster images, and strips the underlying text layer completely.
Does blackout upload files to any remote server?
No, all rendering, redaction, and verification tasks take place entirely on your local machine.
