Nutrient Document Engine
📇 🏠 🍎 🪟 🐧 - Self-hosted MCP s
What is Nutrient Document Engine?
Nutrient Document Engine is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to 📇 🏠 🍎 🪟 🐧 - self-hosted mcp s
📇 🏠 🍎 🪟 🐧 - Self-hosted MCP s
This server falls under the File Systems category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP protocol support
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx nutrient-document-engine-mcp-serverConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Nutrient Document Engine
The Nutrient Document Engine MCP server connects AI assistants to a self-hosted instance of Nutrient Document Engine (formerly PSPDFKit), enabling programmatic document processing through natural language. It supports text extraction, document search, page rendering, form filling, watermarking, page splitting, and sensitive data redaction using preset patterns for SSNs and credit card numbers or custom regex expressions. Legal teams, document automation engineers, and enterprises use it to build AI-driven document workflows — extracting data from invoices, redacting PII from contracts, or completing PDF forms — without writing custom integration code.
Prerequisites
- Docker and Docker Compose installed for running the self-hosted Document Engine
- A Nutrient Document Engine license activation key (available from nutrient.io; an evaluation key is provided by default)
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop configured to connect to MCP servers
- Basic familiarity with Docker Compose for service management
Clone the MCP server repository
Clone the Nutrient Document Engine MCP server repository from GitHub.
git clone https://github.com/PSPDFKit/nutrient-document-engine-mcp-server.git
cd nutrient-document-engine-mcp-serverStart the Document Engine with Docker Compose
Launch the self-hosted Document Engine using the provided docker-compose.yml. The engine will start at http://localhost:5000 by default.
docker-compose up -d
# Verify it is running:
curl http://localhost:5000/healthcheckConfigure environment variables
Set the required environment variables for the MCP server to authenticate with and connect to your Document Engine instance.
export DOCUMENT_ENGINE_BASE_URL=http://localhost:5000
export DOCUMENT_ENGINE_API_AUTH_TOKEN=secret # matches docker-compose default
export DASHBOARD_USERNAME=admin
export DASHBOARD_PASSWORD=passwordInstall the MCP server dependencies and start it
Install Node.js dependencies and start the MCP server process that your MCP client will connect to.
npm install
npm startConfigure your MCP client
Add the Nutrient Document Engine MCP server to your claude_desktop_config.json pointing at the locally running server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"nutrient-document-engine": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/nutrient-document-engine-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"DOCUMENT_ENGINE_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:5000",
"DOCUMENT_ENGINE_API_AUTH_TOKEN": "secret"
}
}
}
}Upload a document and verify
Ask your AI assistant to list available documents or upload a PDF to confirm the MCP server is communicating with Document Engine correctly.
Nutrient Document Engine Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop config for the Nutrient Document Engine MCP server connected to a local Docker instance.
{
"mcpServers": {
"nutrient-document-engine": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/Users/you/nutrient-document-engine-mcp-server/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"DOCUMENT_ENGINE_BASE_URL": "http://localhost:5000",
"DOCUMENT_ENGINE_API_AUTH_TOKEN": "secret"
}
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts to use with the Nutrient Document Engine MCP server once connected.
- "Extract all text from the uploaded contract PDF and summarize the key obligations"
- "Redact all social security numbers and credit card numbers from the file invoice.pdf"
- "Render page 3 of the report as an image so I can see its layout"
- "Fill in the form fields in application.pdf with the following data: name=John Smith, date=2024-01-15"
- "Split the 50-page document into individual single-page PDFs and list them"Troubleshooting Nutrient Document Engine
Document Engine healthcheck returns 503 or Docker container fails to start
Check Docker logs with: docker-compose logs. The engine requires the ACTIVATION_KEY environment variable to run beyond evaluation mode. Obtain a key from nutrient.io and add it to your docker-compose.yml under environment: ACTIVATION_KEY=your-key.
MCP server returns 401 Unauthorized when calling document tools
Ensure DOCUMENT_ENGINE_API_AUTH_TOKEN in the MCP server env matches the API_AUTH_TOKEN configured in your docker-compose.yml for the Document Engine service. The default in the provided compose file is 'secret'.
Redaction applies preset patterns but misses some instances
The preset patterns (SSNs, credit cards) use standard regex formats. For non-standard formats, use the custom regex redaction option and specify your own pattern. After applying redactions, always verify by extracting text from the redacted document to confirm sensitive data is removed.
Frequently Asked Questions about Nutrient Document Engine
What is Nutrient Document Engine?
Nutrient Document Engine is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that 📇 🏠 🍎 🪟 🐧 - self-hosted mcp s It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Nutrient Document Engine?
Follow the installation instructions on the Nutrient Document Engine GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Nutrient Document Engine?
Nutrient Document Engine works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Nutrient Document Engine free to use?
Yes, Nutrient Document Engine is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up Nutrient Document Engine 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
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