Setup Guide - pdf noodle Documentation

This guide walks you through configuring pdf noodle’s MCP server for each supported AI assistant. Choose the setup that matches your environment.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, you’ll need:

pdf noodle Account

Create an account if you don’t have one

API Key

Get your API key from API Settings

AI Assistant

Have one of the supported AI assistants installed and ready

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop supports both local and remote MCP servers.

Local Server (Recommended)
Remote Server

The local server keeps your API key on your machine and works offline.Step 1: Locate your Claude Desktop configuration file:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Step 2: Add the pdf noodle MCP server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfnoodle": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-server-pdfnoodle"],
      "env": {
        "PDFNOODLE_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

The -y flag automatically confirms the npx prompt. The server will be downloaded on first use.

Connect to the hosted MCP endpoint without installing anything locally.Step 1: Open your Claude Desktop configuration file (same paths as above)Step 2: Add the remote server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfnoodle": {
      "url": "https://mcp.pdfnoodle.com/mcp?api_key=your-api-key-here"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Claude Desktop

With remote mode, your API key is included in the URL. Use this only on trusted networks.

Cursor

Cursor IDE works great with the local MCP server for secure, offline-capable PDF generation.

Local Server (Recommended)
Remote Server

Step 1: Open or create the MCP configuration file:

~/.cursor/mcp.json

Step 2: Add the pdf noodle configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfnoodle": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-server-pdfnoodle"],
      "env": {
        "PDFNOODLE_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Cursor or reload the window

In Cursor, you can ask the AI to generate PDFs while coding. Try: “Generate a PDF report of this code documentation”

Step 1: Open ~/.cursor/mcp.jsonStep 2: Add the remote server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfnoodle": {
      "url": "https://mcp.pdfnoodle.com/mcp?api_key=your-api-key-here"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Cursor

With remote mode, your API key is included in the URL. Use this only on trusted networks.

ChatGPT

ChatGPT only supports remote MCP servers through its Connected Apps feature.

Open ChatGPT Settings

Click your profile icon → Settings

Navigate to Connected Apps

Go to Connected Apps or MCP Servers section

Add New Server

Click “Add Server” or “Connect App”

Configure the Connection

Name: pdf noodle
URL: https://mcp.pdfnoodle.com/mcp?api_key=your-api-key-here
Authentication: None (API key is in the URL)

Save and Test

Save the configuration and try: “List my PDF templates”

ChatGPT’s MCP support may vary by subscription tier and region. Check OpenAI’s documentation for the latest availability.

Claude.ai (Web)

Use MCP with Claude directly in your browser.

Open Claude Settings

Click your profile → Settings

Go to Developer Settings

Navigate to Developer → MCP Servers

Add pdf noodle

Server URL: https://mcp.pdfnoodle.com/mcp?api_key=your-api-key-here
Name: pdf noodle

Enable the Server

Toggle the server on and start a new conversation

Windsurf

Windsurf supports MCP through its configuration system. The local server is recommended for better security and offline access.

Local Server (Recommended)
Remote Server

Step 1: Open or create the Windsurf MCP configuration file (refer to Windsurf’s documentation for the exact location)Step 2: Add the pdf noodle configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfnoodle": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-server-pdfnoodle"],
      "env": {
        "PDFNOODLE_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Windsurf

Step 1: Open your Windsurf MCP configuration fileStep 2: Add the remote server configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdfnoodle": {
      "url": "https://mcp.pdfnoodle.com/mcp?api_key=your-api-key-here"
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart Windsurf

With remote mode, your API key is included in the URL. Use this only on trusted networks.

n8n

Integrate pdf noodle MCP into automated workflows using n8n. n8n connects to the remote MCP server via HTTP requests.

Create a New Workflow

Open n8n and create a new workflow or edit an existing one

Add an HTTP Request Node

Click the + button and search for “HTTP Request”

Configure the Request

Set up the HTTP Request node with these settings:

Setting	Value
Method	`POST`
URL	`https://mcp.pdfnoodle.com/mcp?api_key=your-api-key-here`
Authentication	`None`
Content-Type	`application/json`

Authentication is set to None because the API key is passed directly in the URL query parameter.

Set the Request Body

Switch to the Body tab and select JSON. Use the JSON-RPC 2.0 format:

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "html_to_pdf",
    "arguments": {
      "html": "<h1>Hello from n8n!</h1>",
      "pdfParams": "{\"format\": \"A4\"}"
    }
  }
}

Execute and Test

Click Test step to run the request. You should receive a response with the PDF download URL.

Available MCP Methods for n8n

Method	Description	Example params.name
`tools/call`	Execute a tool	`html_to_pdf`, `generate_pdf`, `list_templates`
`tools/list`	List available tools	—

Example: Generate PDF from Template

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "generate_pdf",
    "arguments": {
      "templateId": "your-template-id",
      "data": "{\"customerName\": \"John Doe\", \"invoiceNumber\": \"INV-001\"}"
    }
  }
}

Example: List All Templates

{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "list_templates",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}

For production workflows, store your API key securely using n8n credentials or environment variables instead of hardcoding it in the URL.

You can chain multiple n8n nodes together to create complex workflows—for example, fetch data from a database, generate a PDF, and send it via email.

Manual Execution

Run the MCP server directly from the command line for testing or debugging.

# Set your API key
export PDFNOODLE_API_KEY=your-api-key-here

# Run the server
npx mcp-server-pdfnoodle

The server will start and listen for MCP protocol messages on stdin/stdout.

Verifying Your Setup

After configuration, verify everything works:

Start a New Conversation

Open your AI assistant and start a fresh conversation

Test the Connection

Ask: “List my pdf noodle templates”

Check the Response

You should see a list of templates or a message that no templates exist yet

If you encounter issues, check the Troubleshooting section below.

Troubleshooting

Server not connecting

Verify your API key is correct
Check that the configuration file syntax is valid JSON
Ensure you’ve restarted the AI assistant after configuration changes
For local servers, verify Node.js is installed (node --version)

Authentication errors

Double-check your API key at app.pdfnoodle.com/settings/api
Ensure there are no extra spaces in the API key
Verify your account is active and has available credits

Tools not appearing

Some AI assistants cache tool lists—try restarting completely
Check if MCP is enabled in your assistant’s settings
Verify the server name matches in your configuration

PDF generation fails

Check your account has sufficient credits
For HTML-to-PDF, ensure the HTML is valid
Review the PDF Best Practices for formatting guidelines

Security Considerations

API Key Protection

Never commit API keys to version control
Use environment variables when possible
Rotate keys periodically

Network Security

Remote URLs include your API key—use HTTPS only
Prefer local servers for sensitive environments
Review your assistant’s data handling policies

Next Steps

Tools Reference

Explore all available MCP tools

Examples

See real-world prompts and use cases

MCP Integration

​Prerequisites

​Claude Desktop

​Cursor

​ChatGPT

​Claude.ai (Web)

​Windsurf

​n8n

​Available MCP Methods for n8n

​Example: Generate PDF from Template

​Example: List All Templates

​Manual Execution

​Verifying Your Setup

​Troubleshooting

​Security Considerations

API Key Protection

Network Security

​Next Steps

Tools Reference

Examples

Prerequisites

Claude Desktop

Cursor

ChatGPT

Claude.ai (Web)

Windsurf

n8n

Available MCP Methods for n8n

Example: Generate PDF from Template

Example: List All Templates

Manual Execution

Verifying Your Setup

Troubleshooting

Security Considerations

Next Steps