Compatible with every major AI agent and IDE
What is the Stirling PDF MCP Server?
Connect your Stirling PDF instance to any AI agent and take full control of your document workflows through natural conversation. This server allows you to process PDF files, convert formats, and monitor your self-hosted infrastructure.
What you can do
- Document Manipulation — Add text watermarks with custom opacity and font sizes, or convert images directly into PDF documents.
- Digital Security — Sign PDF documents using certificates with specific reasons and location metadata.
- Server Monitoring — Track application status, version info, and detailed request metrics (POST/GET) across all endpoints.
- Advanced Operations — Use the generic tool runner to access specialized features like merging, splitting, or extracting images from PDFs.
- Enterprise Metrics — Access Prometheus metrics for deep observability into your document processing pipeline.
How it works
- Subscribe to this server
- Enter your Stirling PDF Base URL and API Key
- Start processing documents from Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-compatible client
Who is this for?
- Developers — Automate PDF processing tasks directly from your IDE or terminal.
- System Administrators — Monitor the health and load of your Stirling PDF instance in real-time.
- Legal & Admin Teams — Quickly sign or watermark documents without leaving your AI chat interface.
Built-in capabilities (11)
Add a watermark to a PDF document
Sign a PDF document with a certificate
Get POST requests count for all endpoints
Get unique users count for all endpoints
Get total count of GET requests
Get Prometheus metrics (requires Enterprise tier)
Get total count of POST requests
Get application status and version information
Get count of unique users for POST requests
Convert an image to a PDF document
Pass additional parameters as a JSON string. Run any Stirling PDF tool by its ID
Why VS Code Copilot?
GitHub Copilot Agent mode brings Stirling PDF data directly into your VS Code workflow. With a project-scoped config, the entire team shares access to 11 tools. Copilot queries live data, generates typed code, and writes tests from actual API responses, all without leaving the editor.
- —
VS Code is used by over 70% of developers. adding MCP tools to Copilot means your team can leverage external data without leaving their primary editor
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Project-scoped MCP configs (
.vscode/mcp.json) let you commit server configurations to your repository, ensuring the entire team shares the same tool access - —
Copilot's Agent mode integrates MCP tools seamlessly with file editing, terminal commands, and workspace search in a single agentic loop
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GitHub's enterprise compliance and audit features extend to MCP tool usage, providing visibility into how AI interacts with external services
Stirling PDF in VS Code Copilot
Stirling PDF and 4,000+ other MCP servers. One platform. One governance layer.
Teams that connect Stirling PDF to VS Code Copilot through Vinkius don't need to source, host, or maintain individual MCP servers. Every tool call runs inside a hardened runtime with credential isolation, DLP, and a signed audit chain.
Raw MCP | Vinkius | |
|---|---|---|
| Server catalog | Find and host yourself | 4,000+ managed |
| Infrastructure | Self-hosted | Sandboxed V8 isolates |
| Credential handling | Plaintext in config | Vault + runtime injection |
| Data loss prevention | None | Configurable DLP policies |
| Kill switch | None | Global instant shutdown |
| Financial circuit breakers | None | Per-server limits + alerts |
| Audit trail | None | Ed25519 signed logs |
| SIEM log streaming | None | Splunk, Datadog, Webhook |
| Honeytokens | None | Canary alerts on leak |
| Custom domains | Not applicable | DNS challenge verified |
| GDPR compliance | Manual effort | Automated purge + export |
Why teams choose Vinkius for Stirling PDF in VS Code Copilot
The Stirling PDF MCP Server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS — a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts. All 11 tools execute in hardened sandboxes optimized for native MCP execution.
Your AI agents in VS Code Copilot only access the data you authorize, with DLP that blocks sensitive information from ever reaching the model, kill switch for instant shutdown, and up to 60% token savings. Enterprise-grade infrastructure, zero maintenance.

* Every MCP server runs on Vinkius-managed infrastructure inside AWS - a purpose-built runtime with per-request V8 isolates, Ed25519 signed audit chains, and sub-40ms cold starts optimized for native MCP execution. See our infrastructure
How Vinkius secures
Stirling PDF for VS Code Copilot
Every tool call from VS Code Copilot to the Stirling PDF MCP Server is protected by DLP redaction, cryptographic audit chains, V8 sandbox isolation, kill switch, and financial circuit breakers.
Frequently asked questions
Can I add a text watermark to a PDF document using this server?
Yes! Use the add_watermark tool. You can specify the text, font size, and opacity to apply a professional watermark to any PDF file provided in base64 format.
How do I monitor the traffic and load on my Stirling PDF instance?
You can use get_requests to see POST counts, get_load for GET requests, or get_prometheus_metrics if you are on the Enterprise tier for detailed observability.
Is it possible to perform other operations like merging or splitting PDFs?
Yes, the run_generic_tool action allows you to execute any Stirling PDF tool by its ID (e.g., 'merge-pdfs' or 'split-pages') by passing the required parameters.
Which VS Code version supports MCP?
MCP support requires VS Code 1.99 or later with the GitHub Copilot extension. Ensure both are updated to the latest version. Older versions of Copilot may not expose the Agent mode toggle.
How do I switch to Agent mode?
Open the Copilot Chat panel and look for two mode options: "Ask" and "Agent". Click "Agent" to enable autonomous tool calling. In Ask mode, Copilot provides conversational answers but cannot invoke MCP tools.
Can I restrict which MCP tools Copilot can access?
Yes. VS Code shows a tool consent dialog before any MCP tool is invoked for the first time. You can also configure tool access policies at the organization level through GitHub Copilot settings.
Does MCP work in VS Code Remote or Codespaces?
Yes. MCP servers configured via .vscode/mcp.json work in Remote SSH, WSL, and GitHub Codespaces environments. The MCP connection is established from the remote host, so ensure the server URL is accessible from that environment.
MCP tools not available
Ensure you are in Agent mode in Copilot Chat. MCP tools only appear in Agent mode.
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