MarkItDown-MCP-NPX

NPX wrapper for Microsoft's MarkItDown MCP server - No Docker Required!

This package provides an NPX-compatible wrapper for Microsoft's markitdown-mcp, allowing you to run the MarkItDown MCP server without Docker dependencies.

✨ Features

• 🚀 No Docker Required: Run directly with NPX - no installation needed
• 🔧 Automatic Setup: Handles Python environment and dependencies automatically
• 🔄 Full Compatibility: Works exactly like the original Docker version
• 💻 Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux
• ⚡ Fast: Reuses virtual environment after first setup
• 📦 Zero Config: Just run npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx and you're ready!

📋 Prerequisites

Required

• Node.js 16+: Required for NPX execution
• Python 3.10+: Required for MarkItDown functionality
• Internet Connection: For initial package installation

Optional (for enhanced functionality)

• FFmpeg: For audio file processing and transcription (.mp3, .wav files)
• ExifTool: For advanced image metadata extraction

💡 Note: MarkItDown works perfectly for most file types (PDF, Word, Excel, basic images) without the optional dependencies. They're only needed for audio files and advanced image metadata.

Windows users: See WINDOWS_SETUP.md for easy installation of optional dependencies.

🚀 Quick Start

Using NPX (Recommended - No Installation Required!)

# Basic STDIO mode (for Claude Desktop)
npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx

# HTTP mode for testing
npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx --http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3001

# Show help
npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx --help

Alternative Installation Methods

Local Installation

# Install globally
npm install -g markitdown-mcp-npx

# Then run directly
markitdown-mcp-npx

Local Development

# Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/xkiranj/markitdown-mcp-npx.git
cd markitdown-mcp-npx

# Run locally
npm start

🔧 Configuration for Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop Configuration (Recommended)

NPX Version (Recommended):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markitdown": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "markitdown-mcp-npx"
      ]
    }
  }
}

With HTTP transport:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markitdown": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "markitdown-mcp-npx",
        "--http",
        "--host",
        "127.0.0.1",
        "--port",
        "3001"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Global Installation:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "markitdown": {
      "command": "markitdown-mcp-npx",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

🔑 Critical: The -y flag is required for NPX in Claude Desktop to prevent installation prompts that would cause the server to hang.

Comparison with Docker Version

📖 Usage Examples

Basic STDIO Mode (Default)

npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx

HTTP/SSE Mode

npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx --http --host 127.0.0.1 --port 3001

With Custom Host/Port

npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx --http --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8080

One-time Setup Verification

# Test installation and show help
npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx --help

🛠️ Available Options

Usage: markitdown-mcp-npx [options]

Options:
  --http           Run with Streamable HTTP and SSE transport (default: STDIO)
  --sse            Alias for --http (deprecated)
  --host HOST      Host to bind to (default: 127.0.0.1)
  --port PORT      Port to listen on (default: 3001)
  --help           Show help message

🔍 How It Works

1. NPX Magic: NPX automatically downloads and runs the latest version
2. Auto-confirmation: The -y flag skips installation prompts for seamless startup
3. Environment Detection: Automatically detects Python 3.10+ installation
4. Virtual Environment: Creates isolated Python environment in temp directory
5. Package Installation: Installs markitdown-mcp and dependencies
6. Process Management: Spawns and manages the Python MCP server process
7. Signal Handling: Properly handles termination signals
8. Caching: Reuses the virtual environment for faster subsequent runs

🧪 Testing with MCP Inspector

You can test the server using the MCP Inspector:

# Start the inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

# For STDIO mode:
# - Transport: STDIO
# - Command: npx
# - Args: -y, markitdown-mcp-npx

# For HTTP mode:
# - Start server: npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx --http
# - Transport: Streamable HTTP
# - URL: http://127.0.0.1:3001/mcp

🔧 Expected Tool Behavior

✓ Single Tool: MarkItDown MCP provides exactly 1 tool called convert_to_markdown
✓ Universal Converter: This one tool handles all file types:

• 📄 Documents: PDF, Word (.docx), Excel (.xlsx), PowerPoint (.pptx)
• 🖼️ Images: JPG, PNG, GIF, etc. (with OCR support)
• 🎧 Audio: MP3, WAV (with transcription if FFmpeg installed)
• 🌐 Web: HTTP/HTTPS URLs
• 🗃️ Archives: ZIP files
• 📊 Data: CSV, JSON, XML

✓ URI Parameter: Accepts http:, https:, file:, or data: URIs

💡 Note: Seeing "1 tools available" in Claude Desktop is correct behavior!

