pdfzen
REMOTE · API.PDFZEN.SITE · SCANNED SEP 28
Render PDFs from 45 starter templates or raw HTML. Pay-per-render with USDC via x402.
Available components
How this component scores in each security and reliability category. Every signal is checked automatically against the live server, and we only credit what we can confirm. How we score → Why this is hard to score →
Endpoint Security46
- The endpoint's TLS certificate is valid, in date, and uses a strong key. View diagnostics → Pass
- Authorisation not fully verified: no authorisation is required to call this server, and 2 tool(s) never declared a destructiveHint. The MCP spec treats an absent hint as destructive by default, so we cannot call this surface safe. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Unverified
- HTTPS enforcement could not be verified: the plaintext port answered with HTTP 404, which proves neither a plaintext path nor enforcement. View diagnostics → Unverified
- HSTS check failed: the Strict-Transport-Security header is absent. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Fail
- DNSSEC check failed: this domain isn't protected by DNSSEC. See how to fix → View diagnostics → Fail
Transport & Reachability100
- Verified streamable-http transport via a live MCP handshake. View diagnostics → Pass
Schema Quality & AI Usability70
- AI-judged instruction clarity (excellent).Pass
- Context-footprint check failed: tool/resource definitions use about 1076 tokens (~269/item across 4 items; 4 tools + 0 resources), over budget; trim descriptions and params. See how to fix → Fail
- Usage-examples check failed: none of the tools include examples. See how to fix → Fail
Stability & Change Management100
- No destabilizing schema changes in the last 30 days.Pass
Tool Coverage100
- 100% of tools have a non-trivial description (not blank, and not just the tool's name).Pass
- 100% of tool parameters carry a description.Pass
Tool Safety100
- No prompt-injection markers were found in the server instructions, tool names or descriptions we captured.Pass
- We read all 4 captured tool definition(s), and no name or description among them implies an irreversible operation.Pass
- An AI judge read all 5 captured unit(s) of tool text and found none that tries to manipulate the model reading it.Pass
Capabilities20
- Spec-recency check failed: implements MCP spec 2024-11-05; the latest is 2026-07-28. See how to fix → Fail
How do I install the pdfzen MCP server?
pdfzen is a hosted endpoint at https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp, so there is nothing to install locally. Ready-made configuration for Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Codex and 5 more is on this page, copied from each client's own documentation.
remote · api.pdfzen.site
claude mcp add --transport http site-pdfzen-render 'https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp'
{
"mcpServers": {
"site-pdfzen-render": {
"url": "https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp"
}
}
} {
"servers": {
"site-pdfzen-render": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp"
}
}
} [mcp_servers.site-pdfzen-render] url = "https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp"
{
"$schema": "https://opencode.ai/config.json",
"mcp": {
"site-pdfzen-render": {
"type": "remote",
"url": "https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp",
"enabled": true
}
}
} openclaw mcp add site-pdfzen-render --url 'https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp' --transport streamable-http
mcp_servers:
site-pdfzen-render:
url: "https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp" {
"McpServers": {
"site-pdfzen-render": {
"Transport": "http",
"Url": "https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp"
}
}
} assistant mcp add site-pdfzen-render -t streamable-http -u 'https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp'
{
"mcpServers": {
"site-pdfzen-render": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp"
}
}
} The mcpServers block is a cross-client convention. Remote transports vary, so check your client's docs.
Every change we have recorded for this component, newest first. Security-relevant changes are always shown. ▲ marks a change for the better, ▼ a change for the worse; unmarked changes are neutral.
- 28 Sept 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 25 Sept 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 26 Aug 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 25 Aug 26 0
- Stability: 0.97 → pass security
- 11 Aug 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 31 Jul 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 30 Jul 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
- 27 Jul 26 0
- We updated how we score, so this day's move reflects our rubric, not a change to the server See what changed → functional
Diagnostic detail from the automated scan of this channel: what the scanner observed at each step, so you can see exactly where a check passed or failed. It is informational only and never changes the trust score.
Captured 28 Sept 2026 · Probed https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp
TLS valid
Negotiated TLS 1.3 with TLS_AES_128_GCM_SHA256 .
| Subject | Issuer | Valid from | Valid until | Key | Signature | Serial |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| CN=pdfzen.site | CN=WE1,O=Google Trust Services,C=US | 25 Aug 2026 | 23 Nov 2026 | ECDSA 256 | ECDSA-SHA256 | 29fee223856d3c53134f6a3450233697 |
| SANs: pdfzen.site, api.pdfzen.site, *.api.pdfzen.site | ||||||
| CN=WE1,O=Google Trust Services,C=US (CA) | CN=GTS Root R4,O=Google Trust Services LLC,C=US | 13 Dec 2023 | 20 Feb 2029 | ECDSA 256 | ECDSA-SHA384 | 7ff31977972c224a76155d13b6d685e3 |
| CN=GTS Root R4,O=Google Trust Services LLC,C=US (CA) | CN=GlobalSign Root CA,OU=Root CA,O=GlobalSign nv-sa,C=BE | 15 Nov 2023 | 28 Jan 2028 | ECDSA 384 | SHA256-RSA | 7fe530bf331343bedd821610493d8a1b |
Background: What to check on a remote MCP endpoint →
DNSSEC insecure
Validation of api.pdfzen.site. — Not signed
| Zone | DS | Keys | Algorithms | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| . | trust_anchor | 20326, 38696 | 8, 8 | Verified |
| site. | present | 31826 | 13 | Verified |
| pdfzen.site. | absent | Unsigned (proven) parent-signed NSEC/NSEC3 proves an unsigned delegation |
Authentication No authorisation required
The endpoint answered without asking for a token. Anyone who knows the URL can reach it.
