MCP Server

The Glyph MCP (Model Context Protocol) server enables AI coding assistants to generate and customize PDFs using natural language. It exposes 18 tools across four categories: document generation, discovery, saved templates, and data sources.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol is an open standard created by Anthropic that lets AI assistants connect to external tools and data sources. Instead of copying code snippets or switching between apps, your AI assistant calls tools directly.

With the Glyph MCP server, you can say:

“Create an invoice for Acme Corp, add a QR code for payment, and save it as invoice.pdf”

Your AI assistant handles the entire flow: creating the session, applying modifications, and generating the final PDF.

Installation

Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "glyph": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@glyphpdf/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GLYPH_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Add to .cursor/mcp.json in your project root:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "glyph": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@glyphpdf/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GLYPH_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

Add to your Windsurf MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "glyph": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@glyphpdf/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "GLYPH_API_KEY": "your-api-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Getting an API Key

1. Visit glyph.you
2. Sign up or log in
3. Navigate to the Dashboard
4. Create a new API key

All tools accept an optional apiKey parameter. If omitted, the GLYPH_API_KEY environment variable is used.

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Tools Overview

The MCP server exposes 18 tools organized into four categories:

Category	Tools	Purpose
Document Generation	glyph_preview, glyph_modify, glyph_generate, glyph_create, glyph_analyze	Create, modify, and export PDFs
Discovery	glyph_schema, glyph_templates, glyph_suggest	Explore templates and get recommendations
Saved Templates	glyph_templates_list, glyph_template_save, glyph_template_get, glyph_template_update, glyph_template_delete	Persist and manage reusable templates
Data Sources	glyph_create_source, glyph_list_sources, glyph_generate_from_source, glyph_suggest_mappings, glyph_link_template	Connect Airtable, REST APIs, and webhooks

---

Document Generation

glyph_create

The fastest path to a PDF. Send any JSON data with an optional natural language intent, and Glyph auto-detects the document type, maps fields, and generates the output.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
data	object	Yes	Your data in any structure
intent	string	No	Natural language description (e.g., “professional invoice”, “modern proposal”)
style	string	No	Style preset: professional-clean, bold, minimal, corporate, quote-modern (default)
format	string	No	Output format: pdf (default), png, html
outputPath	string	No	File path to save the output

glyph_create({
  data: {
    customer: { name: "Acme Corp", email: "billing@acme.com" },
    items: [
      { description: "API Integration", quantity: 1, price: 5000, total: 5000 },
      { description: "Support Plan", quantity: 12, price: 200, total: 2400 }
    ],
    subtotal: 7400,
    tax: 592,
    total: 7992
  },
  intent: "professional invoice with clean styling",
  style: "professional-clean",
  outputPath: "./invoice-acme.pdf"
})

The AI automatically detects the document type from your data:

Type	Detection Signals
Invoice	items, total, tax, dueDate, invoiceNumber
Quote	items, total, validUntil, quoteNumber
Receipt	items, paid, transactionId, paymentMethod
Contract	contract, agreement, terms, signature, parties
Report	summary, metrics, analysis, findings

glyph_preview

Create a preview session from a template and data. Returns a sessionId used by all subsequent tools.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
data	object	Yes	Data to render into the template
template	string	No	Template name or "auto" (default) to auto-detect

glyph_preview({
  template: "quote-modern",
  data: {
    client: { name: "John Doe", email: "john@example.com" },
    lineItems: [
      { description: "Website Design", quantity: 1, unitPrice: 3500, total: 3500 }
    ],
    totals: { subtotal: 3500, total: 3500 },
    meta: { quoteNumber: "Q-001", date: "January 15, 2025" },
    branding: { companyName: "Your Company" }
  }
})
// Returns: { sessionId: "abc123", html: "..." }

glyph_modify

Modify a document using natural language. Chain multiple calls to build up changes.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
sessionId	string	Yes	Session ID from glyph_preview or glyph_create
instruction	string	Yes	Natural language description of the change
region	string	No	Focus area: header, footer, table, etc.

// Add visual elements
glyph_modify({
  sessionId: "abc123",
  instruction: "Add a QR code for payment in the footer"
})

// Change styling
glyph_modify({
  sessionId: "abc123",
  instruction: "Make the header more prominent with a blue gradient",
  region: "header"
})

// Add content
glyph_modify({
  sessionId: "abc123",
  instruction: "Add a watermark that says DRAFT"
})

