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CloudConvert MCP Server

We are excited to announce the CloudConvert MCP Server. It connects AI assistants such as ChatGPT and Claude directly to the CloudConvert API, so you can convert, compress, merge, watermark, and OCR files in the middle of a conversation — no API key, no code, and no switching between tools.

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard for connecting AI assistants to external tools and data. Our hosted server speaks it out of the box:

https://mcp.cloudconvert.com

There is nothing to install and no local package to run. The server uses the Streamable HTTP transport and authenticates with OAuth 2.0 against your existing CloudConvert account, so you never have to paste an API key into a chat client. You can revoke access at any time from your CloudConvert account.

What your assistant can do

Once connected, the assistant sees the CloudConvert toolbox and picks the right tool for whatever you ask:

  • Convert between hundreds of document, image, audio, video, ebook, and archive formats
  • Compress and optimize PDF, PNG, and JPG files
  • Merge files into a single PDF, or split and extract pages from an existing one
  • OCR scanned PDFs into searchable, copyable documents
  • Watermark PDFs, images, and videos with text or an image
  • Encrypt and decrypt PDFs, and convert them to the PDF/A and PDF/X standards
  • Capture websites as PDF, PNG, or JPG
  • Read and write metadata, create thumbnails, and build ZIP, RAR, 7Z, or TAR archives
  • Run custom FFmpeg, ImageMagick, and GraphicsMagick commands for anything else

For more advanced requests, the assistant can first discover the supported operations, formats, engines, and options, and then compose a custom multi-step job — the same job graph you would build against our API. It can also check job status, fetch results, and tell you how many credits you have left.

In practice

Attach a file and describe the result you want:

  • “Convert this DOCX to PDF.”
  • “Compress this PDF, but keep it good enough for printing.”
  • “Merge these files in the order I attached them and give me one PDF.”
  • “Make this scanned German PDF searchable with OCR.”
  • “Add a semi-transparent ‘Draft’ watermark to every page.”
  • “Capture this webpage as an A4 PDF.”

You get back secure HTTPS download links, valid for 24 hours. Processed files are deleted automatically according to our file retention policy, and everything runs on our ISO 27001 certified infrastructure.

Getting connected

In ChatGPT, the quickest route is our official app in the plugin directory, which installs the server for you. You can also add https://mcp.cloudconvert.com manually as a developer-mode app under Settings → Apps.

In Claude, add it under Customize → Connectors → Add custom connector using the same URL, and leave the optional OAuth client fields empty. For Team and Enterprise workspaces, an owner adds the connector once in the organization settings, and members then authorize their own CloudConvert accounts.

Any other MCP-compatible client works the same way — point it at the URL and sign in. Step-by-step instructions for each client are in the MCP Server documentation.

One current limitation

Tools that take an input file need that file to be reachable through an HTTP or HTTPS URL. ChatGPT turns your uploads into temporary download URLs automatically, so attachments just work there. Other clients may not, and local file attachments may therefore not be usable yet.

This is a limitation of MCP itself, which does not yet define an interoperable way to move files between clients and servers. A proposal for first-class file objects and transfer negotiation (SEP-2631) is in draft. We will adopt it as soon as it lands.

Try it and tell us what you think

Head over to the MCP Server page to connect in a couple of clicks, or read the documentation for the full tool reference. Processing files through the MCP Server uses the same conversion credits as the rest of CloudConvert.

We would love to hear which workflows you build with it — and which tools you are still missing. Let us know at support@cloudconvert.com.