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PDF.co MCP Server

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by pdfdotco

find_table

Locate tables within PDF pages and return their bounding box coordinates.

Instructions

Find tables in PDF and get their coordinates.
Ref: https://developer.pdf.co/api-reference/pdf-find/table.md

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
urlYesURL to the source PDF file. Supports publicly accessible links including Google Drive, Dropbox, PDF.co Built-In Files Storage. Use 'upload_file' tool to upload local files.
httpusernameNoHTTP auth user name if required to access source url. (Optional)
httppasswordNoHTTP auth password if required to access source url. (Optional)
pagesNoComma-separated list of page indices (or ranges) to process. Leave empty for all pages. Example: '0,2-5,7-'. The first-page index is 0. (Optional)
passwordNoPassword of the PDF file. (Optional)
api_keyNoPDF.co API key. If not provided, will use X_API_KEY environment variable. (Optional)

Implementation Reference

  • Tool registration via @mcp.tool(name="find_table") decorator on the find_table async function.
    @mcp.tool(name="find_table")
    async def find_table(
  • Handler function for the find_table MCP tool. Accepts a PDF URL, optional auth credentials, pages, password, and API key. Constructs a ConversionParams object and delegates to find_table_in_pdf service function.
    @mcp.tool(name="find_table")
    async def find_table(
        url: str = Field(
            description="URL to the source PDF file. Supports publicly accessible links including Google Drive, Dropbox, PDF.co Built-In Files Storage. Use 'upload_file' tool to upload local files."
        ),
        httpusername: str = Field(
            description="HTTP auth user name if required to access source url. (Optional)",
            default="",
        ),
        httppassword: str = Field(
            description="HTTP auth password if required to access source url. (Optional)",
            default="",
        ),
        pages: str = Field(
            description="Comma-separated list of page indices (or ranges) to process. Leave empty for all pages. Example: '0,2-5,7-'. The first-page index is 0. (Optional)",
            default="",
        ),
        password: str = Field(
            description="Password of the PDF file. (Optional)", default=""
        ),
        api_key: str = Field(
            description="PDF.co API key. If not provided, will use X_API_KEY environment variable. (Optional)",
            default="",
        ),
    ) -> BaseResponse:
        """
        Find tables in PDF and get their coordinates.
        Ref: https://developer.pdf.co/api-reference/pdf-find/table.md
        """
        params = ConversionParams(
            url=url,
            httpusername=httpusername,
            httppassword=httppassword,
            pages=pages,
            password=password,
        )
    
        return await find_table_in_pdf(params, api_key=api_key)
  • Service-level helper that makes the actual API call to the "pdf/find/table" endpoint via the shared request() function.
    async def find_table_in_pdf(
        params: ConversionParams, api_key: str | None = None
    ) -> BaseResponse:
        return await request("pdf/find/table", params, api_key=api_key)
  • Generic HTTP helper that builds the payload, calls the PDF.co API via PDFCoClient, and returns a BaseResponse with job status info.
    async def request(
        endpoint: str,
        params: ConversionParams,
        custom_payload: dict | None = None,
        api_key: str | None = None,
    ) -> BaseResponse:
        payload = params.parse_payload(async_mode=True)
        if custom_payload:
            payload.update(custom_payload)
    