🐛 Troubleshooting

Server Hangs on Startup

Server appears to hang or timeout on startup

Solution: Ensure you're using the -y flag: npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx
Cause: Without -y, NPX prompts for installation confirmation, which hangs in non-interactive environments like Claude Desktop.

Python Not Found

Error: Python 3.10+ is required but not found

Solution: Install Python 3.10+ and ensure it's in your PATH

Permission Errors

Error: Failed to create virtual environment

Solution: Check write permissions to your temp directory

Installation Failures

Error: Failed to install markitdown-mcp

Solution: Check internet connectivity and proxy settings

Port Already in Use

Error: Port 3001 already in use

Solution: Use a different port with --port <number>

NPX Cache Issues

Error: Package not found or outdated

Solution: Clear NPX cache with npx clear-npx-cache or use npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx

FFmpeg Warning

RuntimeWarning: Couldn't find ffmpeg or avconv - defaulting to ffmpeg, but may not work

This warning is harmless! It means:

• ✅ MarkItDown is working correctly
• ✅ All file types work (PDF, Word, Excel, images)
• ⚠️ Audio files (.mp3, .wav) processing will be limited

To resolve: Install FFmpeg (see WINDOWS_SETUP.md for Windows)

📂 File Structure

markitdown-mcp-npx/
├── package.json              # NPM package configuration
├── index.js                  # Main entry point
├── bin/
│   └── markitdown-mcp-npx.js # Node.js executable script
├── README.md                 # This file
├── WINDOWS_SETUP.md          # Windows setup guide
├── test.js                   # Test suite
└── LICENSE                   # MIT License

🔐 Security Considerations

• The server runs with the same privileges as the user executing it
• No authentication is provided for HTTP/SSE modes
• For HTTP mode, bind to localhost unless specifically needed otherwise
• Virtual environments provide isolation for Python dependencies
• NPX ensures you always get the latest published version

🆚 vs. Docker Version

Advantages of NPX Version:

• ✅ No Docker installation required
• ✅ Zero configuration with NPX
• ✅ Direct file system access (no volume mounts)
• ✅ Faster startup (no container overhead)
• ✅ Easier to debug and troubleshoot
• ✅ Always up-to-date with NPX

Advantages of Docker Version:

• ✅ Complete isolation
• ✅ Consistent environment across systems
• ✅ No Python installation required on host

📈 Version Updates

The NPX version automatically uses the latest published version. To check for updates or force a fresh download:

# Clear cache and run latest version
npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx

# Check current version
npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx --help

📦 Package Information

• Package: markitdown-mcp-npx
• Repository: GitHub
• License: MIT
• Node.js: >=16.0.0
• Python: >=3.10

🤝 Contributing

This is an unofficial wrapper for Microsoft's MarkItDown MCP server. For issues with the core MarkItDown functionality, please refer to the original repository.

For issues specific to this wrapper:

1. Check the troubleshooting section
2. Verify your Python and Node.js installations
3. Test with the MCP Inspector
4. Open an issue on GitHub

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Microsoft AutoGen Team: For creating the original MarkItDown and MCP server
• Model Context Protocol: For the MCP specification
• Claude Desktop: For MCP integration
• NPM Community: For the fantastic NPX tool

✨ Ready to use? Just run: npx -y markitdown-mcp-npx

This is an unofficial wrapper for MarkItDown MCP. For the official Docker version, visit the original repository.