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Markdownify MCP Server for Claude Desktop: Setup & Config

Claude Desktop: Convert documents, media, and web content into Markdown through an assistant.

What you can do with Markdownify in Claude Desktop

Unify mixed documents and web material as Markdown, with explicit directory read boundaries.

  • Convert PDF and office documents into assistant-readable Markdown.
  • Extract web pages or YouTube transcripts for text-based review.

Before you start: Markdownify in Claude Desktop

  • Bun
  • A cloned repository with dependencies installed and the project built
  • Python for the MarkItDown environment created during installation

Run bun install and bun run build first. The local installation uses markitdown[all]. Set allowed paths to restrict file reads; the slim published Docker image lacks audio and image extras.

Markdownify Claude Desktop configuration

  1. Choose Claude Desktop configuration scope

    For Markdownify MCP Server, open macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json. Merge under mcpServers via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

  2. Add Markdownify MCP Server to Claude Desktop

    Use the markdownify-mcp entry below in mcpServers. Keep Markdownify MCP Server's documented stdio connection fields and your other Claude Desktop entries.

  3. Check Markdownify MCP Server in Claude Desktop

    Markdownify MCP Server: Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop; check developer diagnostics.

Config file · macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

JSON
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markdownify-mcp": {
      "command": "bun",
      "args": [
        "start"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MD_ALLOWED_PATHS": "<allowed directories separated by your platform path delimiter>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Markdownify tools available to Claude Desktop

Markdownify's stored tool list documents 11 tools; compare it with Claude Desktop's connected tool list, because the stored list is not a live check.

youtube-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests youtube-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

Extract a YouTube video's transcript into Markdown.

pdf-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests pdf-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

Transform PDF content into Markdown text.

bing-search-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests bing-search-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

Represent Bing search results as Markdown.

webpage-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests webpage-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

Extract web page content into Markdown.

image-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests image-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

Produce Markdown from an image with associated metadata.

audio-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests audio-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

Transcribe audio and present the result as Markdown.

docx-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests docx-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

xlsx-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests xlsx-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

pptx-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests pptx-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

get-markdown-file

When Claude Desktop requests get-markdown-file from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

git-repo-to-markdown

When Claude Desktop requests git-repo-to-markdown from Markdownify, review the action before approving it.

Markdownify: full stored tool descriptions

Troubleshooting Markdownify in Claude Desktop

  • Fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop for Markdownify MCP Server. If bun is missing, check the desktop process's PATH, which may differ from your terminal.
  • In Claude Desktop's Markdownify MCP Server entry, check MD_ALLOWED_PATHS. Keep secrets out of shared screenshots and repositories.
  • Markdownify MCP Server uses stdio here: Claude Desktop must keep the configured process running; protocol output belongs on stdout and diagnostics on stderr.
  • Known limitation: File access is unrestricted unless allowed directories are configured.
  • Known limitation: The published slim Docker image lacks audio transcription and image OCR extras.
  • Known limitation: The full local installation involves JavaScript tooling and a Python conversion environment.
  • General Claude Desktop troubleshooting lives in the /clients/claude-desktop guide.

Markdownify MCP Server — details. Claude Desktop guide

Frequently asked questions

Claude Desktop loads Markdownify MCP Server from claude_desktop_config.json: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/ on macOS, or %APPDATA%\Claude\ on Windows. Open it via Settings → Developer → Edit Config when available.

Claude Desktop's markdownify-mcp example uses stdio.

Markdownify MCP Server's Claude Desktop configuration invokes bun.

Claude Desktop's Markdownify MCP Server example references MD_ALLOWED_PATHS. Check these names if startup or authentication fails; the example alone does not distinguish required from optional values.

Markdownify MCP Server's stored list contains 11 tools, including youtube-to-markdown, pdf-to-markdown, bing-search-to-markdown. Compare those names with Claude Desktop's connected tool list; the stored list is not a live check.

The README lists DOCX documents, XLSX spreadsheets, and PPTX presentations, in addition to PDFs and media.

Yes. MD_ALLOWED_PATHS restricts all file-input tools to specified directories; without it, access is unrestricted.