// Adjust layout
glyph_modify({
  sessionId: "abc123",
  instruction: "Make the line items table more compact"
})

glyph_generate

Generate the final PDF or PNG from a session.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
sessionId	string	Yes	Session ID
format	string	No	pdf (default) or png
outputPath	string	No	File path to save output. If omitted, returns base64 data URL.
options	object	No	width, height (pixels), scale (0.1-3)

glyph_generate({
  sessionId: "abc123",
  format: "pdf",
  outputPath: "./quote-john-doe.pdf"
})
// Returns: { savedTo: "./quote-john-doe.pdf", size: "45.2 KB" }

glyph_analyze

Analyze a data structure without generating a PDF. Useful for debugging or previewing how Glyph interprets your data.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
data	object	Yes	Data to analyze
intent	string	No	Optional intent to influence analysis

glyph_analyze({
  data: {
    customer: { name: "Jane Smith" },
    items: [{ description: "Consulting", hours: 40, rate: 150 }],
    total: 6000
  },
  intent: "invoice"
})
// Returns: {
//   documentType: "invoice",
//   confidence: "92%",
//   suggestedTemplate: "invoice-clean",
//   fieldMappings: [
//     { detected: "customer", mapsTo: "client", confidence: "95%" },
//     { detected: "items", mapsTo: "lineItems", confidence: "98%" }
//   ],
//   missingFields: [{ field: "invoiceNumber", reason: "Standard invoice identifier" }]
// }

---

Discovery

glyph_templates

List all available document templates and style presets.

glyph_templates()
// Returns: { templates: [...], styles: [...] }

glyph_schema

Get the data schema for a specific template, including field types, required fields, and examples.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
template	string	Yes	Template name (e.g., quote-modern, invoice-clean)

glyph_schema({ template: "quote-modern" })
// Returns: { fields: [...], required: [...], example: {...} }

glyph_suggest

Get AI-powered improvement suggestions for a document session. Analyzes design, content, and professional touches.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
sessionId	string	Yes	Session ID

glyph_suggest({ sessionId: "abc123" })
// Returns suggestions like:
// - "Add a company logo to make the document more professional" (Branding, high)
// - "Add payment terms and conditions" (Legal, high)
// - "Add a QR code for quick mobile payment" (Modern, low)

---

Saved Templates

Save templates for reuse without AI regeneration. Saved templates are faster, consistent, and versioned.

glyph_templates_list

List all saved templates for your API key.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
type	string	No	Filter by type: invoice, quote, report, certificate, letter, receipt, contract, custom
limit	number	No	Max results (default 50, max 100)

glyph_templates_list({ type: "invoice" })
// Returns: { templates: [{ id: "tmpl_xxx", name: "Invoice v1", type: "invoice", ... }], total: 3 }

glyph_template_save

Save a template for reuse.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
name	string	Yes	Template name
html	string	Yes	Full HTML with Mustache placeholders (e.g., {{client.name}})
type	string	No	Template type for organization
description	string	No	Description
style	string	No	Style preset: professional-clean, professional, minimal, bold, classic, corporate, modern, vibrant
isDefault	boolean	No	Make this the default for its type

glyph_template_save({
  name: "Invoice v2",
  html: "<html>...{{client.name}}...</html>",
  type: "invoice",
  style: "professional-clean",
  isDefault: true
})
// Returns: { template: { id: "tmpl_xxx", name: "Invoice v2", version: 1 } }

glyph_template_get

Retrieve a saved template by ID, including full HTML.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
id	string	Yes	Template ID (UUID from glyph_templates_list)

glyph_template_get({ id: "tmpl_xxx" })
// Returns: { template: { id, name, html, type, schema, ... } }

glyph_template_update

Update a saved template. Only include fields you want to change.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
id	string	Yes	Template ID
name	string	No	New name
html	string	No	Updated HTML
type	string	No	Template type
description	string	No	Description
style	string	No	Style preset
isDefault	boolean	No	Set as default

glyph_template_update({
  id: "tmpl_xxx",
  html: "<html>...updated...</html>",
  isDefault: true
})
// Returns: { template: { id, name, version: 2, updatedAt: "..." } }

glyph_template_delete

Permanently delete a saved template.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
id	string	Yes	Template ID

glyph_template_delete({ id: "tmpl_xxx" })
// Returns: { deleted: true }

---

Data Sources

Connect external data sources and generate PDFs directly from your data, without manually passing JSON.

glyph_create_source

Connect a data source for PDF generation.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
type	string	Yes	airtable, rest_api, or webhook
name	string	Yes	Human-readable name
config	object	Yes	Type-specific configuration (see below)

Airtable config:

glyph_create_source({
  type: "airtable",
  name: "Invoices Table",
  config: {
    apiKey: "pat...",
    baseId: "app...",
    tableName: "Invoices"
  }
})

REST API config:

glyph_create_source({
  type: "rest_api",
  name: "Orders API",
  config: {
    url: "https://api.example.com/orders",
    headers: { "Authorization": "Bearer ..." }
  }
})

