# n8n integration

Call pdf-mcp from an [n8n](https://n8n.io) workflow with an HTTP Request node. The same setup works for invoices, reports, certificates, and other HTML-based documents.

## What n8n does

n8n connects apps and services in automated workflows. A workflow can call pdf-mcp to:

- Generate PDFs from form submissions or webhooks
- Create invoices automatically when orders are placed
- Produce reports on a schedule
- Convert HTML templates to PDFs in any workflow

---

## Before you start

1. An n8n instance (cloud or self-hosted)
2. A pdf-mcp account with an API key ([Get your API key](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/quick-start))
3. Basic familiarity with n8n workflows

---

## Quick setup

### Step 1: Add credentials

1. In n8n, go to **Credentials** in the left sidebar
2. Click **Add Credential**
3. Search for and select **Header Auth**
4. Configure the credential:
   - **Name**: `pdf-mcp API`
   - **Name**: `Authorization`
   - **Value**: `Bearer YOUR_API_KEY`
5. Click **Save**

Replace `YOUR_API_KEY` with your actual API key from the dashboard.

### Step 2: Add the request node

1. Add an **HTTP Request** node to your workflow
2. Configure it using the settings below or import the ready-to-use JSON

---

## HTTP Request node settings

### Basic settings

| Setting | Value |
|---------|-------|
| Method | `POST` |
| URL | `https://api.pdf-mcp.io/htmlToPdf` |
| Authentication | Header Auth |
| Credential | `pdf-mcp API` (created above) |

### Headers

| Header | Value |
|--------|-------|
| Content-Type | `application/json` |

### JSON body

```json
{
  "html": "<h1>Hello from n8n!</h1><p>This PDF was generated automatically.</p>",
  "filename": "document.pdf"
}
```

---

## Node JSON to import

Paste this JSON into n8n to create a configured HTTP Request node:

### HTML to PDF node

```json
{
  "parameters": {
    "method": "POST",
    "url": "https://api.pdf-mcp.io/htmlToPdf",
    "authentication": "genericCredentialType",
    "genericAuthType": "httpHeaderAuth",
    "sendHeaders": true,
    "headerParameters": {
      "parameters": [
        {
          "name": "Content-Type",
          "value": "application/json"
        }
      ]
    },
    "sendBody": true,
    "bodyParameters": {
      "parameters": [
        {
          "name": "html",
          "value": "={{ $json.html }}"
        },
        {
          "name": "filename",
          "value": "={{ $json.filename || 'document.pdf' }}"
        }
      ]
    },
    "options": {
      "response": {
        "response": {
          "responseFormat": "file"
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "name": "Generate PDF",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
  "typeVersion": 4.2
}
```

To import it:
1. Copy the JSON above
2. In your n8n workflow, press `Ctrl+V` (or `Cmd+V` on Mac)
3. The node will be added to your canvas
4. Connect your Header Auth credential

---

## Dynamic HTML with expressions

Use n8n expressions to generate dynamic content from previous nodes:

### Invoice example

```json
{
  "parameters": {
    "method": "POST",
    "url": "https://api.pdf-mcp.io/htmlToPdf",
    "authentication": "genericCredentialType",
    "genericAuthType": "httpHeaderAuth",
    "sendHeaders": true,
    "headerParameters": {
      "parameters": [
        {
          "name": "Content-Type",
          "value": "application/json"
        }
      ]
    },
    "sendBody": true,
    "specifyBody": "json",
    "jsonBody": "={{ JSON.stringify({ html: `<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title>Invoice</title></head><body><h1>Invoice #${$json.invoice_number}</h1><p>Customer: ${$json.customer_name}</p><table style=\"width:100%; border-collapse:collapse;\"><tr style=\"background:#f0f0f0;\"><th style=\"border:1px solid #ddd; padding:8px;\">Item</th><th style=\"border:1px solid #ddd; padding:8px;\">Amount</th></tr><tr><td style=\"border:1px solid #ddd; padding:8px;\">${$json.item_description}</td><td style=\"border:1px solid #ddd; padding:8px;\">$${$json.amount}</td></tr></table><p><strong>Total: $${$json.amount}</strong></p></body></html>`, css: '@page { size: A4; margin: 2cm; }', filename: `invoice-${$json.invoice_number}.pdf` }) }}",
    "options": {
      "response": {
        "response": {
          "responseFormat": "file"
        }
      }
    }
  },
  "name": "Generate Invoice PDF",
  "type": "n8n-nodes-base.httpRequest",
  "typeVersion": 4.2
}
```

The expression reads `invoice_number`, `customer_name`, `item_description`, and `amount` from the input data.