| Result | No authorisation required |
|---|---|
| HTTP status | 200 |
| Header | Value |
|---|---|
| x-content-type-options | nosniff |
| referrer-policy | strict-origin-when-cross-origin |
| permissions-policy | browsing-topics=() |
Background: How OAuth 2.1 works in the 2026 MCP spec →
Transports 2 probes
| Transport | URL | Outcome | Status | Location |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| streamable-http | https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp | Verified | 200 | |
| http (plaintext) | http://api.pdfzen.site/mcp | Inconclusive | 404 |
The tools this component advertises to a client, with an estimated token cost for each. Expand a tool to see its parameters and schema. The per-tool counts are indicative and are not scored directly; the schema's total context footprint is one signal in Schema Quality & AI Usability. A tool's description is untrusted text the model reads on every call, which is what makes this list a security surface and not just an inventory: how tool poisoning works →
get_starter ~121
Fetch the full HTML body, CSS, sampleData, and pageOptions for one starter template by slug. Use this when you need to understand the exact shape of `data` the template expects before calling render_template_to_pdf, or when you want to fork a starter into custom HTML. Free, no payment, no auth required.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| slug | string | yes | The starter slug. Examples: "invoice", "receipt", "certificate", "contract", "nda", "boarding-pass", "menu". Call list_starters to discover all 45 slugs. |
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
list_starters ~121
List pdfzen's 45 public starter templates — invoices, receipts, contracts, certificates, NDAs, letters, reports, resumes, boarding passes, menus, bank statements, lab reports, lease agreements, performance reviews, and more. Returns an array of { slug, name, description, icon, pageOptions, fonts, dataKeys }. Free, no payment, no auth required. Call this first to discover what fits the user request, then optionally call get_starter to see the expected data shape, then call render_template_to_pdf to produce the PDF.
Input schema present but exposes no named parameters.
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
render_html_to_pdf ~287
Prepare a paid PDF render from arbitrary Handlebars-flavoured HTML. Use only when no starter fits (one-off layouts, custom branding). Prefer render_template_to_pdf when a starter matches. Validates your HTML and returns the exact, ready-to-execute HTTP request to run against pdfzen's render endpoint — POST /v402/render/pdf (x402, $0.006 USDC on Base, no API key) or POST /v1/render/pdf (pdfzen API key). pdfzen renders are executed over HTTP, not streamed in-band over MCP; this tool is the bridge.
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| css | string | – | Optional CSS injected into the document head. Alternative to inline <style> in `html`. |
| data | object | – | Handlebars context object resolved against the {{...}} expressions in `html`. |
| html | string | yes | The HTML body. Supports Handlebars {{ }} expressions resolved against `data`, plus pdfzen helpers ({{barChart}}, {{lineChart}}, {{pageBreak}}, {{#each}}, {{#if eq}}). Don't include <html>/<head>; jus… |
| pageOptions | object | – | Page format/margin/orientation. Defaults to A4 portrait. Example: { "format": "A4", "margin": { "top": "20mm" } }. |
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
render_template_to_pdf ~294
Prepare a paid PDF render from one of the 45 starter templates. Validates your template + data and returns the exact, ready-to-execute HTTP request to run against pdfzen's render endpoint — POST /v402/render/pdf (x402, $0.006 USDC on Base, no API key) or POST /v1/render/pdf (pdfzen API key, credit-billed). pdfzen renders are executed over HTTP, not streamed in-band over MCP; this tool is the bridge. Your `data` is merged ON TOP of the starter sampleData at render time, so partial payloads inherit demo defaults (e.g. ship just the customer name + total).
| Name | Type | Req | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| data | object | – | Handlebars context. Each starter expects a specific shape — call get_starter to see the sampleData and dataKeys for the chosen slug. Your fields merge ON TOP of sampleData, so you can supply only the… |
| pageOptions | object | – | Page format/margin/orientation overrides. Defaults come from the starter (most are A4 portrait). Example: { "format": "Letter", "landscape": true }. |
| template | string | yes | Slug of the starter to render (e.g. "invoice", "receipt", "certificate"). Call list_starters first if unsure which fits the user request. |
No output schema declared.
No examples provided.
What is the pdfzen MCP server?
pdfzen is an MCP server listed in the public MCP registry as site.pdfzen/render. Render PDFs from 45 starter templates or raw HTML. Pay-per-render with USDC via x402. This page covers its hosted endpoint (https://api.pdfzen.site/mcp).
Is the pdfzen MCP server safe to use?
pdfzen scores 70 out of 100 on VerifyMCP. That is a record of what we were able to check automatically, not an endorsement. The category breakdown on this page shows every signal behind the number, including the ones we could not confirm.
What tools does the pdfzen MCP server expose?
pdfzen exposes 4 tools: list_starters, get_starter, render_template_to_pdf, render_html_to_pdf. Their descriptions and schemas cost roughly 823 tokens of context every time the server is loaded.
Does the pdfzen MCP server require authentication?
No. We connected to pdfzen without credentials and it answered, so anything it exposes is reachable by anyone who knows the address.
Is the pdfzen MCP server still maintained?
pdfzen is still listed as active in the MCP registry. We last reached this channel on 28 September 2026. Those dates come from our own scans of the registry and the channel itself, not from anything the publisher announced.