        try:
            async with PDFCoClient(api_key=api_key) as client:
                url = f"/v1/{endpoint}"
                print(f"Requesting {url} with payload {payload}", file=sys.stderr)
                response = await client.post(url, json=payload)
                print(f"response: {response}", file=sys.stderr)
                json_data = response.json()
                return BaseResponse(
                    status="working",
                    content=json_data,
                    credits_used=json_data.get("credits"),
                    credits_remaining=json_data.get("remainingCredits"),
                    tips=f"You **should** use the 'wait_job_completion' tool to wait for the job [{json_data.get('jobId')}] to complete if a jobId is present.",
                )
        except Exception as e:
            return BaseResponse(
                status="error",
                content=f"{type(e)}: {[arg for arg in e.args if arg]}",
            )
  • Input schema (ConversionParams) used by find_table. Defines fields like url, httpusername, httppassword, pages, password, and includes parse_payload() to build the API request body.
    class ConversionParams(BaseModel):
        url: str = Field(
            description="URL to the source file. Supports publicly accessible links including Google Drive, Dropbox, PDF.co Built-In Files Storage. Use 'upload_file' tool to upload local files.",
            default="",
        )
        httpusername: str = Field(
            description="HTTP auth user name if required to access source url. (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        httppassword: str = Field(
            description="HTTP auth password if required to access source url. (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        pages: str = Field(
            description="Comma-separated page indices (e.g., '0, 1, 2-' or '1, 3-7'). Use '!' for inverted page numbers (e.g., '!0' for last page). Processes all pages if None. (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        unwrap: bool = Field(
            description="Unwrap lines into a single line within table cells when lineGrouping is enabled. Must be true or false. (Optional)",
            default=False,
        )
        rect: str = Field(
            description="Defines coordinates for extraction (e.g., '51.8,114.8,235.5,204.0'). (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        lang: str = Field(
            description="Language for OCR for scanned documents. Default is 'eng'. See PDF.co docs for supported languages. (Optional, Default: 'eng')",
            default="eng",
        )
        line_grouping: str = Field(
            description="Enables line grouping within table cells when set to '1'. (Optional)",
            default="0",
        )
        password: str = Field(
            description="Password of the PDF file. (Optional)", default=""
        )
        name: str = Field(
            description="File name for the generated output. (Optional)", default=""
        )
        autosize: bool = Field(
            description="Controls automatic page sizing. If true, page dimensions adjust to content. If false, uses worksheet’s page setup. (Optional)",
            default=False,
        )
    
        html: str = Field(
            description="Input HTML code to be converted. To convert the link to a PDF use the /pdf/convert/from/url endpoint instead.",
            default="",
        )
        templateId: str = Field(
            description="Set to the ID of your HTML template. You can find and copy the ID from HTML to PDF Templates.",
            default="",
        )
        templateData: str = Field(
            description="Set it to a string with input JSON data (recommended) or CSV data.",
            default="",
        )
        margins: str = Field(
            description="Set to CSS style margins like 10px, 5mm, 5in for all sides or 5px 5px 5px 5px (the order of margins is top, right, bottom, left). (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        paperSize: str = Field(
            description="A4 is set by default. Can be Letter, Legal, Tabloid, Ledger, A0, A1, A2, A3, A4, A5, A6 or a custom size. Custom size can be set in px (pixels), mm or in (inches) with width and height separated by space like this: 200 300, 200px 300px, 200mm 300mm, 20cm 30cm or 6in 8in. (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        orientation: str = Field(
            description="Set to Portrait or Landscape. Portrait is set by default. (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        printBackground: bool = Field(
            description="true by default. Set to false to disable printing of background. (Optional)",
            default=True,
        )
        mediaType: str = Field(
            description="Uses print by default. Set to screen to convert HTML as it appears in a browser or print to convert as it appears for printing or none to set none as mediaType for CSS styles. (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        DoNotWaitFullLoad: bool = Field(
            description="false by default. Set to true to skip waiting for full load (like full video load etc. that may affect the total conversion time). (Optional)",
            default=False,
        )
        header: str = Field(
            description="User definable HTML for the header to be applied on every page header. (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
        footer: str = Field(
            description="User definable HTML for the footer to be applied on every page footer. (Optional)",
            default="",
        )
    
        worksheetIndex: str = Field(
            description="Index of the worksheet to convert. (Optional)", default=""
        )
Behavior2/5

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

No annotations are provided, so the description carries full burden. It only states the basic action but does not disclose behavioral traits such as whether the tool is read-only, required permissions, rate limits, or any side effects. The reference to documentation is present but minimal.

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 very concise with a single meaningful sentence and a reference link. It is front-loaded and contains no extraneous words, though it could be slightly more informative.

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?

Given the complexity of PDF table extraction and the lack of an output schema, the description is minimally adequate. It mentions coordinates but omits details like coordinate format (e.g., bounding boxes) or how to interpret results. The reference helps but does not compensate fully.

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%, so the baseline is 3. The description does not add any additional meaning or context to the parameters beyond what the schema already provides.

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 clearly specifies the action ('Find'), the resource ('tables in PDF'), and the output ('get their coordinates'). It distinguishes from the sibling tool 'find_text', which finds text, and from other conversion tools. The purpose is immediately clear.

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?

There is no guidance on when to use this tool versus alternatives like pdf_to_csv or pdf_to_json, which could also extract table data. No when-to-use or when-not-to-use information is provided.

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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