Microlink MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes Microlink API capabilities to AI assistants. Runs over stdio transport, making it compatible with Claude Desktop, VS Code, Cursor, and any other MCP-capable client.

It turns natural-language requests into Microlink calls: take screenshots, generate PDFs, extract metadata or readable text, detect video/audio sources, run Lighthouse audits, and scrape custom fields with CSS selectors, all without leaving the assistant.

See the MCP integration page for a guided walkthrough, or the @microlink/mcp npm package.

Table of contents

• Install

• MCP client configuration

• Usage

• Tools

• Authentication

• Development

• License

Related MCP server: Junipr MCP Server

Install

Use the published package (recommended)

No local installation is required. Run directly with npx:

npx -y @microlink/mcp

Optional: install globally

npm install -g @microlink/mcp
microlink-mcp

During installation, the package prints a console reminder about the free Microlink plan (50 requests/day) and where to get an API key for higher/unlimited usage at microlink.io/#pricing.

MCP client configuration

Claude Desktop

Edit ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "microlink": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@microlink/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MICROLINK_API_KEY": "YOUR_MICROLINK_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code / Codex

Published package:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "microlink": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@microlink/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MICROLINK_API_KEY": "YOUR_MICROLINK_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Local repository:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "microlink": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp/src/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MICROLINK_API_KEY": "YOUR_MICROLINK_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to your Cursor MCP settings (.cursor/mcp.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "microlink": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@microlink/mcp"],
      "env": {
        "MICROLINK_API_KEY": "YOUR_MICROLINK_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage

Once the server is configured, talk to your assistant in plain language. It picks the right tool and parameters for you:

• "Take a full-page screenshot of https://example.com in dark mode." → microlink_screenshot

• "Generate a Letter-size PDF of https://example.com." → microlink_pdf

• "Get the title, description, and image for https://example.com." → microlink_meta

• "Convert https://news.ycombinator.com to Markdown." → microlink_markdown

• "Find the playable video in this YouTube link." → microlink_video

• "Run a Lighthouse performance audit on https://example.com." → microlink_insights

• "Scrape every article title from this page using the .title selector." → microlink_extract with data

Tools can also be invoked directly. Every tool takes a url and returns structuredContent (see Response shape):

{
  "name": "microlink_screenshot",
  "arguments": {
    "url": "https://example.com",
    "screenshot": { "fullPage": true, "type": "png" },
    "colorScheme": "dark"
  }
}

Tools

Capabilities at a glance

• microlink_extract: metadata extraction + custom scraping rules (data) + multi-capability composition in one call.

• microlink_screenshot: screenshot generation with element/full-page modes and browser controls.

• microlink_pdf: PDF generation with page/layout controls.

• microlink_video: playable video source extraction.

• microlink_audio: playable audio source extraction.

• microlink_insights: Lighthouse + technology detection.

• microlink_meta: normalized metadata extraction with include/exclude config.

• microlink_palette: image palette and contrast color extraction.

• microlink_markdown: URL to Markdown conversion.

• microlink_text: URL to plain text conversion.

• Cross-cutting request capabilities: device/viewport emulation, click/scroll actions, JS/CSS injection, modules, wait conditions, cache controls (ttl, staleTtl, force), retries/timeouts, media mode, headers/proxy, and endpoint/auth routing.

Response shape

• All tools (microlink_extract, microlink_screenshot, microlink_pdf, microlink_video, microlink_audio, microlink_insights, microlink_meta, microlink_palette, microlink_markdown, microlink_text) return structuredContent with:

  • endpoint, requestUrl, finalUrl, statusCode, responseHeaders, microlink

  • microlink preserves Microlink API JSend payload (status, data, and error fields like code, id, message, more, report).

  • responseHeaders includes key cache/rate headers (such as x-cache-status, cf-cache-status, cache-control, x-rate-limit-*) when present.

  • MCP isError is set when transport fails or when microlink.status !== "success".

Parameters labeled PRO in the official Microlink docs require a paid plan. For compatibility with some MCP clients:

• boolean parameters also accept the strings "true" and "false" and are normalized before validation.

• parameters that accept objects also accept JSON stringified objects (for example, screenshot: "{\"overlay\":{\"browser\":\"dark\"}}").

microlink_extract

Extract structured metadata from any public URL. Returns normalized fields (title, description, author, publisher, date, image, logo, lang, url) plus any custom fields defined via CSS selectors.

Supports combining multiple features in a single request: screenshot, PDF, video, audio, insights, and palette. For screenshot, pdf, and insights, use true for defaults or an object for options. Empty objects ({}) are treated as true.

Key parameters:

microlink_screenshot

Capture a screenshot of any public URL and receive a permanent CDN asset URL (data.screenshot.url). Set screenshot to true for defaults, or pass screenshot: { ... } for options. screenshot: {} is treated as true.

Key parameters:

microlink_pdf

Generate a PDF of any public URL and receive a permanent CDN asset URL (data.pdf.url). Set pdf to true for defaults, or pass pdf: { ... } for options. pdf: {} is treated as true.

Key parameters:

microlink_video

Detect and extract a playable video source from any URL. Returns the video URL in data.video.url along with type, duration, size, width, height, duration_pretty, and size_pretty.

Supports YouTube, Vimeo, Twitter/X, TikTok, Instagram, Dailymotion, and hundreds of other platforms.

Key parameters:

microlink_audio

Detect and extract a playable audio source from any URL. Returns the audio URL in data.audio.url along with type, duration, size, duration_pretty, and size_pretty.

Supports SoundCloud, Spotify, Mixcloud, and other audio platforms.

Key parameters:

microlink_insights

Get web performance and technology-stack insights for any URL. Set insights to true for defaults, or pass insights: { ... } for options. insights: {} is treated as true.

Key parameters:

microlink_meta

Extract normalized metadata from any public URL. Returns: title, description, lang, author, publisher, date, url, image (with dimensions and file info), and logo (publisher favicon).

Key parameters:

microlink_palette

Extract a color palette from images detected on any public URL. For each image returns: palette (hex colors from most to least dominant), background_color (optimal WCAG-contrast background), color (best overlay color), and alternative_color.

Color data is nested under each image field (e.g. data.image.palette). Useful for generating design tokens, theming, or accessibility checks.

Key parameters:

microlink_markdown

Convert any public URL to Markdown. Returns JSON output with Markdown content in microlink.data.markdown, useful for extracting readable content from web pages, articles, and documentation.

Key parameters:

microlink_text

Extract plain text from any public URL. Returns JSON output with plain text content in microlink.data.text.

Key parameters:

Authentication

Every tool accepts an optional apiKey parameter. The key is resolved from these sources in order of priority:

1. apiKey field in the tool input parameters

2. Authorization: Bearer <key> header from the MCP request

3. x-api-key header from the MCP request

4. MICROLINK_API_KEY environment variable

The MICROLINK_API_KEY environment variable is the recommended approach for most integrations. Get your key at microlink.io.

If an API key is present, requests are sent to https://pro.microlink.io; otherwise they go to https://api.microlink.io (free endpoint).

When the free endpoint returns 429, this MCP adds a clear hint in the tool error message: free daily quota reached (50 requests/day) and upgrade/API key guidance at microlink.io/#pricing.

License

microlink © Microlink, released under the MIT License. Authored and maintained by Kiko Beats with help from contributors.

microlink.io · GitHub microlinkhq · X @microlinkhq