alexandreshah/pandoc-weasyprint-mcp

Pandoc MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that provides document conversion capabilities using Pandoc with WeasyPrint PDF engine support. Includes customizable fonts, font sizes, and CSS styling.

Features

• Convert Markdown to PDF with custom fonts and styling
• Convert between many document formats (markdown, docx, html, pdf, etc.)
• Use WeasyPrint as PDF engine (instead of LaTeX)
• Customize fonts, font sizes, margins, and page sizes
• Apply custom CSS for advanced styling
• List all supported input/output formats

Prerequisites

• Python 3.8+
• Pandoc installed on your system
• WeasyPrint installed on your system
• MCP package

Installation

1. Install System Dependencies

Pandoc:

# macOS
brew install pandoc

# Linux
sudo apt-get install pandoc

WeasyPrint:

# macOS
brew install weasyprint

# Linux
sudo apt-get install weasyprint

2. Install Python Dependencies

pip install -r requirements.txt

Or manually:

pip install pypandoc mcp

3. Configure Claude Code

Add the following to your Claude Code MCP settings (~/.config/claude-code/mcp.json or project-specific .claude/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pandoc": {
      "command": "/path/to/your/python",
      "args": ["/path/to/pandoc-mcp/server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/your/python with your Python interpreter path and /path/to/pandoc-mcp/server.py with the actual path to server.py.

For this installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pandoc": {
      "command": "/Users/ashah/miniforge3/envs/energy311/bin/python",
      "args": ["/Users/ashah/work/pandoc-mcp/server.py"]
    }
  }
}

Optional: Custom Temporary Directory

By default, the server uses the system's default temp directory. To specify a custom temp directory (useful for restricted environments), add the env section:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pandoc": {
      "command": "/Users/ashah/miniforge3/envs/energy311/bin/python",
      "args": ["/Users/ashah/work/pandoc-mcp/server.py"],
      "env": {
        "PANDOC_MCP_TMPDIR": "/tmp"
      }
    }
  }
}

The PANDOC_MCP_TMPDIR environment variable can be set to any writable directory where you want pandoc to store temporary files during conversion.

4. Restart Claude Code

After updating the MCP configuration, restart Claude Code to load the new server.

Available Tools

1. convert_md_to_pdf

Convert Markdown content to PDF with customizable styling.

Parameters:

• markdown_content (required): The markdown text to convert
• output_path (required): Where to save the PDF file
• css (optional): Custom CSS for styling
• font_family (optional): Font family (default: 'Helvetica')
• font_size (optional): Base font size (default: '11pt')
• page_size (optional): Page size (default: 'letter')
• margin (optional): Page margins (default: '1in')

Example:

# Via Claude Code
"Convert this markdown to PDF at ./output.pdf using Arial font at 12pt"

2. convert_file

Convert a file from one format to another.

Parameters:

• input_path (required): Path to input file
• output_path (required): Where to save output file
• from_format (optional): Input format (auto-detected if not provided)
• to_format (optional): Output format (auto-detected from extension)
• pdf_engine (optional): PDF engine to use (default: 'weasyprint')
• css (optional): Custom CSS for PDF/HTML output

Example:

# Via Claude Code
"Convert document.docx to PDF using weasyprint"

3. get_supported_formats

Get a list of all input and output formats supported by your Pandoc installation.

Example:

# Via Claude Code
"What formats does pandoc support?"

Usage Examples

Example 1: Basic Markdown to PDF

# My Document

This is a test document with **bold** and *italic* text.

## Features
- Easy to use
- Customizable fonts
- Professional output

Ask Claude Code:

"Convert this markdown to PDF at ./my-document.pdf"

Example 2: Custom Font and Size

Ask Claude Code:

"Convert this markdown to PDF at ./report.pdf using Times New Roman at 12pt"

Example 3: Custom CSS Styling

Create a custom CSS file:

body {
    font-family: 'Georgia', serif;
    font-size: 13pt;
    color: #2c3e50;
}

h1 {
    color: #3498db;
    border-bottom: 2px solid #3498db;
    padding-bottom: 6pt;
}

Ask Claude Code:

"Convert this markdown to PDF using my custom CSS file at ./custom-style.css"

Example 4: Convert DOCX to PDF

Ask Claude Code:

"Convert my-document.docx to PDF using weasyprint"

Customization

Default CSS

The server includes a default CSS template (default-style.css) with:

• Professional typography
• Code syntax highlighting
• Table styling
• Blockquote formatting
• Page break support

You can modify this file or provide your own CSS when converting.

Font Options

Common font families you can use:

• Serif: 'Times New Roman', 'Georgia', 'Garamond'
• Sans-serif: 'Helvetica', 'Arial', 'Verdana'
• Monospace: 'Courier New', 'Consolas', 'Monaco'

Page Sizes

Supported page sizes:

• letter (8.5" × 11")
• a4 (210mm × 297mm)
• legal (8.5" × 14")
• a3, a5, tabloid, etc.

Margins

Specify margins using:

• Inches: 1in, 0.5in
• Centimeters: 2cm, 2.5cm
• Millimeters: 20mm, 25mm

Troubleshooting

"Pandoc not found"

Make sure Pandoc is installed and in your PATH:

which pandoc
pandoc --version

"WeasyPrint not found"

Make sure WeasyPrint is installed and in your PATH:

which weasyprint
weasyprint --version

Font Issues

If a font isn't rendering correctly, make sure it's installed on your system. WeasyPrint uses system fonts.

"Permission denied (Read-only file system)"

If you get permission errors during PDF conversion:

1. Set a custom temp directory using the PANDOC_MCP_TMPDIR environment variable in your MCP config:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "pandoc": {
         "command": "/path/to/python",
         "args": ["/path/to/server.py"],
         "env": {
           "PANDOC_MCP_TMPDIR": "/tmp"
         }
       }
     }
   }
   

2. Check the error message - The server now includes debug information showing:

   • Temp directory path
   • Current working directory
   • Output paths

3. Verify write permissions - Make sure the specified temp directory is writable by your user.

Default temp directory locations:

• macOS: /var/folders/.../T (user-specific)
• Linux: /tmp or $TMPDIR
• Custom: Set via PANDOC_MCP_TMPDIR

MCP Server Not Loading

1. Check that the Python path in your MCP config is correct
2. Make sure mcp and pypandoc are installed in that Python environment
3. Check Claude Code logs for error messages

Technical Details

• Server: Python-based MCP server using the mcp package
• Converter: Uses pypandoc wrapper around Pandoc
• PDF Engine: WeasyPrint (can be changed to other engines)
• Communication: JSON-RPC over stdio

License

MIT

Contributing

Feel free to submit issues or pull requests for improvements!