Docling MCP Server

Convert PDFs and other documents to structured formats via Docling, for AI applications.

Remote serverstreamable-httpPython

What is the Docling MCP MCP server?

Most monitoring and observability work still happens through a UI a human drives. Docling MCP MCP server moves it into the conversation instead. Convert PDFs and other documents to structured formats via Docling, for AI applications.

The short version

A document processing service using the Docling-MCP library and MCP (Model Context Protocol) for tool integration.

Docling MCP is a service that provides tools for document conversion, processing and generation. It uses the Docling library to convert PDF documents into structured formats and provides a caching mechanism to improve performance. The service exposes functionality through a set of tools that can be called by client applications.

  • Conversion tools:
  • PDF document conversion to structured JSON format ([DoclingDocument][docling_document])
  • Generation tools:
  • Document generation in DoclingDocument, which can be exported to multiple formats
  • Local document caching for improved performance
  • Support for local files and URLs as document sources

Getting it running

Because this one is hosted, setup is mostly authentication — you point your client at the endpoint and approve access. Nothing runs on your machine, so there is no runtime to keep patched.

The tools it exposes

The server publishes 8 tools. What each one is for:

  • Variable — Default
  • DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_BASEhttp://127.0.0.1:1234/v1
  • DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_KEY — none
  • DOCLING_MCP_LI_MODEL_ID — ibm/granite-3.2-8b
  • DOCLING_MCP_LI_EMBEDDING_MODEL — BAAI/bge-base-en-v1.5
  • DOCLING_MCP_LLS_URLhttp://localhost:8321
  • DOCLING_MCP_LLS_VDB_EMBEDDING — all-MiniLM-L6-v2
  • DOCLING_MCP_LLS_EXTRACTION_MODEL — openai/gpt-oss-20b

What it needs from you

Configuration is passed through the environment: DOCLING_MCP_CONVERSION_MODE, DOCLING_MCP_SERVICE_URL, DOCLING_MCP_SERVICE_API_KEY, DOCLING_MCP_FALLBACK_TO_LOCAL, DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_KEY, DOCLING_MCP_LI_MODEL_ID, DOCLING_MCP_LLS_URL. Treat anything key-shaped as a real credential — scope it to the minimum the server needs, and rotate it if it ever lands in a shared config.

Things to watch

  • Your data travels to the provider's service, so the usual questions apply about what you send and what they retain.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • Keep per-call confirmation enabled while you learn its behaviour; it is the cheapest safeguard you have.

How it compares

Plenty of monitoring and observability servers cover similar ground. The differences that matter in practice are scope of access and how much setup stands between you and a working tool call. Docling MCP's toolset — Variable, DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_BASE, DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_KEY and 5 more — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by docling-project; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

SyncDev reviews every entry in this directory against the project's own documentation before publishing, and revisits them as servers change.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
VariableDefault
DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_BASEhttp://127.0.0.1:1234/v1
DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_KEYnone
DOCLING_MCP_LI_MODEL_IDibm/granite-3.2-8b
DOCLING_MCP_LI_EMBEDDING_MODELBAAI/bge-base-en-v1.5
DOCLING_MCP_LLS_URLhttp://localhost:8321
DOCLING_MCP_LLS_VDB_EMBEDDINGall-MiniLM-L6-v2
DOCLING_MCP_LLS_EXTRACTION_MODELopenai/gpt-oss-20b

How to install the Docling MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "docling": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from=docling-mcp",
        "docling-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DOCLING_MCP_CONVERSION_MODE": "remote",
        "DOCLING_MCP_SERVICE_URL": "https://your-docling-service.example.com",
        "DOCLING_MCP_SERVICE_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
DOCLING_MCP_CONVERSION_MODEConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
DOCLING_MCP_SERVICE_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes
DOCLING_MCP_SERVICE_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
DOCLING_MCP_FALLBACK_TO_LOCALConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_KEYCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
DOCLING_MCP_LI_MODEL_IDConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
DOCLING_MCP_LLS_URLEndpoint or connection string the server talks to.Yes

Example prompts to try

  • Use Docling MCP to Variable.
  • Use Docling MCP to DOCLING MCP LI API BASE.
  • Use Docling MCP to DOCLING MCP LI API KEY.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Docling MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 8 tools (Variable, DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_BASE, DOCLING_MCP_LI_API_KEY, and more) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Docling MCP directly.