---
title: "Connect Claude, Cursor and other AI agents (MCP)"
description: "Let Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor or any MCP client merge, fill, convert, OCR and ask cited questions about your PDFs with an agent connection key."
url: https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/connect-ai-agents-mcp/
collection: "Workflows & integrations"
section: "API & agents"
updated: 2026-10-18
publisher: "PDFBetter (AI Generated Inc.)"
---

# Connect Claude, Cursor and other AI agents (MCP)

> Open **Settings** → **Agents (MCP)**, name a key, choose its permissions and click **Create agent key**. Copy the ready-made setup for your client. Each tool call counts as one agent & automation run.

- Available on: Free, Pro, Business
- Counts toward: Agent & automation runs

Do it in PDFBetter: https://pdfbetter.com/app/settings/agents/

PDFBetter runs an MCP server, so an AI agent can work on your documents: merge, split, fill, convert, OCR, extract data and ask cited questions. Results come back as new documents and short-lived links. More background: [PDFBetter for MCP](https://pdfbetter.com/integrations/mcp/).

## Create an agent key

1. **Open Agents (MCP)**: Click **Settings** at the bottom of the sidebar, then **Agents (MCP)**.
2. **Name the key**: Enter a **Key name** such as "Claude Code on my laptop". One key per client makes it easy to revoke just that one.
3. **Choose permissions**: Tick what the agent may do, or click **Read documents only**. The agent only sees tools these permissions allow, and everything it does acts as you.
4. **Create and copy it**: Click **Create agent key** and copy it. It's shown once; a lost key can't be recovered, only revoked and replaced.
5. **Set up your client**: Under **Client setup**, pick **Claude Code**, **Claude Desktop**, **Cursor** or **Other clients** and click **Copy**. After you create a key, the snippets include it.

## Client notes

| Client | Where the setup goes |
| --- | --- |
| Claude Code | A `claude mcp add` command to run in your terminal. Add `--scope user` to use it in every project. |
| Claude Desktop | `claude_desktop_config.json` (Settings → Developer → Edit config), then restart Claude. It uses the open-source `mcp-remote` bridge, which needs Node.js. |
| Cursor | `~/.cursor/mcp.json`, or `.cursor/mcp.json` in a project. |
| Other clients | Any MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP with custom headers. Keep the trailing slash in the endpoint URL. |

> **Note:** Claude Desktop's custom connectors sign in with OAuth, which PDFBetter doesn't offer for agents yet. That's why the Claude Desktop setup uses the `mcp-remote` bridge to send your key.

## Permissions

| Permission | Lets the agent |
| --- | --- |
| **Read documents** | List, inspect, read fields, export |
| **Create and fill documents** | Import, upload, fill fields, use templates |
| **Run PDF tools** | Merge, split, rotate, convert, compress, OCR |
| **Use AI** | Cited summaries and answers ([AI credits](https://help.pdfbetter.com/ai/ai-credits/)) |
| **Read extractions** / **Run extractions** | Read or extract fields to JSON/CSV |
| **Read workflows** / **Run workflows** | See recipes; start runs and approve review steps |
| **Read workspaces** / **Manage workspaces** | See collections; add documents and ask across them |
| **Read forms and responses**, **Read templates**, **Read share analytics** | Read-only access to those |

## Usage

Each tool call counts once as an agent & automation run; failed calls don't count. The work an agent triggers uses the same allowances as the app (exports, conversions, OCR pages, AI credits). The **Usage** section on the page shows this period's count.

| Per month | No account | Free | Pro | Business |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Agent & automation runs | — | 200 | 5,000 | Unlimited |

"Unlimited" is subject to fair use; "—" means not included.

### How do I cut off an agent?

Click the trash icon next to its key and confirm **Revoke key**. Agents using it lose access immediately.

### Can I use my Business API key instead?

Yes, a `pb_live_` API key also works on the MCP endpoint on Business. An agent key works on every plan with an account, and you can revoke it without touching your API integrations.

### Do I need an account?

Yes. Agent access isn't available without an account. Free accounts include 200 runs a month.

## Related articles

- [Use the PDFBetter API and create an API key](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/rest-api-keys.md): On Business, open Settings → API keys, name the key, tick its Permissions and click Create key. Copy it right away; send it as Authorization: Bearer pb_live_… to https://api.pdfbetter.com/v1/.
- [Automate repeated steps with saved workflows](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/saved-workflows.md): Open Workflows, pick a recipe or Start empty, add steps, choose how it starts, then click Create workflow. Each step uses its usual allowance (OCR pages, AI credits), and your plan sets how many workflows you can save.
- [PDFBetter actions and triggers in Zapier and Make](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/zapier-make-actions-triggers.md): Zapier and Make get the same set: 15 instant triggers (signing, forms, exports, bulk fills, workflow runs) and actions for documents, pages, conversion, AI, extraction, workflows, workspaces, forms and signatures.
- [How AI credits work](https://help.pdfbetter.com/ai/ai-credits.md): Every AI action costs a fixed number of credits, shown on its button before you run it. Your plan includes credits every month; an AI credit pack adds 500 credits for $5 that never expire and are used after the monthly ones.
- [Ask questions about a PDF and check the cited pages](https://help.pdfbetter.com/ai/chat-with-pdf-citations.md): Open the document, go to the Ask tab of the AI assistant, type a question and click Ask. Answers come only from that file and list Sources: click a p. 4 chip to jump to the quoted page. Each message costs 1 credit.
- [Use the help center with ChatGPT, Claude or your own agent](https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/help-center-for-ai-agents.md): Point your assistant at https://help.pdfbetter.com/llms.txt, or add .md to any article's address for clean Markdown. Apps can call the keyless search API at /api/help/search/?q=…, and agents connected over MCP get the search_help and get_help_article tools.

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Source: https://help.pdfbetter.com/automation/connect-ai-agents-mcp/ · PDFBetter Help Center · Last checked against the product 2026-10-18. Questions: support@pdfbetter.com