MCP tool

generate_pdf

Generate a PDF from HTML, Markdown, a saved template, or a plain-English prompt, and get back a hosted link. Built for AI agents; backed by the PDFgen REST API.

Seeing file_gen:generate_pdf in your AI chat?

Your PDF wasn't created. Paste the text here and download it as a PDF.

Overview

generate_pdf is a tool exposed by the PDFgen MCP server. An agent passes exactly one source — html, markdown, template_id, or prompt — plus optional page settings, and receives an expiring URL to the rendered PDF.

Depending on the client, the tool is listed as generate_pdf, pdfgen:generate_pdf, or mcp__pdfgen__generate_pdf. They are the same tool.

Add the tool

Add the server to your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any MCP client), using an API key from the Developer page, then restart the client. It runs via npx; nothing to host.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfgen": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@pdfgen/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "PDFGEN_API_KEY": "pdfg_live_xxx"
      }
    }
  }
}

Or start it directly over stdio:

PDFGEN_API_KEY=pdfg_live_xxx npx -y @pdfgen/mcp

Parameters

Field	Type	Description
html	string	Raw HTML, optionally with {{handlebars}} tokens. One of html, markdown, template_id, or prompt.
markdown	string	Markdown, rendered with built-in typography. One of html, markdown, template_id, or prompt.
template_id	string	Id of a saved PDFgen template (see the list_templates tool). One of html, markdown, template_id, or prompt.
prompt	string	Plain-English description of the document (min 20 characters). The AI writes the HTML, then it's rendered. Billed at 2× the page rate.
data	object	Values merged into {{tokens}} in html or a template. Ignored for markdown and prompt.
engine	string	For html only: "handlebars" (default) or "legacy" to skip templating.
format	string	Page format: A4, Letter, Legal, A3, A5, Tabloid. Default A4.
orientation	string	"portrait" (default) or "landscape".
file_name	string	File name for the generated PDF, without extension.

Examples

HTML with data

{
  "name": "generate_pdf",
  "arguments": {
    "html": "<h1>Invoice {{number}}</h1><p>Bill to: {{customer}}</p>",
    "data": { "number": "INV-1024", "customer": "Acme Inc" },
    "format": "Letter",
    "file_name": "invoice-1024"
  }
}

Markdown

{
  "name": "generate_pdf",
  "arguments": {
    "markdown": "# Weekly report\n\n- Signups: 412\n- Churn: 1.8%",
    "format": "A4"
  }
}

Plain-English prompt

{
  "name": "generate_pdf",
  "arguments": {
    "prompt": "A one-page certificate of completion for Jane Doe, course 'Intro to Data Science', dated Oct 29 2026, with a signature line.",
    "orientation": "landscape"
  }
}

Result & errors

On success the tool returns a text result containing the hosted link:

PDF generated: https://...signed-link...pdf

The link expires after 7 days. On failure the tool returns an error result with the API status and code, for example:

PDFgen API 429: {"code":"quota_exceeded","message":"..."}

Passing zero or more than one source returns Provide exactly one of `html`, `markdown`, `template_id`, or `prompt`. See Errors & rate limits for every error code.

REST equivalent

Not using MCP? generate_pdf is a thin wrapper around this endpoint, which also supports password protection, custom link expiry, and returning the PDF binary directly. See Generate a PDF.

POST/api/v1/generate

curl -X POST https://pdfgen.com/api/v1/generate \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pdfg_live_xxx" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "html": "<h1>Invoice {{number}}</h1>",
    "data": { "number": "INV-1024" },
    "export_type": "url"
  }'

# 200 OK
{ "url": "https://...signed-link...pdf" }

Billing

Each successful call costs 1 credit per 5 pages; the prompt source costs double. Failed calls are free. The free plan includes 30 PDFs a month, no credit card required. See pricing.

Tool not available?

If your agent reports that a generate_pdf tool (for example file_gen:generate_pdf) doesn't exist or failed, it doesn't have a working PDF tool connected. Just need the document? Paste the text at the top of this page. Building an agent? Add the PDFgen MCP server using the config above, or call POST https://pdfgen.com/api/v1/generate directly with an API key.