apolosan/latex-pdf-mcp-server

LaTeX PDF MCP Server

MCP (Model Context Protocol) server for compiling LaTeX templates to PDF files, designed for seamless integration with n8n workflows.

Features

• ✅ Complete LaTeX Distribution - TeXLive Full with 6000+ packages
• ✅ Universal Document Support - Books, presentations, posters, magazines, spreadsheets, banners
• ✅ Advanced Graphics - TikZ/PGF diagrams, plots, circuits, chemical structures
• ✅ Professional Typography - Multiple font collections and international language support
• ✅ Dynamic Templates - Parameter substitution with LaTeX special character escaping
• ✅ Multiple Compilers - pdflatex, xelatex, lualatex with automatic selection
• ✅ Scientific Publishing - Mathematical formulas, bibliographies, complex tables
• ✅ Business Documents - Reports, invoices, presentations with corporate branding
• ✅ Educational Materials - Slides, handouts, exams, academic papers
• ✅ Marketing Materials - Flyers, banners, brochures, catalogs
• ✅ Docker Optimized - 5GB container with pre-compiled formats for fast startup
• ✅ n8n Integration - Seamless workflow integration via REST API

Quick Start

Development

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Start development server
npm run dev

# Test compilation
curl -X POST http://localhost:3000/api/compile \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "template": "\\documentclass{article}\\begin{document}Hello {{name}}!\\end{document}",
    "parameters": {"name": "World"}
  }'

Production (Docker)

# Build and run
npm run build
docker-compose up -d

# Health check
curl http://localhost:3000/api/health

API Endpoints

POST /api/compile

Compile LaTeX template to PDF.

Request:

{
  "template": "\\documentclass{article}\\begin{document}Hello {{name}}!\\end{document}",
  "parameters": {
    "name": "World"
  },
  "compiler": "pdflatex",
  "filename": "output.pdf"
}

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "filename": "output.pdf",
  "size": 12345,
  "data": "base64-encoded-pdf-content",
  "contentType": "application/pdf"
}

GET /api/health

Check server and LaTeX availability.

Response:

{
  "status": "ok",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "latex": {
    "available": true,
    "compilers": ["pdflatex", "xelatex", "lualatex"]
  },
  "uptime": 3600
}

n8n Integration

1. Add HTTP Request node to your workflow
2. Configure:
   • Method: POST
   • URL: http://your-server:3000/api/compile
   • Body: JSON with template and parameters
3. Add Save Binary Data node to handle PDF output

Example n8n Workflow

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "name": "LaTeX Compiler",
      "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
      "parameters": {
        "url": "http://latex-server:3000/api/compile",
        "method": "POST",
        "jsonParameters": true,
        "options": {},
        "bodyParametersJson": {
          "template": "\\documentclass{article}\\begin{document}Invoice for {{customerName}}\\end{document}",
          "parameters": {
            "customerName": "{{$json.customer}}"
          }
        }
      }
    }
  ]
}

Template Syntax

Use {{variableName}} syntax for dynamic content:

\documentclass{article}
\begin{document}

\title{{{title}}}
\author{{{author}}}
\date{{{date}}}

\maketitle

{{content}}

\end{document}

Development Scripts

• npm run dev - Start development server with hot reload
• npm run build - Build TypeScript to JavaScript
• npm run start - Start production server
• npm run test - Run tests
• npm run lint - Lint code

Docker Commands

• npm run docker:build - Build Docker image
• npm run docker:run - Run container
• docker-compose up -d - Start with compose
• docker-compose --profile dev up - Start development mode

Environment Variables

• PORT - Server port (default: 3000)
• NODE_ENV - Environment (development/production)

Requirements

• Node.js 18+
• LaTeX distribution (TeXLive recommended)
• Docker (for containerized deployment)

License

MIT