How to Use Claude's MCP Tools to Publish Documents

What if you could tell Claude to create a document, write the content, publish it to a shareable URL, and hand you the link? No copy-pasting, no switching tabs, no formatting gymnastics.

That is exactly what Model Context Protocol (MCP) tools make possible. And Unmarkdown™ ships 7 of them.

What is MCP?

Model Context Protocol is an open standard that lets AI assistants use external tools. Think of it as giving Claude hands: instead of just generating text, Claude can reach out and interact with services on your behalf.

Before MCP, getting Claude's output into a published document meant copying the response, pasting it somewhere, formatting it, and then publishing it manually. With MCP, Claude does all of that in a single conversation.

MCP works through a simple request-response pattern. Claude sees a list of available tools, decides which ones to use based on your request, calls them with the right parameters, and returns the results. You stay in the conversation the entire time.

Unmarkdown's MCP server

Unmarkdown™ provides an MCP server with 7 tools that give Claude direct access to your documents. Claude can create new documents, read and update existing ones, publish them to shareable web pages, convert markdown to destination-specific formats, and check your usage quota.

The server works with three Claude environments: claude.ai (browser), Claude Desktop (macOS/Windows app), and Claude Code (CLI).

Setup

There are three ways to connect Unmarkdown™ to Claude, depending on which environment you use.

Method 1: claude.ai (browser)

This is the simplest option. No API key required.

1. Open claude.ai and sign in
2. Click your profile icon in the bottom-left corner
3. Select Settings
4. Go to Integrations
5. Click Add More MCP Servers
6. Paste this URL: https://unmarkdown.com/api/mcp
7. Click Add
8. Authorize the connection when redirected to Unmarkdown™

Claude now has access to all 7 tools. The connection uses OAuth, so your session is authenticated automatically.

Method 2: Claude Desktop (macOS/Windows)

Claude Desktop uses a local configuration file with an API key.

1. Generate an API key at unmarkdown.com (Settings > API)
2. Open your Claude Desktop config file:
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
3. Add the Unmarkdown™ server:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "unmarkdown": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@unmarkdown/mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "UNMARKDOWN_API_KEY": "um_your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Method 3: Claude Code (CLI)

For developers using Claude Code, a single command does the job:

claude mcp add unmarkdown

Claude Code will prompt you for your API key during setup.

The 7 tools

Once connected, Claude has access to these tools:

1. create_document

Creates a new markdown document in your Unmarkdown™ account. You can optionally provide a title, initial content, template, theme mode, and a folder to place it in. Specify a folder by name (case-insensitive) or ID. Returns the document ID for use with other tools.

2. list_documents

Lists your saved documents with pagination. You can filter by folder name or ID to see only documents in a specific folder. Returns document titles, IDs, creation dates, and publish status. Useful for finding a specific document or getting an overview of your workspace.

3. get_document

Retrieves a document by ID, including its full markdown content. Claude uses this to read existing documents before making updates, or to review what has already been written.

4. update_document

Updates a document's content or metadata. Claude can change the title, replace or append to the markdown content, switch the template, toggle the theme mode, or move the document to a different folder. Set the folder to a name or ID to move it, or to null to move it to Unfiled. Only the fields you specify are changed.

5. publish_document

Publishes a document to a shareable web page. Returns a public URL that anyone can visit. You can set the visibility (public or unlisted), choose a custom URL slug, and add a description for SEO. The published page renders with the document's template and theme.

6. convert_markdown

Converts markdown to a destination-specific format. Supports 6 destinations: Google Docs, Word, Slack, OneNote, Email, and Plain Text. Returns both HTML and plain text versions, optimized for the chosen destination.

7. get_usage

Checks your API usage quota for the current billing month. Returns the number of calls used, the monthly limit, and the reset date. Helpful for monitoring usage if you are building automated workflows.

Example workflows

Here is where MCP tools become practical. These are real prompts you can give Claude once the connection is set up.

Create and publish a project status report

Prompt: "Create a project status report for the Meridian Q1 launch. Include sections for completed milestones, current blockers, and next steps. Publish it so I can share the link with the team."

What Claude does behind the scenes:

1. Calls create_document with the title "Meridian Q1 Launch Status"
2. Calls update_document to write the full report content with headings, bullet points, and a summary table
3. Calls publish_document to create a shareable URL
4. Returns the published URL to you in the conversation

You get a formatted, published document without leaving the chat.

Update existing notes

Prompt: "Find my weekly standup notes and add today's update. I finished the API migration, started the dashboard redesign, and I'm blocked on the design review."

What Claude does:

1. Calls list_documents to find documents matching "standup"
2. Calls get_document to read the current content
3. Calls update_document to append today's entry with the date, completed items, in-progress work, and blockers
4. Confirms the update

Your running document stays up to date without you opening it.

Convert content for Slack

Prompt: "Take this meeting summary and convert it for Slack so I can post it in the #engineering channel."

What Claude does:

1. Calls convert_markdown with the destination set to Slack
2. Returns the Slack-formatted text: bold converted from **double asterisks** to *single asterisks*, headings converted to bold text (Slack has no headings), links converted to Slack's <url|text> format, and tables converted to readable plain text

You paste the result directly into Slack with correct formatting.

Organize documents into folders

Prompt: "Create a new document called 'Architecture Decisions' in my Engineering folder and add today's decision about switching from REST to GraphQL."

Claude calls create_document with folder: "Engineering", placing the document directly in the right folder. No manual organization needed.

Over weeks, you keep adding to this document with prompts like "Add the decision we made about the caching layer" or "Update the GraphQL entry with the performance results." Claude reads the existing content, finds the right section, and appends or modifies accordingly.

You can also move documents between folders: "Move the Q4 report to the Archive folder" calls update_document with the new folder name. Or "Show me everything in my Projects folder" uses list_documents with a folder filter.

This turns Claude into a persistent documentation tool rather than a one-shot text generator.

When to use MCP vs. the web app

MCP tools are ideal when you are already in a conversation with Claude and want to capture, update, or share content without switching context. They are especially useful for:

• Turning conversation output into published documents in one step
• Maintaining running documents (meeting notes, decision logs, project updates) across multiple sessions
• Converting content to specific formats as part of a larger workflow
• Building automated pipelines that create and publish documents programmatically

The Unmarkdown™ web app is better when you want to browse your documents visually, use the template customizer, make fine-grained formatting edits, or work with the full editor interface.

Both access the same documents. Changes made through MCP tools appear in the web app, and vice versa.

Getting started

The fastest path is Method 1: connect through claude.ai. No API key, no config files, no installation. Just add the server URL in Settings > Integrations and authorize.

Once connected, try a simple prompt: "Create a document called Test and write a short paragraph about MCP tools." If Claude creates the document and returns its ID, everything is working.

From there, explore the workflows above or invent your own. The tools are composable: Claude can chain them together in whatever order makes sense for your request.

For detailed setup instructions, troubleshooting, and the full tool reference, see the Claude integration guide. For a broader overview of all integration options, visit the integrations overview. And for API key management and rate limits, check the developers page.

Related reading

• How to Build a Persistent Knowledge Base Your AI Can Always Access
• Why Your AI Keeps Forgetting (And the Permanent Fix)
• What is Markdown Publishing? (And Why It Matters in 2026)
• What is MCP? A Plain-English Guide for AI Users
• Best Markdown Publishing Tools in 2026
• Automate Document Publishing with the Unmarkdown API