Compliant PDFs (PDF/A-2A + PDF/UA-1) from markdown or a compact DSL - fast, no headless browser.
Scored across 11 tools
Template CRUD tools (delete/get/list/save/update_template) are cleanly distinct, and validation tools split neatly by input type (validate_dsl vs validate_markdown). The three render tools (render_dsl_preview, render_template, render_markdown) all produce PDFs and could momentarily overlap, but the descriptions sharply distinguish free-preview, billed-template, and markdown paths.
Every tool follows a consistent snake_case verb_noun pattern (delete_template, get_template, list_templates, render_markdown, validate_dsl, report_feedback, etc.). Verbs are precise and uniform across the whole set.
11 tools is well-scoped for a PDF rendering/validation service, with each tool earning its place. No redundant or filler tools are present.
Covers full template lifecycle (save/list/get/update/delete), rendering (preview + billed, DSL + markdown), and validation for both input types, plus feedback. The only notable gap is that artifactId is returned but there is no tool to list, fetch, or manage previously-rendered artifacts.
Delete a caller-owned template by ID. Library rows cannot be deleted. Mirrors DELETE /api/v1/templates/:id.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| templateId | Yes | Template ID — slug for library rows (e.g. 'invoice-classic') or UUID for user rows. |
Fetch a single template (library or caller-owned) by ID, including its full DSL source and sampleData. Mirrors GET /api/v1/templates/:id.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| templateId | Yes | Template ID — slug for library rows (e.g. 'invoice-classic') or UUID for user rows. |
List templates visible to the caller — both curated library templates (no owner) and the caller's own saved templates. Metadata only (no DSL bodies). Paginated. Use owner: 'mine' to restrict to your own; owner: 'library' for the curated catalog only; default 'all' returns both. Optional category, tags (comma-separated, ANDed), and q (free-text over name + description) filters apply across both. Mirrors GET /api/v1/templates.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| q | No | ||
| tags | No | ||
| limit | No | ||
| owner | No | all | |
| offset | No | ||
| category | No |
Render a DSL template + data to a preview PDF. Free (no credits), always watermarked 'PREVIEW — NOT FOR USE'. Returns JSON metadata plus the PDF bytes as an embedded base64 resource. Mirrors POST /api/v1/preview.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| dsl | Yes | The builder DSL script. | |
| data | No | Optional binding data. Falls back to the script's sampleData when omitted. | |
| title | No | Optional document title (shown in PDF metadata). |
Render GitHub-flavored markdown to a real PDF (PDF/A-2A + PDF/UA-1 dual-compliant, tagged). BILLED - consumes credits at the rate of 1 credit per 10 pages. Returns JSON metadata (pageCount, creditsDeducted, creditsRemaining, artifactId) plus the PDF bytes as an embedded base64 resource. On the free plan the PDF is watermarked; paid plans render clean. Mirrors POST /api/v1/md. Run validate_markdown first - it is free and catches heading-hierarchy and alt-text problems before you pay to render them. There is no free markdown preview: markdown needs no layout iteration, so this is the only markdown render tool.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| options | No | Optional render settings. Anything omitted falls back to YAML frontmatter in the markdown, then to the runtime default. | |
| markdown | Yes | GitHub-flavored markdown source. Max 200KB of text; inline data: image payloads are excluded from that budget. |
Render any readable template (curated library row or caller-owned) to a real PDF. BILLED — consumes credits at the rate of 1 credit per 10 pages. Returns JSON metadata (pageCount, creditsDeducted, creditsRemaining, artifactId) plus the PDF bytes as an embedded base64 resource. On the free plan the PDF is watermarked; paid plans render clean. Mirrors POST /api/v1/render with the { templateId, data } body shape. Use render_dsl_preview first to confirm the layout — that's free and watermarked. Only call this once you're confident the template is right.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| data | No | Binding data substituted into {{var}} expressions. Falls back to the template's sampleData when omitted. | |
| title | No | Optional document title (shown in PDF metadata). | |
| templateId | Yes | Template ID — slug for library rows (e.g. 'invoice-classic') or UUID for user rows. |
Report feedback about this MCP server to the makesPDF team — where you got stuck, a tool error or description that misled you, a capability you needed but could not find, or a concrete suggestion for the server. Call it after a tool failed and you could not work out why, when an error message or tool description contradicted the skill file, when something you needed is missing, or when you have a specific improvement in mind. Write the problem in your own words: what you were trying to do, what you tried, and what you expected to happen. Do not include the user's document text, markdown, DSL source or data values. Describe the problem instead; if it concerns a specific render, pass its artifactId. This is not a support channel — nobody replies in real time. Calling it is free: it does not consume credits and does not affect the user's renders.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| kind | Yes | `stuck` — a tool failed and you could not work out why; `bug` — something behaved incorrectly (a misleading error/description counts); `suggestion` — a missing capability or a concrete improvement. | |
