MCP Documents Reader
Model Context Protocol (MCP) server exposes tools to read multiple document types including DOCX, PDF, Excel, and TXT. This has been tested on Trae Desktop.
What is MCP Documents Reader?
MCP Documents Reader is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to model context protocol (mcp) server exposes tools to read multiple document types including docx, pdf, excel, and txt. this has been tested on trae desktop.
Model Context Protocol (MCP) server exposes tools to read multiple document types including DOCX, PDF, Excel, and TXT. This has been tested on Trae Desktop.
This server falls under the File Systems and Search & Data Extraction categories on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Model Context Protocol (MCP) server exposes tools to read mu
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
PIP
pip install mcp-documents-readerManual Installation
pip install mcp-documents-readerConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use MCP Documents Reader
The MCP Documents Reader server provides a single, straightforward tool that lets AI assistants read and extract text content from DOCX, PDF, Excel (.xlsx/.xls), and plain-text files without any additional configuration. It wraps Python libraries (python-docx, pypdf, openpyxl) behind an MCP interface so Claude and other clients can ingest local office documents, spreadsheets, and PDFs directly in conversation. This is particularly useful for document analysis, data extraction from spreadsheets, summarization of PDF reports, and any workflow where you need to get local file content into your AI assistant quickly.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.10 or later
- pip or uv package manager
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Trae IDE
- Local files in DOCX, PDF, XLSX/XLS, or TXT format that the server process can read
Install mcp-documents-reader via pip
Install the package from PyPI. This pulls in all required dependencies including mcp, python-docx, pypdf, and openpyxl.
pip install mcp-documents-readerAdd the server to your MCP client config
Add the server entry to your claude_desktop_config.json (or equivalent for Cursor/Trae). The uvx command is the recommended way to run it without activating a virtualenv manually.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-document-reader": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-documents-reader"]
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
Quit and reopen Claude Desktop (or reload Cursor/Trae) to pick up the new server. The read_document tool should now be available in your conversations.
Test with a document read
Ask Claude to read a local file using its absolute path to confirm everything is working correctly.
MCP Documents Reader Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration using uvx to run mcp-documents-reader without managing a virtualenv. No environment variables are required.
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-document-reader": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": ["mcp-documents-reader"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that use the read_document tool to extract and work with file content.
- "Read /Users/me/reports/Q3_results.pdf and summarize the key financial metrics"
- "Load /Users/me/documents/contract.docx and identify all the clauses related to termination"
- "Read /Users/me/data/sales.xlsx and tell me which product had the highest revenue in sheet 2"
- "Open /Users/me/notes/meeting.txt and extract all action items with their owners"Troubleshooting MCP Documents Reader
read_document returns a file not found error
Always provide the full absolute path to the file (e.g. /Users/yourname/Documents/file.pdf). Relative paths may not resolve correctly from the server's working directory. Confirm the file exists and is readable by the current user.
PDF text extraction returns empty or garbled content
pypdf can only extract selectable text from PDFs — scanned image-based PDFs will return empty content. For scanned documents, use an OCR-capable tool instead.
uvx command not found when starting the server
Install uv with 'curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh'. Alternatively, use 'python -m mcp_documents_reader' as the command with the path to the Python executable in your virtualenv where the package is installed.
Frequently Asked Questions about MCP Documents Reader
What is MCP Documents Reader?
MCP Documents Reader is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that model context protocol (mcp) server exposes tools to read multiple document types including docx, pdf, excel, and txt. this has been tested on trae desktop. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install MCP Documents Reader?
Install via pip with: pip install mcp-documents-reader. Then configure your AI client to connect to this MCP server.
Which AI clients work with MCP Documents Reader?
MCP Documents Reader works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is MCP Documents Reader free to use?
Yes, MCP Documents Reader is open source and available under the MIT license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
MCP Documents Reader Alternatives — Similar File Systems Servers
Looking for alternatives to MCP Documents Reader? Here are other popular file systems servers you can use with Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Electerm
★ 14.1k📻Terminal/ssh/sftp/ftp/telnet/serialport/RDP/VNC/Spice client(linux, mac, win)
Plik
★ 1.8kPlik is a temporary file upload system (Wetransfer like) in Go.
Kordoc
★ 957An MCP server that parses South Korean document formats like HWP, HWPX, and PDF into Markdown. It features specialized table reconstruction and security-hardened extraction optimized for administrative and public institution files.
macOS Automator
★ 801A Model Context Protocol server that enables execution of AppleScript and JavaScript for Automation scripts on macOS, allowing programmatic control of applications and system functions through a rich knowledge base of pre-defined scripts.
PDF Reader
★ 723Enables reading, searching, and metadata extraction from PDF files without loading the entire content into the context window. It provides efficient tools for text cleaning, page-specific extraction, and context-aware search results.
Filesystem MCP Server
★ 643Provides comprehensive filesystem operations (read, write, list, create, delete, move files and directories) through the Model Context Protocol with Streamable HTTP transport and built-in security through configurable root directory restrictions.
Browse More File Systems MCP Servers
Explore all file systems servers available in the MCPgee directory. Each server includes setup guides for Claude, Cursor, and VS Code.
Set Up MCP Documents Reader in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
Ready to use MCP Documents Reader?
Browse our complete directory of 33,000+ MCP servers, read setup guides for your editor, and start building with the Model Context Protocol.