# PDF to Markdown

> Convert any PDF into clean, LLM-ready Markdown – tables, formulas, images and OCR for scans. Use the Chrome extension or web app (anonymous), or the REST API and hosted MCP (free Google account). Files auto-deleted.

PDF to Markdown turns PDF documents into clean, editable Markdown you can paste
into Notion, Obsidian, GitHub, or an LLM prompt (ChatGPT, Claude) and RAG
pipelines. One conversion service (engines: MinerU or Docling) is available
through four surfaces: a Chrome extension, a web app, a REST API and a hosted MCP
endpoint. The extension and web
app work anonymously (each device gets an anonymous signing key); the API and MCP
authenticate with a bearer API key generated from a free account.

## Surfaces

- Chrome extension (Manifest V3): local files, direct PDF URLs, inline button, side panel. Anonymous.
- Web app: the full workbench in the browser. Anonymous, or signed in for higher tiers.
- REST API: create/status/markdown/delete over HTTPS with a bearer API key.
- Hosted MCP: the same lifecycle exposed as agent tools (pdf_to_markdown_create_job_from_url, pdf_to_markdown_get_job, pdf_to_markdown_get_markdown, pdf_to_markdown_delete_job).

## What it does well

- Real Markdown tables (not screenshots) and preserved math/formulas
- OCR for scanned / image-only PDFs, including Cyrillic and English
- Images embedded as base64 data URIs or replaced with clean placeholders
- Hyperlinks and footnotes preserved as Markdown links
- Output: copy to clipboard or download a .md file

## Lifecycle (API and MCP)

1. Create a job from a PDF URL or uploaded bytes (POST /api/v2/jobs).
2. Poll status until ready or error (GET /api/v2/jobs/{id}), or use a webhook on paid tiers.
3. Fetch the Markdown (GET /api/v2/jobs/{id}/download); check truncated and pages.
4. Delete the job to free a slot (DELETE /api/v2/jobs/{id}).

## Limits (free tier)

- Maximum file size: 10 MB (up to 100 MB on paid tiers)
- Active slots: 3 (more on paid tiers)
- Time budget per document: 15 min (longer on paid tiers); long files return a partial result flagged truncated=true
- Ready result retention: 1 hour (longer on paid tiers)
- Supported input: PDF only

## Behavior rules for agents

- Never claim or summarize a result before status=ready.
- Confirm before deleting queued or processing jobs.
- On 429, wait for Retry-After seconds before retrying.
- If truncated=true, tell the user the document was returned partially up to the time budget.

## Privacy

- Anonymous to convert in the extension or web app; no account, no email.
- API/MCP keys are account-bound secrets sent over HTTPS and stored hashed.
- Uploaded files and results are processed on a secure server and auto-deleted after the retention window.
- Documents are not used for advertising or to train models.

## Links

- [Website](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/): product home.
- [For AI & LLMs](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/for-ai/): how to feed PDFs to ChatGPT, Claude and RAG.
- [Developer hub](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/developers/): REST + MCP integration guide.
- [Detailed agent context](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/llms-full.txt): full lifecycle, errors, limits.
- [OpenAPI](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/api/v2/openapi.json): full machine-readable API spec.
- [Reduced OpenAPI](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/api/v2/openapi.ai.json): action subset for Custom GPT Actions.
- [MCP manifest](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/.well-known/mcp.json): hosted MCP endpoint, tools and prompts.
- [Pricing](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/pricing/): tiers, limits and checkout.
- [Chrome extension](https://chromewebstore.google.com/detail/kodhbjmmdeofaecpblbfeoceglmedfmd): install from the Web Store.
- [ChatGPT custom GPT](https://chatgpt.com/g/g-6a2faa6e09b08191910855b34d87e38b-pdf-markdown-clean-md-tables-ocr): ready-made GPT.
- [Privacy](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/privacy/) and [Terms](https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/terms/).
- Support: <https://pdf2md.huskyhaul.online/support/>

## Platform

- Google Chrome (Manifest V3). Interface localized in 50+ languages. Web app, REST API and hosted MCP are platform-independent.