Paperless-ngx MCP server

Read from the package source without running it. The installed server may list more.

• acknowledge_tasks

  Mark finished or failed tasks as acknowledged so they stop showing in the UI.

• bulk_download_documents

  Download several documents as one zip archive, written to the download directory.

• bulk_edit_documents

  Apply one operation to many documents at once. Far cheaper than looping update_document, and the

• bulk_edit_metadata_objectswrite action

  Delete or set permissions on many tags, correspondents, document types or storage paths at once.

• create_custom_fieldwrite action

  Define a new custom field. The data type cannot be changed afterwards, so pick it deliberately.

• create_document_notewrite action

  Attach a free-text note to a document. Use this to record context that belongs with the document rather than in the conversation — why it was kept, what was agreed, what to do next.

• create_saved_viewwrite action

  Save a filter preset that shows up in the user's Paperless sidebar.

• create_share_linkwrite action

  Create a public, unauthenticated URL for a document. Anyone holding the link can read the

• create_share_link_bundlewrite action

  Publish several documents behind one public link. Same warning as create_share_link: this is

• create_workflowwrite action

  Create an automation rule. Workflows run automatically against future documents, so a mistake

• delete_custom_fieldwrite action

  Delete a custom field definition and every value stored in it, across all documents.

• delete_documentwrite action

  Move a document to the trash. It stays recoverable until the trash is emptied or the retention

• delete_document_notewrite action

  Remove a note from a document. Not recoverable.

• delete_documentswrite action

  Move several documents to the trash at once. Recoverable until the trash is emptied.

• delete_saved_viewwrite action

  Remove a saved view. Documents are unaffected.

• delete_share_linkwrite action

  Revoke a share link immediately. Anyone still holding the URL loses access at once; the document itself is untouched.

• delete_share_link_bundlewrite action

  Revoke a share link bundle immediately. Every document in the bundle stops being publicly reachable; the documents themselves are untouched.

• delete_workflowwrite action

  Delete an automation rule permanently. Consider update_workflow with enabled:false instead.

• download_document

  Save a document's file to disk on the machine running this MCP server and return the path.

• edit_pdf

  Reorder, rotate, remove or split out pages of a single document, producing a new document.

• email_documentswrite action

  Send one or more documents by email from the Paperless instance. This sends real mail to real

• empty_trash

  Permanently destroy trashed documents. There is no recovery after this — the files are gone.

• get_active_tasks

  Tasks executing right now. Tells you whether the instance is busy.

• get_configuration

  The instance's application configuration: OCR defaults, output type, barcode settings, AI

• get_custom_field

  One custom field definition including its select options, if any.

• get_document

  Fetch one document's metadata by ID: title, correspondent, type, tags, dates, custom fields, notes

• get_document_ai_suggestions

  Suggestions from the instance's configured LLM backend (Paperless-ngx 3.x, only if AI features are

• get_document_content

  Return the OCR/extracted text of one document. Deliberately a separate tool: this is the most

• get_document_history

  Audit trail of changes to a document — who changed which field, and when. Requires audit logging

• get_document_metadata

  Technical file metadata for a document: checksums, byte sizes, MIME type, stored filename, whether

• get_document_suggestions

  Paperless' own suggestions for a document — correspondents, tags, document types and dates its

• get_document_thumbnail

  Return the document's thumbnail image inline so it can actually be looked at.

• get_log

  Read one of the instance's log files. Returns the tail by default — logs are long and mostly

• get_mail_account

  One mail account in full: server, port, username, folder and security settings. Passwords are never returned by the API.

• get_mail_rule

  One mail rule in full: which messages it matches, what metadata it assigns, and what it does with the message afterwards (leave, mark read, move, delete).

• get_metadata_overview

  One compact snapshot of all tags, correspondents, document types and storage paths with their

• get_next_asn

  The next free archive serial number, for filing a physical document alongside its scan.

• get_profile

  The profile of the user whose API token this server is using. Confirms which account you are

• get_remote_version

  The latest Paperless-ngx release, and whether an update is available.

• get_saved_view

  One saved view including its filter rules, so you can reproduce it as a search.

• get_selection_data

  For a set of document IDs, return how many of them carry each tag, correspondent, document type and

• get_server_status

  Instance health: Paperless version, database and index status, whether Redis and the task

• get_statistics

  Totals for the archive: document count, inbox count, characters, file type breakdown.