---

## Workflow examples

### 1. Form submission to PDF

Trigger: Webhook or Form node receiving submissions

```
[Webhook] → [Generate PDF] → [Send Email with Attachment]
```

### 2. Scheduled report

```
[Schedule Trigger] → [Database Query] → [Generate PDF Report] → [Upload to S3/Google Drive]
```

### 3. Order confirmation invoice

```
[Stripe Webhook] → [Format Invoice Data] → [Generate Invoice PDF] → [Email to Customer]
```

### 4. Certificate

```
[Google Sheets Trigger] → [Generate Certificate PDF] → [Send via Email]
```

---

## API endpoints

Configure your HTTP Request node with these endpoints:

| Endpoint | Method | Description |
|----------|--------|-------------|
| `/htmlToPdf` | POST | Convert HTML to PDF |
| `/textToPdf` | POST | Convert plain text to PDF |
| `/imageToPdf` | POST | Convert images to PDF |
| `/pdfToImage` | POST | Convert PDF pages to images |
| `/extractText` | POST | Extract text from PDF |
| `/extractPages` | POST | Extract specific pages |
| `/mergePdfs` | POST | Combine multiple PDFs |
| `/pageCount` | POST | Get PDF page count |

See the [API reference](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/api-reference) for request and response details.

---

## cURL examples

Test the API directly before configuring n8n:

### Basic HTML to PDF request

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.pdf-mcp.io/htmlToPdf \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "html": "<h1>Hello, World!</h1><p>Generated from n8n workflow.</p>"
  }' \
  --output document.pdf
```

### Styled invoice

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.pdf-mcp.io/htmlToPdf \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "html": "<!DOCTYPE html><html><head><title>Invoice</title></head><body><h1>Invoice #12345</h1><table><tr><th>Item</th><th>Amount</th></tr><tr><td>Service Fee</td><td>$99.00</td></tr></table><p>Total: $99.00</p></body></html>",
    "css": "@page { size: A4; margin: 2cm; } body { font-family: Arial, sans-serif; } table { width: 100%; border-collapse: collapse; } th, td { border: 1px solid #ddd; padding: 8px; }",
    "filename": "invoice-12345.pdf"
  }' \
  --output invoice-12345.pdf
```

### Text to PDF

```bash
curl -X POST https://api.pdf-mcp.io/textToPdf \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "text": "Meeting Notes\n\nDate: January 15, 2025\n\n1. Project status review\n2. Timeline discussion\n3. Next steps",
    "filename": "meeting-notes.pdf"
  }' \
  --output meeting-notes.pdf
```

---

## MCP clients

> For an MCP client, enter the hosted Streamable HTTP URL directly. There is no pdf-mcp package or local server to install. See the verified [MCP client setup guide](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/mcp-server).

---

## Handle the response

The HTTP Request node returns the PDF as binary data. Pass that output to the next node that needs the file.

### Save to a file

Use a **Write Binary File** node after the HTTP Request to save locally.

### Send by email

Connect to an **Email Send** node (Gmail, SMTP, etc.) and attach the binary data.

### Upload to cloud storage

Use nodes like **AWS S3**, **Google Drive**, or **Dropbox** to store generated PDFs.

### Return it from a webhook

If your workflow was triggered by a webhook, use **Respond to Webhook** to return the PDF.

---

## Error handling

Add an **Error Trigger** node to route failed requests.

### Common status codes

| Code | Description | Solution |
|------|-------------|----------|
| 200 | Success | PDF generated successfully |
| 401 | Unauthorized | Check your API key in credentials |
| 402 | Payment Required | Add credits to the account |
| 403 | Forbidden | Verify API key permissions |
| 400 | Bad Request | Check your request body format |
| 500 | Server Error | Review HTML syntax or contact support |

### Error-handling workflow

```
[HTTP Request] → [IF Node (check status)] → [Success: Continue] or [Error: Send Alert]
```

---

## Troubleshooting

### PDF is empty or not generated

- Verify your API key is correct and has credits
- Check that the `html` field contains valid HTML
- Test with a simple HTML string first

### Authentication errors

- Ensure the Header Auth credential has `Authorization` as the name
- The value must be `Bearer YOUR_API_KEY` (with a space after Bearer)
- API key should not include quotes

### Binary data issues

- Set `Response Format` to `File` in node options
- Make sure downstream nodes expect binary data

### n8n expression errors

- Use the expression editor to validate expressions
- Escape special characters in template literals
- Test with hardcoded values first

---

## Implementation notes

### Performance

- Keep HTML simple for faster generation
- Use inline CSS instead of external stylesheets
- Batch operations when generating multiple PDFs

### Reliability

- Add retry logic for transient failures
- Store generated PDFs in cloud storage for durability
- Log workflow executions for debugging

### Security

- Never expose your API key in shared workflows
- Use n8n credentials system for secure storage
- Sanitize user input in HTML templates

---

## Related documentation

- [Quick start](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/quick-start): get an API key
- [HTML to PDF](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/api-html-to-pdf): endpoint details
- [API reference](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/api-reference): all available endpoints
- [MCP server](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/mcp-server): AI agent integration
- [Zapier integration](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/integration-zapier): Zapier setup
- [Make integration](https://pdf-mcp.io/docs/integration-make): Integromat/Make setup

---

## Credit usage

n8n requests use the same credits as direct API requests:

- **HTML to PDF**: 1 credit for the first page, plus 0.01 per additional page
- **Render template**: 1 credit for the first page, plus 0.01 per additional page
- **PDF to image**: 1 credit for the first page, plus 0.01 per additional page
- **AI template generation**: 1 credit per successful message
- **Other PDF utilities, including form operations and file search**: 0.01 credits per request
- **Direct file, template, asset, and theme management**: free

The [dashboard](https://app.pdf-mcp.io) shows current usage.