Pdf tools MCP: MCP server, setup and security

What Pdf tools MCP does

According to its repository: “PDF download, viewing and manipulation utilities.”

An MCP server gives an AI agent extra tools it calls during the conversation: the agent reads their description, decides to use them and gets the result back. Pdf tools MCP is listed under Other integrations, a category of 194 servers in the directory, where it ranks #139 by stars.

Installing and connecting Pdf tools MCP

No package or remote server is declared in the official MCP registry: you install it from source, following the repository README.

Like any MCP server, you declare it in your client's configuration (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Codex…): a name, the command that starts it or its URL, and any environment variables. The client then starts it and lists its tools. Project language: Python.

Security: what to check

An MCP server runs code with the rights you give it, and the model reads its tool descriptions: a malicious or compromised server can hijack the agent. Read the code, or pick a maintained and widely used server, before connecting it.

Points found for Pdf tools MCP:

• Maintenance: no commit for 17 months. Possible flaws and protocol changes are no longer tracked.

Good practice: grant only the rights needed (least privilege), require human approval for irreversible actions, and run the AI agent security check.

Project activity and maintenance

Created on April 19, 2025, the danielkennedy1/pdf-tools-mcp repository has 32 stars and 13 forks, with 1 open issues. It has more stars than 45% of the servers in the directory. Last change 17 months ago.

Stars measure attention, not quality: a recent, heavily promoted project can collect them fast, while a useful but niche server will have few.