mcpbeat Sign in

Pressa - LaTeX to PDF MCP Server

by pressa-dev Your server? Claim it
answering

Pressa - LaTeX to PDF is answering right now. Last checked 7 min ago. 143 installs a week from npm. It exposes 4 tools. Last commit 28 Oct 2026.

Compile LaTeX to PDF without installing TeX Live. No API key needed to start.

Installs per day peak 365 · avg 59 · -64% w/w
a month agotoday
Uptime history 47 days of history · worst day 93%
47 days agonow
100.0%
Uptime 24h
91 of 91 checks
4
Tools
read from the server
206 ms
Response time
average over 24h
143
Installs / week
npm and PyPI

What changed 11

Every tool that appeared, vanished or quietly changed what it asks for. Recorded since 25 September 2026. No other catalogue keeps this.

22 Oct a tool changed the parameters it asks for compile
18 Oct 2 tool descriptions were rewritten5 times that day list_public_templates, render_public_template
18 Oct a tool changed the parameters it asks for render_public_template
25 Sep 3 tools appeared get_public_template, list_public_templates, render_public_template
25 Sep a tool description was rewritten list_public_templates
and 3 more, back to 25 September 2026

Nothing serious here today

Today is the operative word: we check Pressa - LaTeX to PDF every 15 minutes and re-read its code on every release. Watch it and you find out the day that stops being true.

Three servers free · no card

Connect this server

Endpoint below is the one we actually reach during checks — not the one copied from a README. Last verified 7 min ago.

run in your terminal
claude mcp add pressa --transport http https://api.pressa.dev/mcp
Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, then paste this address
https://api.pressa.dev/mcp
~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.pressa]
url = "https://api.pressa.dev/mcp"
.cursor/mcp.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pressa": {
      "url": "https://api.pressa.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}
.vscode/mcp.json
{
  "servers": {
    "pressa": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://api.pressa.dev/mcp"
    }
  }
}

Available tools 4

Read directly from the server with tools/list, grouped by what they act on. If a tool disappears, we record the date.

public
get_public_template
Get a public template's fields (JSON schema), sample data, filling instructions and LaTeX source. Read the instructions before collecting data from the user. To make the PDF, pass the data to `render_public_template`; to change the layout itself, edit the source and use `compile`.
list_public_templates
List Pressa's public, professionally designed document templates (invoices, purchase orders, packing slips, delivery notes, receipts, reports, certificates, resumes, CVs, cover letters), each with a one-line summary, a preview image URL and the colours it comes in. Several designs of one document (`document`, e.g. five resume designs) take the same data. Use this when the user wants one of these documents and has no layout of their own, or asks to see designs to choose from. Works without an API key.
compile
compile
Compile LaTeX source into a PDF. Returns a PDF URL, page count and compile time. USE THIS WHEN: you have LaTeX source (or a \documentclass) and no local pdflatex / TeX Live installation to run it with. This is that missing compiler, available over HTTP. Also use it whenever the user asks for a document where typesetting matters - an invoice, contract, report, letter, CV, certificate, or academic paper - since you can write the LaTeX yourself and compile it here. DO NOT USE THIS TO: convert HTML to PDF, merge, split or compress existing PDF files, or extract text from a PDF. This compiles LaTeX source and nothing else. No API key is required. Anonymous callers get a small number of compilations per day and failed attempts do not count, so you can iterate on your LaTeX for free. Send an API key in the Authorization header to raise the limits. With a key, a document over the plan's page or size limit still returns a PDF: `preview: true`, the first pages the plan allows, `total_pages`, and `plan_required` naming the plan that covers the whole document. Show the user the preview and relay `warning`; never drop pages silently. IMPORTANT: This tool compiles LaTeX, NOT plain text. You must generate complete, valid LaTeX source yourself before calling it. Do not pass plain text, markdown or JSON directly - convert them to LaTeX first, and never ask the user to write LaTeX. A minimal valid document is: \documentclass{article}\begin{document}<content>\end{document}. Escape these in body text: % & $ # _ { } and backslash. If compilation fails the response includes a `diagnosis` naming the cause and a concrete suggested fix, often a missing \usepackage. Apply it and call again yourself rather than showing the user a TeX log.
render
render_public_template
Fill a public template with the user's data and return a PDF link. Data must match the template's schema (see get_public_template); a missing field comes back as a list of what to ask for, and costs nothing. The designs of one document take the same data (the five resume designs, as do the packing slip and the delivery note), so switching design is the same call with a different slug, and `color` prints a design in another of its colours. Works without an API key within the daily free limit.

Endpoints

URLTransportStateLatencyChecked
https://api.pressa.dev/mcp streamable-http answering 171 ms 7 min ago

Alternatives to Pressa - LaTeX to PDF

same job, measured the same way
Slidler
by slidler

Turn a URL, YouTube video or text into a branded LinkedIn/Instagram carousel PDF. No key needed.

1 tools answering
Transpic Image Translator
by transpic

Translate text inside images while preserving layout; OCR extraction. Free API key.

answering
oJo — HTML to image and PDF
by ojo

Fill an HTML template with JSON and get a hosted PDF or image link. Free previews, no key.

121 installs/wk answering
MD To PDF
by wmarceau

Convert markdown to professional PDFs with clickable table of contents. No API keys.

166 installs/wk local only
LetX
by letx

Collaborative LaTeX editor: search 1000+ templates, edit projects, and compile them to PDF.

answering
PDFHaul MCP
by pdfhaul-www

PDF tools: merge, split, compress, convert, OCR & more. OAuth with auto-registration or API key.

answering
EasyPDF
by lorenzino69

Edit PDF text in place, fonts and layout kept. Compress, merge, split, convert and translate PDFs.

9 tools answering
PDF Generator MCP
by mrfentmen

Generate PDF documents locally with text, headings, and pages. No network and no key.

98 installs/wk local only

Pressa - LaTeX to PDF — questions

Answers built from our own checks of this server.

What can Pressa - LaTeX to PDF do?
It exposes 4 tools, read directly from the server on our last check. Among them: compile, get_public_template, list_public_templates, render_public_template. The full list with descriptions is on this page — we take it from the server itself via tools/list, not from a README. How MCP servers expose tools in the first place →
Is Pressa - LaTeX to PDF working right now?
We send a real MCP handshake every 15 minutes. Over the last 24 hours 91 of 91 checks got a reply (100.0%), average response time 206 ms. The bar chart above shows every period we have measured.
How do I connect Pressa - LaTeX to PDF?
Copy the ready config from this page. We generate it for Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor and VS Code, each in the form that client actually reads. It is a remote server, so there is nothing to install — the client connects to the address.
Does Pressa - LaTeX to PDF need an API key?
No. Pressa - LaTeX to PDF completed a full MCP handshake with us as an anonymous client and listed its tools without asking for anything. All 4 of them are readable on this page. This is what we observed, not what the docs claim.
How fast is Pressa - LaTeX to PDF?
It answers our handshake in 206 ms on average, which is faster than 67% of all working MCP servers we measure. The comparison comes from our own checks across the whole registry, every 15 minutes.
How many people use Pressa - LaTeX to PDF?
The npm package @pressa/mcp was installed 143 times in the last week. Week over week that is -64%. We show installs rather than GitHub stars on purpose: a star is a bookmark, an install is someone actually running it.
Is Pressa - LaTeX to PDF open source?
The code is open source: it is published under the MIT licence, written in TypeScript, 0 stars on GitHub and 1 open issue. The licence covers the code in the repository, not the hosted service at api.pressa.dev, which runs on its operator's own terms.