• get_task

  One background task by database ID, including its result. Use this to find out whether an

• get_user

  One user record by ID, including group membership and permission flags. Use it to resolve an owner ID to a human name.

• get_workflow

  One workflow with its full trigger and action definitions.

• global_search

  Search across every object type at once — documents, tags, correspondents, document types,

• list_custom_fields

  Custom fields defined on this instance, with their IDs, data types and how many documents use

• list_document_notes

  Notes attached to a document, with authors and timestamps. Notes hold context the OCR text does

• list_document_share_links

  Existing share links for one document — check this before creating another.

• list_groups

  Permission groups with their IDs and member counts, for use in set_permissions payloads.

• list_logs

  Names of the log files available, e.g. 'paperless' and 'mail'.

• list_mail_accounts

  IMAP accounts Paperless fetches documents from. Passwords are not returned.

• list_mail_rules

  Rules deciding which messages become documents, and what metadata they get.

• list_processed_mail

  Messages Paperless has already handled, with their status. The place to look when a mail

• list_saved_views

  Saved views are the filter presets the user built in the Paperless web UI. Reading them is the

• list_share_link_bundles

  Share link bundles (Paperless-ngx 3.x) expose several documents behind a single public link.

• list_share_links

  Every share link on the instance, with its slug, target document and expiry.

• list_tasks

  Background tasks — consumption, merges, reprocessing — with their state and result.

• list_trash

  Documents in the trash, with the date each was deleted and when it will be purged for good.

• list_users

  Users on this instance with their IDs and permissions. You need these IDs to set document

• merge_documents

  Merge several documents into one new PDF, in the order given. The originals stay unless

• process_mail_account

  Trigger an immediate fetch for one mail account instead of waiting for the next scheduled run.

• remove_pdf_passwordwrite action

  Decrypt password-protected PDFs so Paperless can OCR them. The password is sent to your Paperless

• reprocess_documents

  Re-run OCR and the archive generation for the given documents, e.g. after changing OCR settings.

• restore_from_trash

  Bring deleted documents back. The safe counterpart to delete_document.

• rotate_documents

  Rotate every page of the given documents clockwise by 90, 180 or 270 degrees.

• search_autocomplete

  Completions for a partial search term, ranked by importance in the full-text index.

• search_documents

  Find documents by full-text search, metadata filters, or both. This is the main entry point for

• test_storage_path

  Render a storage path template against an existing document to see the resulting file path.

• update_custom_fieldwrite action

  Rename a custom field or adjust its extra_data (e.g. add select options).

• update_documentwrite action

  Change metadata on a single document. Only the fields you pass are modified.

• update_mail_rulewrite action

  Change a mail rule. Rules run unattended against a live mailbox, so a wrong filter can consume

• update_saved_viewwrite action

  Change a saved view's name, sorting, visibility or filter rules.

• update_workflowwrite action

  Update a workflow. Passing `triggers` or `actions` replaces the existing list wholesale — fetch

• upload_documentwrite action

  Hand a file to Paperless for consumption. Provide either `path` (a file on the machine running

• Code scan25 source files scanned25/25
• –Live reliabilityno gateway calls yet and no remote to proben/a
• –Tool poisoningtools not inspected (local package is not executed); not countedn/a
• Auth qualitystatic API keys via environment variables6/15
• Maintenancelast push 73 days ago12/15
• Maintainer identityregistry namespace matches repository owner; GitHub account older than a year8/10

Safety score

78/100

higher than 57% of 48,255 servers

Tools

76

the typical server has 7

Tools that change things

30%

typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break

GitHub stars

2

more than 75% of 28,688 servers

Downloads a week

2,101

more than 95% of 12,191 servers with a package

Paperless-ngx: common questions

Is Paperless-ngx MCP server safe?

Mostly: it is graded B (78/100). Read the Paperless-ngx safety report

How do I install Paperless-ngx?

It runs on your machine. Copy the Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code or Claude Desktop config from the install section.

Does Paperless-ngx need an API key?

Yes. The registry entry asks for PAPERLESS_TOKEN.

Is Paperless-ngx maintained?

The last commit was 75 days ago (2026-08-21). The latest release is v0.1.1.

How does Paperless-ngx compare with other MCP servers?

safety score 78/100 (higher than 57% of 48,255 servers); tools 76 (the typical server has 7); tools that change things 30% (typical: 0%. Fewer write tools means less an agent can break). Full comparison.