The file-convert.online MCP server is a remote server that speaks Streamable HTTP and authenticates with a Bearer API key. Every client below supports that combination, but each spells the configuration differently. This page collects the exact snippets, current as of September 2026, and the checks that tell you the connection works.
Before you start: get an API key
You need one key for all clients. Sign in and create it at file-convert.online/account/api-keys, where every snippet below is also shown pre-filled with your key. From a terminal instead:
# 1. Sign in (or use the account you created on file-convert.online)
curl -s https://file-convert.online/api/identity/v1/auth/login \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"email":"[email protected]","password":"your-password"}'
# -> data.access_token
# 2. Create a key with that token (shown once - store it)
curl -s -X POST https://file-convert.online/api/identity/v1/api-keys \
-H "Authorization: Bearer <access_token>" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-d '{"label":"my-agent"}'
# -> data.key = fc_live_...Keep the value; it is shown once. Use fc_live_ keys against file-convert.online. If you see fc_test_ in a key, it was created on the development environment and will not work in production.
Claude Code
One command registers the server for the current project (add --scope user to make it available everywhere):
claude mcp add --transport http fileconvert https://file-convert.online/api/mcp/v1/mcp \
--header "Authorization: Bearer fc_live_YOUR_KEY"Run /mcp inside Claude Code to see the connection state and the tool list. Claude Code stores the header in its own config; if you rotate the key, remove the server with claude mcp remove fileconvert and add it again.
Cursor
Open Settings, then MCP, then Add new global MCP server, or create .cursor/mcp.json in the project:
{
"mcpServers": {
"fileconvert": {
"url": "https://file-convert.online/api/mcp/v1/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer fc_live_YOUR_KEY" }
}
}
}Cursor supports environment variable references in headers, which keeps the key out of the repository: replace the value with "Bearer ${env:FC_API_KEY}" and export FC_API_KEY before launching Cursor. The MCP panel shows a green dot and the tool count once the server is reachable.
VS Code (GitHub Copilot agent mode)
Create .vscode/mcp.json. The inputs section prompts for the key once and stores it in the VS Code secret store:
{
"servers": {
"fileconvert": {
"type": "http",
"url": "https://file-convert.online/api/mcp/v1/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer ${input:fc_api_key}" }
}
},
"inputs": [
{
"type": "promptString",
"id": "fc_api_key",
"description": "file-convert.online API key",
"password": true
}
]
}Run MCP: List Servers from the command palette, start the server and confirm the tools appear in the agent mode tool picker.
Windsurf
Windsurf uses serverUrl instead of url in mcp_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"fileconvert": {
"serverUrl": "https://file-convert.online/api/mcp/v1/mcp",
"headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer fc_live_YOUR_KEY" }
}
}
}Claude Desktop
Claude Desktop currently launches local processes for servers that need custom headers, so the remote endpoint is wrapped with the mcp-remote shim. Edit claude_desktop_config.json (Settings, Developer, Edit Config):
{
"mcpServers": {
"fileconvert": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"mcp-remote",
"https://file-convert.online/api/mcp/v1/mcp",
"--header",
"Authorization:Bearer ${FC_API_KEY}"
],
"env": { "FC_API_KEY": "fc_live_YOUR_KEY" }
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop. The tools appear under the tools icon in the chat input. Node.js must be installed for npx to work.
ChatGPT
With developer mode enabled (Settings, Apps and Connectors, Advanced), create a connector with the server URL https://file-convert.online/api/mcp/v1/mcp and choose token authentication, pasting the API key as the token. Custom connector support is moving fast on OpenAI's side; if the option is missing in your plan or region, check their current documentation.
n8n
Add an MCP Client Tool node to an AI Agent workflow. Endpoint: https://file-convert.online/api/mcp/v1/mcp. Transport: HTTP Streamable. Authentication: Bearer, with the key stored as an n8n credential. The agent node then sees the FileConvert tools next to any others you attach. A complete workflow example is in the article at file-convert.online/blog/n8n-file-conversion-mcp.
Verify the connection
Independently of any client, this request lists the tools and validates the key:
curl -s https://file-convert.online/api/mcp/v1/mcp \
-H "Authorization: Bearer fc_live_YOUR_KEY" \
-H "Content-Type: application/json" \
-H "Accept: application/json, text/event-stream" \
-d '{"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":1,"method":"tools/list"}'Expect a JSON-RPC result with eight tools: convert_file, upload_file, start_conversion, get_job_status, get_download_url, get_balance, list_formats and get_upload_url.
Troubleshooting
- 401 with "invalid api key": the header is not exactly Bearer followed by a space and the key, the key was revoked, or a dev key is used against production.
- 401 with "MCP requests require an Authorization header": the client did not send the header at all. In Claude Desktop this usually means mcp-remote did not receive the --header argument; check the JSON quoting.
- Tools do not appear after editing the config: restart the client. Most clients read MCP settings on startup only.
- "No credits" errors: free accounts get 10 credits per day when the balance hits zero; the agent can call get_balance to show the state, and the pricing page is at file-convert.online/pricing.
- Conversion refused because formats are in different categories: conversions run within a category (image to image, document to document). Ask the agent to list formats for the category you need.
Reference for every tool and limit: file-convert.online/blog/file-convert-mcp-server-readme. First conversion walkthrough: file-convert.online/blog/file-convert-mcp-server-quickstart.