MarkItDown-MCP-NPX

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.