site.pdfzen/render

Official4 tools

pdfzen

Render PDFs from 45 starter templates or raw HTML. Pay-per-render with USDC via x402.

Render PDFs from templates or HTML with pay-per-use USDC billing.

Captured live from the server via tools/list.

list_starters

List pdfzen's 45 public starter templates — invoices, receipts, contracts, certificates, NDAs, letters, reports, resumes, boarding passes, menus, bank statements, lab reports, lease agreements, performance reviews, and more. Returns an array of { slug, name, description, icon, pageOptions, fonts, dataKeys }. Free, no payment, no auth required. Call this first to discover what fits the user request, then optionally call get_starter to see the expected data shape, then call render_template_to_pdf to produce the PDF.

No parameters.

get_starter

Fetch the full HTML body, CSS, sampleData, and pageOptions for one starter template by slug. Use this when you need to understand the exact shape of `data` the template expects before calling render_template_to_pdf, or when you want to fork a starter into custom HTML. Free, no payment, no auth required.

Parameters (1)

slugstringrequired
The starter slug. Examples: "invoice", "receipt", "certificate", "contract", "nda", "boarding-pass", "menu". Call list_starters to discover all 45 slugs.

render_template_to_pdf

Prepare a paid PDF render from one of the 45 starter templates. Validates your template + data and returns the exact, ready-to-execute HTTP request to run against pdfzen's render endpoint — POST /v402/render/pdf (x402, $0.006 USDC on Base, no API key) or POST /v1/render/pdf (pdfzen API key, credit-billed). pdfzen renders are executed over HTTP, not streamed in-band over MCP; this tool is the bridge. Your `data` is merged ON TOP of the starter sampleData at render time, so partial payloads inherit demo defaults (e.g. ship just the customer name + total).

Parameters (3)

templatestringrequired
Slug of the starter to render (e.g. "invoice", "receipt", "certificate"). Call list_starters first if unsure which fits the user request.
dataobject
Handlebars context. Each starter expects a specific shape — call get_starter to see the sampleData and dataKeys for the chosen slug. Your fields merge ON TOP of sampleData, so you can supply only the fields the user gave you and the rest fall back to the demo content.
pageOptionsobject
Page format/margin/orientation overrides. Defaults come from the starter (most are A4 portrait). Example: { "format": "Letter", "landscape": true }.

render_html_to_pdf

Prepare a paid PDF render from arbitrary Handlebars-flavoured HTML. Use only when no starter fits (one-off layouts, custom branding). Prefer render_template_to_pdf when a starter matches. Validates your HTML and returns the exact, ready-to-execute HTTP request to run against pdfzen's render endpoint — POST /v402/render/pdf (x402, $0.006 USDC on Base, no API key) or POST /v1/render/pdf (pdfzen API key). pdfzen renders are executed over HTTP, not streamed in-band over MCP; this tool is the bridge.

Parameters (4)

htmlstringrequired
The HTML body. Supports Handlebars {{ }} expressions resolved against `data`, plus pdfzen helpers ({{barChart}}, {{lineChart}}, {{pageBreak}}, {{#each}}, {{#if eq}}). Don't include <html>/<head>; just the body content + any <style> tags.
cssstring
Optional CSS injected into the document head. Alternative to inline <style> in `html`.
dataobject
Handlebars context object resolved against the {{...}} expressions in `html`.
pageOptionsobject
Page format/margin/orientation. Defaults to A4 portrait. Example: { "format": "A4", "margin": { "top": "20mm" } }.

Install

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "render": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Desktop config is stdio-only; this bridges via mcp-remote. Native remote: Settings > Connectors.