| summary | Yes | The problem in your own words: what you tried and what you expected. Do not include document content (see the content rule above). | |
| toolName | No | Optional name of the tool this concerns (e.g. `render_template`). | |
| artifactId | No | Optional UUID of the render artifact this concerns (the `artifactId` returned by a render call or the `X-Artifact-Id` response header). |
Save a user-owned DSL template for later reuse via /api/v1/render. Validates the DSL with the catalog before persisting. Free (no credits). Pass sampleData (any JSON value) so the template's binding shape is preserved — the modify-template flow on /ai/chat round-trips this back into the Render data panel when the user returns. Optional description is a one-sentence summary surfaced on /templates. Returns { templateId, name, createdAt }.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| dsl | Yes | The builder DSL script (<=512KB). | |
| name | Yes | Human-readable template name. | |
| sampleData | No | Optional JSON binding data to persist alongside the template. Round-tripped on get_template / modify-template flow. | |
| description | No | Optional one-sentence summary (max 280 chars). Surfaced on /templates list rows. |
Update a saved template's DSL, name, description, and/or sampleData. Revalidates the DSL when provided. For description and sampleData: pass null to clear; omit to leave unchanged. Mirrors PUT /api/v1/templates/:id.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| dsl | No | Replacement builder DSL script (<=512KB). | |
| name | No | ||
| sampleData | No | Optional JSON binding data. `null` clears the stored value; omit to leave unchanged. | |
| templateId | Yes | Template ID — slug for library rows (e.g. 'invoice-classic') or UUID for user rows. | |
| description | No | Optional one-sentence summary (max 280 chars). Pass `null` (instead of a string) to clear the stored value; omit the key entirely to leave it unchanged. |
Validate a PDF template DSL script for structure, tag/style correctness, and accessibility issues. Runs catalog validation plus alt-text checks. Cheap — no rendering. Mirrors POST /api/v1/preview/validate.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| dsl | Yes | The builder DSL script to validate. Must define a template (see skills/pdf-template-author.md). | |
| data | No | Optional binding data. Falls back to the script's sampleData when omitted. |
Validate a markdown document for PDF/UA-1 accessibility issues (heading hierarchy, missing alt text). Cheap — no rendering. Mirrors POST /api/v1/md/validate.
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| markdown | Yes | GitHub-flavored markdown source. Max 200KB of text; inline data: image payloads are excluded from that budget. |
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
render_markdown2 fields changedInput schema / properties / options / properties / pageNumberPositionAdded value: +{
+ "description": "Footer alignment when pageNumbers is set. Default 'right'. Ignored without pageNumbers.",
+ "enum": [
+ "left",
+ "center",
+ "right"
+ ],
+ "type": "string"
+}Input schema / properties / options / properties / pageNumbersAdded value: +{
+ "description": "Footer page-number format: 'page-n-of-total' (Page 3 of 12), 'n-of-total' (3 / 12), or 'n' (3). Omit for no page numbers.",
+ "enum": [
+ "page-n-of-total",
+ "n-of-total",
+ "n"
+ ],
+ "type": "string"
+}render_markdown2 fields changedInput schema / properties / markdown / descriptionPrevious value: -"GitHub-flavored markdown source."New value: +"GitHub-flavored markdown source. Max 200KB of text; inline data: image payloads are excluded from that budget."Input schema / properties / markdown / maxLengthRemoved value: -200000validate_markdown2 fields changedInput schema / properties / markdown / descriptionPrevious value: -"GitHub-flavored markdown source."New value: +"GitHub-flavored markdown source. Max 200KB of text; inline data: image payloads are excluded from that budget."Input schema / properties / markdown / maxLengthRemoved value: -200000report_feedbackdelete_template1 field changedInput schema / properties / templateId / descriptionAdded value: +"Template ID — slug for library rows (e.g. 'invoice-classic') or UUID for user rows."update_template3 fields changedInput schema / properties / description / typePrevious value: -"string"New value: +[
+ "string",
+ "null"
+]Input schema / properties / dsl / descriptionAdded value: +"Replacement builder DSL script (<=512KB)."Input schema / properties / templateId / descriptionAdded value: +"Template ID — slug for library rows (e.g. 'invoice-classic') or UUID for user rows."render_markdowndelete_templateget_templatelist_templatesrender_dsl_previewrender_templatesave_templateupdate_templatevalidate_dslvalidate_markdownRender Markdown and LLM output into accessible PDF/UA-1 PDFs. No headless Chromium.
Cloud PDF generation from HTML, CSS and XSL-FO, with PDF/A and PDF/UA support.
I create PDF documents from markdown, preview, then generate a downloadable file
Markdown in, any format out. PDFs merged, split, watermarked. Runs on our own doc engines.
Add one secure layer between your agents and this server.
