What is MCP?
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that allows AI agents and applications to access external tools and data sources. Think of it as a universal API that AI assistants understand natively. With the Autype MCP server, your AI agent can:- Generate documents from a full document JSON or Extended Markdown and receive a download URL
- Build documents iteratively — create a session, add sections one by one, then render
- List projects — browse your Autype projects and documents
- Read the document schema — the agent can inspect the full JSON schema as a resource to construct valid documents
Prerequisites
- An Autype account with an API key (Dashboard → Settings → API Keys)
- A running Autype MCP server (self-hosted via Docker, or use the hosted endpoint)
The hosted MCP endpoint is available at
https://mcp.autype.com/mcp/. Self-hosting instructions are at the bottom of this page.Supported clients
Claude Desktop
Connect Autype to Claude Desktop app for macOS and Windows.
Claude Code (CLI)
Use Autype with Claude’s command-line interface.
Cursor
Integrate Autype into the Cursor AI-powered code editor.
Windsurf
Connect Autype to Windsurf IDE with Cascade.
VS Code (Copilot)
Use Autype with GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio Code.
MCP Inspector
Test and debug the Autype MCP server with the official inspector tool.
Available tools
Render tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
render_document | Render a complete document JSON to PDF/DOCX/ODT. Takes a config object (with document, sections, and optionally defaults, variables, abbreviations, citations). Waits for completion and returns a download URL. |
render_markdown | Render Extended Markdown to PDF/DOCX/ODT. Takes content (markdown string) and document (settings with type, size, etc.) as separate top-level parameters, plus optional defaults, variables, abbreviations, citations, style. |
render_get_status | Poll for render job status by job ID. Returns status, download URL (when completed), format, credit cost, and timestamps. |
render_list_jobs | List render jobs with pagination (page, limit) and optional status filter (“PENDING”, “PROCESSING”, “COMPLETED”, “FAILED”). |
Document builder tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
builder_create_session | Create a new session. Accepts document_type (“pdf”/“docx”/“odt”), size (“A4”/“A3”/“A5”/“Letter”/“Legal”/“Tabloid”), orientation, title, and margin settings. Returns a sessionId. |
builder_get_session | Get the full document JSON config and section count for a session. |
builder_list_sessions | List all active builder sessions. |
builder_update_document | Update document-level settings (type, size, orientation, title, author, filename, margins). Only provided fields are changed. |
builder_update_defaults | Set or merge global defaults: fontFamily, fontSize, color, lineHeight, spacing, styles, header, footer. |
builder_set_variables | Set or merge template variables for \{\{varName\}\} substitution. Values can be strings, number objects, image objects, list objects, or table objects. |
builder_add_section | Add a section with type (“flow”/“page”) and content array. Supports all element types: headings, text, images, tables, lists, code, math, charts, QR codes, page breaks, spacers, TOC, and more. |
builder_update_section | Replace a section at a given index with a new section object. |
builder_remove_section | Remove a section by index. |
builder_reorder_sections | Reorder sections by providing a permutation of current indices. |
builder_render | Render the session to the configured output format. Waits for completion and returns a download URL. |
builder_delete_session | Delete a session and free its memory. |
Other tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
projects_list | List projects with pagination (page, limit). Each project contains document IDs for persistent rendering. |
Schema resources
The MCP server exposes the Autype document schema as readable resources. Your AI agent can read these to understand the exact structure before constructing a document:| Resource URI | Description |
|---|---|
autype://schemas/document | Full document JSON schema (sections, elements, defaults, variables, etc.) |
autype://schemas/defaults | Defaults schema (fonts, colors, spacing, header/footer) |
autype://schemas/document-settings | Document settings (page size, orientation, margins, output format) |
autype://schemas/variables | Template variables for text substitution |
autype://schemas/abbreviations | Abbreviation entries for automatic expansion |
autype://schemas/citations | Citation entries and bibliography configuration |
Example prompts
Once connected, you can ask your AI agent naturally:“Generate a two-page PDF invoice for client Acme GmbH, total €2,400, due 2026-03-15. Include a line items table.”
“Convert this markdown report to a PDF with A4 size and 3cm margins.”
“Create a DOCX contract template with {{client_name}}, {{start_date}}, and {{monthly_fee}} variables.”
“List my recent render jobs and download the latest completed one.”
Self-hosting with Docker
If you prefer to run the MCP server yourself, use the official Docker image:http://your-server-hostname:8000/mcp/.
Docker Compose
Environment variables
| Variable | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|
AUTYPE_API_BASE_URL | https://api.autype.com/api/v1 | Autype API base URL |
MCP_PUBLIC_URL | http://localhost:8000 | Public URL of this MCP server (used for webhook callbacks) |
MCP_PORT | 8000 | Port to listen on |
SESSION_TTL_SECONDS | 3600 | How long inactive builder sessions are kept in memory |