Webhook config:

glyph_create_source({
  type: "webhook",
  name: "Order Webhook",
  config: {}
})

glyph_list_sources

List all connected data sources.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
type	string	No	Filter by source type: airtable, rest_api, webhook

glyph_list_sources({ type: "airtable" })
// Returns: { sources: [{ id: "src_xxx", type: "airtable", name: "Invoices Table", status: "active" }] }

glyph_suggest_mappings

Get AI-powered field mapping suggestions between a template and data source.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
templateId	string	Yes	Template ID
sourceId	string	Yes	Data source ID

glyph_suggest_mappings({
  templateId: "tmpl_xxx",
  sourceId: "src_xxx"
})
// Returns: {
//   suggestions: [
//     { templateField: "client.name", sourceField: "Customer Name", confidence: "95%", reason: "Semantic match" },
//     { templateField: "total", sourceField: "Invoice Total", confidence: "90%", reason: "Field name similarity" }
//   ],
//   unmappedTemplateFields: ["meta.terms"],
//   unmappedSourceFields: ["Internal Notes"]
// }

glyph_link_template

Link a template to a data source with field mappings.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
templateId	string	Yes	Template ID
sourceId	string	Yes	Data source ID
fieldMappings	object	Yes	Map of template placeholder to source field name
isDefault	boolean	No	Set as default source for this template

glyph_link_template({
  templateId: "tmpl_xxx",
  sourceId: "src_xxx",
  fieldMappings: {
    "client.name": "Customer Name",
    "client.email": "Email Address",
    "total": "Invoice Total"
  },
  isDefault: true
})

glyph_generate_from_source

Generate PDFs from a saved template and connected data source.

Parameter	Type	Required	Description
templateId	string	Yes	Saved template ID
sourceId	string	No	Data source ID (uses default if omitted)
recordId	string	No	Specific record ID for single PDF
filter	object	No	formula (Airtable formula syntax) and limit for batch generation
outputPath	string	No	File path for single-record output

// Single record
glyph_generate_from_source({
  templateId: "tmpl_xxx",
  recordId: "rec_abc",
  outputPath: "./invoice-abc.pdf"
})

// Batch with filter
glyph_generate_from_source({
  templateId: "tmpl_xxx",
  filter: {
    formula: "AND({Status} = 'Pending', {Date} >= '2025-01-01')",
    limit: 50
  }
})
// Returns: { generated: [...], total: 12 }

---

MCP Resources

The server exposes these read-only resources accessible via resource:// URIs:

Resource	Description
glyph://templates	List of available templates
glyph://schema/{templateId}	Schema for a specific template
glyph://session/{sessionId}/preview	Current HTML preview of a session
glyph://session/{sessionId}/data	Original data passed to the session
glyph://session/{sessionId}/info	Session metadata (template, creation time)

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Common Workflows

Generate an invoice from scratch

You: Create an invoice for Acme Corp. 3 line items: API integration ($5,000),
     custom dashboard ($3,000), training ($1,500). Due in 30 days.

AI:  [glyph_create] -> Detects invoice, generates PDF
     Saved to ./invoice-acme-corp.pdf (52 KB)

Customize an existing template

You: Use the quote-modern template for a proposal to Jane Smith.
     Make it look clean and professional. Add a QR code.

AI:  [glyph_preview]  -> Creates session with quote-modern template
     [glyph_modify]   -> "Apply clean, professional design"
     [glyph_modify]   -> "Add a QR code for payment in the footer"
     [glyph_generate] -> Exports final PDF

Connect Airtable and generate PDFs

You: Connect my Airtable invoices table and generate PDFs for all
     pending invoices this month.

AI:  [glyph_create_source]        -> Connects Airtable
     [glyph_templates_list]       -> Finds your saved invoice template
     [glyph_suggest_mappings]     -> Gets field mapping suggestions
     [glyph_link_template]        -> Links template to source
     [glyph_generate_from_source] -> Generates PDFs for matching records
     Generated 12 PDFs from 12 records.

Save and reuse a template

You: Save this template as "Invoice v2" so I can reuse it.

AI:  [glyph_template_save] -> Saves with name "Invoice v2", type "invoice"
     Template saved with ID tmpl_xxx. Use it with glyph_create or
     glyph_generate_from_source for instant PDF generation.

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Troubleshooting

”API key not found”

Make sure GLYPH_API_KEY is set in your MCP configuration’s env block, or pass apiKey directly to each tool call.

”Template not found”

Use glyph_templates() to list available templates, or use "auto" for automatic template detection.

”Session not found”

Sessions expire after 1 hour. Create a new session with glyph_preview or glyph_create.

Connection issues

Verify your internet connection and that api.glyph.you is accessible:

curl https://api.glyph.you/health

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Next Steps

• Explore Templates to see available document types
• Read the API Reference for building custom integrations
• Set up Airtable integration for data-driven PDF generation
• Check out Examples for real-world usage patterns