pdfrender — Claude Code MCP server: HTML to PDF, no browser
Turns HTML and CSS into PDF over MCP, with headers, footers and page numbers set in CSS. Useful when a document has to come out of a template.
claude mcp add --transport http pdfrender https://api.pdfrender.dev/mcp/What pdfrender does
pdfrender exposes HTML-to-PDF rendering through an MCP server and a REST API. WeasyPrint 70 handles layout: paper size, margins, headers, footers and page numbers all come from the print CSS inside your HTML. No JavaScript runs and no URLs are fetched, so images and fonts have to arrive as data: URIs.
One render takes up to 2 MB of HTML and 50 pages. Anonymous calls need no key, just at a lower rate; a key goes in the X-API-Key header. The free plan covers 100 credits a month and asks for no card. Servers sit in Germany.
Wiring it into Claude is a single command, and other clients get a JSON block or a one-click install. The repo also ships manifests for Gemini CLI, Agent Plugins 1.0 and the MCP Registry, plus a skill under skills/.
What it helps with
- render an HTML template into a finished PDF
- add page numbers and running headers to a report
- produce a PDF without installing a headless browser
- generate an invoice PDF straight from the agent
- control paper size and margins from CSS
Example prompts for the agent
- Render
invoice.htmlto PDF and save it asinvoice.pdf - Build a PDF from this HTML with page numbers at the bottom
- Use pdfrender to turn
report.htmlinto a PDF
How to install pdfrender
Platform CLI: remote server
claude mcp add --transport http pdfrender https://api.pdfrender.dev/mcp/Platform CLI: remote server
codex mcp add pdfrender --url https://api.pdfrender.dev/mcp/Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"pdfrender": {
"url": "https://api.pdfrender.dev/mcp/"
}
}
}Config file
{
"servers": {
"pdfrender": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.pdfrender.dev/mcp/"
}
}
}Platform CLI: remote server
gemini mcp add -t http pdfrender https://api.pdfrender.dev/mcp/Step 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 pdfrender
How do I install pdfrender in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add --transport http pdfrender https://api.pdfrender.dev/mcp/. Set PDFRENDER_API_KEY if you have a key.
What does pdfrender do?
It renders HTML and CSS into PDF through an MCP server and a REST API. Headers, footers, page numbers, paper size and margins are set in print CSS.
Do I need an API key?
Anonymous calls work without one, at a lower rate limit. Passing a key in the X-API-Key header raises the limits for your plan.
