John's Essentials

pdf_header_footer

Add Header/Footer — Add custom text headers and/or footers to every page of a PDF, with optional page numbers. At least one of header, footer, or pageNumbers (other than 'none') is required. [category: pdf]

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`file`	Yes	Input PDF (max 50MB)
`color`	No	Hex color #rrggbb.	#404040
`pages`	No	Optional page range, e.g. '1-3,5'. Empty = all pages.
`footer`	No	Footer text.
`header`	No	Header text. At least one of header/footer/pageNumbers is required.
`margin`	No	Distance from the page edge in points, 10-100; out-of-range or non-numeric silently resets to 30.
`fontSize`	No	Points, integer 6-20; anything outside that range (or non-integer) silently resets to 10.
`fontFamily`	No	Exactly Helvetica, Times-Roman, or Courier (case-sensitive); anything else silently becomes Helvetica.	Helvetica
`footerAlign`	No	left\|center\|right; unknown values silently become center.	center
`headerAlign`	No	left\|center\|right; unknown values silently become center.	center
`pageNumbers`	No	Page-number style.	none
`outputFilename`	No	Optional custom output filename.
`pageNumberPosition`	No	header or footer; anything else → footer. Only matters when pageNumbers is not 'none'.	footer

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections. Dates show when Glama detected each change.

First observedSep 5, 2026

TDQS

B3.4/5.0

Behavior3/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

Annotations already indicate readOnlyHint=false and destructiveHint=false, so the basic mutation profile is covered. The description adds the useful constraint that at least one of header, footer, or pageNumbers must be set, but it does not disclose output behavior, such as whether a new PDF is returned or the original is modified.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

The description is brief and front-loaded with the core purpose. The opening 'Add Header/Footer' is slightly redundant with the title, but the following sentence is informative and the required-field constraint is valuable.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness3/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

The schema is rich and covers most parameter details, but the description does not explain the return value or output behavior, and there is no output schema to compensate. It also omits guidance on when to prefer this tool over overlapping siblings such as pdf_page_numbers.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100%, and the schema already provides detailed parameter semantics including defaults, enums, ranges, and silent fallback behavior. The description adds little beyond restating the at-least-one requirement, which is also reflected in the schema.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

The description states a specific verb ('Add'), a clear resource ('custom text headers and/or footers to every page of a PDF'), and an optional feature ('page numbers'). This clearly distinguishes it from the many sibling PDF tools by focusing on header/footer text addition.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines2/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

The description provides no explicit guidance on when to use this tool versus alternatives such as pdf_page_numbers or pdf_watermark. It only notes the at-least-one requirement, which is a validation constraint, not usage direction.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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TDQS

B3.2/5.0

Disambiguation2/5

Multiple tool pairs are near-identical: octopus_mkdir/octopus_make_folder and octopus_move/octopus_move_file are literal duplicates, analyze_hash/generate_hash both compute hashes, convert_word_to_pdf overlaps convert_document, and photo_compress/photo_compress_to_size plus pdf_thumbnails/pdf_to_images have fuzzy boundaries. The descriptions are detailed and cross-reference each other helpfully, but at 144 tools an agent will regularly misselect.

Naming Consistency3/5

The dominant {category}_{verb}_{object} snake_case pattern (pdf_*, photo_*, convert_*, analyze_*, media_*) is largely consistent and predictable. However, outliers like chatwithyourpdf and describe_image break the category-prefix convention, and the octopus namespace mixes bare verbs (read, write, mkdir) with verb_noun forms (make_folder, move_file, search_meta) inconsistently.

Tool Count2/5

144 tools is an extreme count for any MCP server. The broad scope (PDF, photo, video, audio, conversion, analysis, generation, file storage, web, e-sign) justifies some volume, but the count is inflated by batch and inspect variants (pdf_to_excel + batch + inspect), duplicate tools, and overlapping converters. An agent faces an overwhelming selection surface.

Completeness4/5

Per-domain coverage is remarkably deep: PDF spans merge/split/compress/protect/unlock/metadata/OCR/watermark and bidirectional conversion; photo covers editing, format conversion, face handling, OCR, and collage; file storage has full CRUD plus search. Minor gaps exist (no audio transcription, no video metadata editing, no deletion of PDF pages is actually covered via pdf_delete_pages) but the surface has no dead ends for its declared domains.

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