mcp for · updated August 2026

The 10 best MCP servers for PDF work

These servers let an assistant read, extract, and work with PDF files, including large or scanned documents that need OCR. Check each page for how a server handles size limits.

Ranked from the 50 servers we track for this job, on monthly installs, GitHub stars, and commit recency. Checked nightly.

01 PDF Reader MCP ★ 902 · commit 2026-08-23 Evidence-first PDF MCP. Agent Document Twin with citeable page+bbox evidence. 27,019 installs/mo · no env vars documented 02 Pdf MCP ★ 117 · commit 2026-08-24 Surgical PDF access for AI agents: search, read, and extract without flooding context. 8,386 installs/mo · needs 1 env var 03 Open Takeoff ★ 91 · commit 2026-08-25 The measurement engine for building plans - built so an AI agent can drive it, and so an estimator wants to. 7,147 installs/mo · no env vars documented 04 Google Surf MCP ★ 284 · commit 2026-08-11 Sponsored by SearchApi Google search MCP. 2,043 installs/mo · needs 4 env vars 05 Pdfmux ★ 82 · commit 2026-08-13 PDF-to-Markdown extraction that audits its own output and flags any extractor's silent drops. 3,785 installs/mo · needs 1 env var 06 Boxpdf ★ 17 · commit 2026-08-18 Resource-only MCP server with docs and templates for the boxpdf TypeScript PDF layout library. 1,695 installs/mo · no env vars documented 07 Maket ★ 19 · commit 2026-08-24 Create visual documents with your AI assistant. 1,542 installs/mo · no env vars documented 08 Doc Slicer ★ 34 · commit 2026-08-19 Lightning-fast (31 pages/sec), deterministic document parser and chunker for business documents. 876 installs/mo · needs 1 env var 09 oxidize-pdf MCP Server ★ 4 · commit 2026-08-20 12 documented tools with a focus on pdf; local stdio install. 2,185 installs/mo · needs 1 env var 10 Magic Te X ★ 3 · commit 2026-08-23 English · 简体中文 · 日本語 · 한국어 · Español · Français · Deutsch · Português. 2,373 installs/mo · no env vars documented

Before you pick

5 of these 10 run with no credentials documented, so the fastest test drive is one config paste away. Every server on this list has its own page with install configs, tool coverage, and alternatives.

Quick answers

Which MCP server is best for PDF work?

PDF Reader MCP ranks first on our installs + stars + recency blend, with 27,019 installs last month. The right pick still depends on your stack: the list above says what each one plugs into.

What do these servers need before they run?

5 of the 10 document no required env vars, so you can paste the config and go. The rest need credentials first, and each server's page lists exactly which.

How this list is ranked

A server appears here when its category or its own description says it does this job, and it clears our quality bar: actively maintained, real adoption, a working repository. Ranked on monthly installs, GitHub stars, and commit recency, recomputed nightly. No pay-to-rank, ever. Full recipe: how we verify.