io.github.huoshuiai42/huoshui-pdf-converter

Official

by huoshuiai42 · Python

An MCP server that provides PDF file conversion

Convert PDF files to other formats.

活水 PDF 转换器 (Huoshui PDF Converter)

A high-quality, cross-platform PDF ↔ Markdown converter implemented as an MCP (Model Context Protocol) server. Supports bidirectional conversion with full Unicode/CJK character support.

Features

Core Capabilities

PDF → Markdown: Extract text and images with layout preservation
Markdown → PDF: Generate beautiful PDFs with multiple rendering engines
Unicode Support: Full support for Chinese, Japanese, Korean, and other Unicode characters
Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
MCP Integration: Use with Claude Desktop or any MCP-compatible client

Technical Features

Pure Python: No external system dependencies required
Automatic Font Detection: Finds and uses system Unicode fonts
Smart Engine Selection: Automatically switches engines based on content
Comprehensive Error Handling: Graceful degradation and detailed logging
Async Architecture: Non-blocking operations for better performance

Installation

From MCP Registry (Recommended)

This server is available in the Model Context Protocol Registry. Install it using your MCP client.

mcp-name: io.github.huoshuiai42/huoshui-pdf-converter

As a Python Package

bash

pip install huoshui-pdf-converter

Or using uv (recommended):

bash

uv pip install huoshui-pdf-converter

As an MCP Server

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "huoshui-pdf-converter": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["huoshui-pdf-converter"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Or if you prefer to use a specific Python environment:

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "huoshui-pdf-converter": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": ["-m", "huoshui_pdf_converter.server"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Usage

Command Line Interface

bash

# Convert PDF to Markdown
huoshui-pdf pdf-to-md input.pdf output.md

# Convert Markdown to PDF
huoshui-pdf md-to-pdf input.md output.pdf

# With options
huoshui-pdf md-to-pdf input.md output.pdf --page-size A4 --margin 2cm --font-size 12

As a Python Library

python

import asyncio
from huoshui_pdf_converter import PDFToMarkdownConverter, MarkdownToPDFConverter

async def main():
    # PDF to Markdown
    pdf_converter = PDFToMarkdownConverter()
    result = await pdf_converter.convert(
        pdf_path="input.pdf",
        output_path="output.md",
        extract_images=True,
        preserve_formatting=True
    )

    # Markdown to PDF
    md_converter = MarkdownToPDFConverter()
    result = await md_converter.convert(
        markdown_path="input.md",
        output_path="output.pdf",
        page_size="A4",
        margin="2cm",
        font_size=12
    )

asyncio.run(main())

MCP Tools

When used as an MCP server, the following tools are available:

pdf_to_markdown: Convert PDF files to Markdown

json

{
  "pdf_path": "path/to/input.pdf",
  "output_path": "path/to/output.md",
  "extract_images": true,
  "preserve_formatting": true
}

markdown_to_pdf: Convert Markdown files to PDF

json

{
  "markdown_path": "path/to/input.md",
  "output_path": "path/to/output.pdf",
  "page_size": "A4",
  "margin": "2cm",
  "font_size": 12
}

list_supported_formats: Get supported formats and engines
validate_file: Validate input files before conversion

Supported Formats

Input Formats

PDF: All standard PDF files (PDF 1.0 - 1.7)
Markdown: CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown

Output Options

Page Sizes: A4, A3, Letter, Legal
Margins: Customizable (e.g., "1cm", "0.5in")
Font Sizes: Any size in points
Images: PNG, JPEG extraction from PDFs

Unicode and Font Support

The converter automatically detects and uses appropriate fonts for different languages:

macOS: Arial Unicode, PingFang SC, STHeiti
Windows: Microsoft YaHei, SimSun, Arial Unicode MS
Linux: Noto Sans CJK, Source Han Sans, WenQuanYi

Architecture

Conversion Engines

PDF → Markdown

PyMuPDF (MuPDF): High-quality text and image extraction

Markdown → PDF

ReportLab: Best Unicode support, cross-platform compatibility
xhtml2pdf: Good HTML/CSS rendering (fallback)
fpdf2: Basic PDF generation (last resort)

Engine Selection Logic

Detects CJK characters → Uses ReportLab
Complex formatting → Uses xhtml2pdf
Basic documents → Uses any available engine

Development

Setup Development Environment

bash

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/huoshui-pdf-converter.git
cd huoshui-pdf-converter

# Install dependencies
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
python test_converter.py

Project Structure

code

huoshui-pdf-converter/
├── huoshui_pdf_converter/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── server.py           # MCP server implementation
│   ├── pdf_converter.py    # PDF to Markdown converter
│   └── markdown_converter.py # Markdown to PDF converter
├── pyproject.toml
├── README.md
├── LICENSE
└── test_converter.py

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Chinese characters not displaying:
- Ensure Arial Unicode or similar fonts are installed
- The converter will automatically detect and use appropriate fonts
Import errors:
- Install all dependencies: pip install huoshui-pdf-converter[all]
MCP connection issues:
- Check Claude Desktop logs
- Ensure Python is in your PATH

Logging

Enable debug logging:

python

import logging
logging.basicConfig(level=logging.DEBUG)

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please:

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

Built with FastMCP for Model Context Protocol support
Uses PyMuPDF for PDF parsing
Uses ReportLab for PDF generation
Inspired by the need for better PDF ↔ Markdown conversion tools

Support

Issues: GitHub Issues
Discussions: GitHub Discussions
Email: your.email@example.com

Install

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "huoshui-pdf-converter": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "huoshui-pdf-converter"
      ]
    }
  }
}