MarkItDown-MCP-NPX

@xkiranj

About MarkItDown-MCP-NPX

NPX wrapper for Microsoft's MarkItDown MCP server - run without Docker

Config

Add this server to your MCP-compatible client using the configuration below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markitdown-mcp-npx": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "markitdown-mcp-npx"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Tools

No tools detected

Fetch the live tool list by running this server in a temporary sandbox using the button above.

Overview

What is MarkItDown-MCP-NPX?

An NPX wrapper for Microsoft's MarkItDown MCP server that converts files (PDF, Word, Excel, images, audio, URLs, archives, CSV, JSON, XML) to Markdown format without requiring Docker.

How to use MarkItDown-MCP-NPX?

Run directly with npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx (recommended) or install globally with npm install -g markitdown-mcp-npx then run markitdown-mcp-npx. Configure for Claude Desktop by adding the command to the mcpServers JSON. Use --http, --host, --port flags for HTTP/SSE mode.

Key features of MarkItDown-MCP-NPX

No Docker required; runs directly via NPX
Zero configuration – just run npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx
Cross-platform: Windows, macOS, Linux
Automatically manages Python virtual environment and dependencies
Single convert_to_markdown tool handles all supported file types
Reuses virtual environment for faster subsequent runs

Use cases of MarkItDown-MCP-NPX

Convert documents (PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX) to Markdown for LLM ingestion
Extract text from images using OCR
Transcribe audio files (MP3, WAV) when FFmpeg is installed
Process web URLs and archives (ZIP) into Markdown
Integrate with Claude Desktop as an MCP server for file conversion

FAQ from MarkItDown-MCP-NPX

Does this require Docker?

No. MarkItDown-MCP-NPX is designed to run without Docker; it only needs Node.js 16+ and Python 3.10+.

What are the prerequisites?

Node.js 16+, Python 3.10+, and an internet connection for initial package download. FFmpeg and ExifTool are optional for audio and advanced image metadata.

How do I fix a hanging server on startup?

Use the -y flag with NPX (npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx) to skip installation prompts that can hang in non-interactive environments like Claude Desktop.

What transport modes are supported?

STDIO (default) and HTTP/SSE. Use --http --host <host> --port <port> for HTTP mode.

Is there authentication for HTTP mode?

No authentication is provided; the README recommends binding to localhost unless otherwise needed.

Frequently asked questions

Does this require Docker?

No. MarkItDown-MCP-NPX is designed to run without Docker; it only needs Node.js 16+ and Python 3.10+.

What are the prerequisites?

Node.js 16+, Python 3.10+, and an internet connection for initial package download. FFmpeg and ExifTool are optional for audio and advanced image metadata.

How do I fix a hanging server on startup?

Use the `-y` flag with NPX (`npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx`) to skip installation prompts that can hang in non-interactive environments like Claude Desktop.

What transport modes are supported?

STDIO (default) and HTTP/SSE. Use `--http --host <host> --port <port>` for HTTP mode.

Is there authentication for HTTP mode?

No authentication is provided; the README recommends binding to `localhost` unless otherwise needed.

Comments

Basic information

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