Carbone MCP Server

Generate PDF/DOCX/XLSX/PPTX from templates+JSON. Convert Office/HTML/MD to PDF. Universal templating

Tools

Last Updated

Jun 14, 2026

What is the Carbone MCP Server?

The Carbone MCP server gives AI agents structured, permission-aware access to Carbone through the Model Context Protocol. With 11 pre-built actions, agents can read, create, and update Carbone data on behalf of authorized users.

Willow ships the Carbone MCP server as part of an enterprise control plane. Every call runs behind SSO (Okta, Azure AD), enforces RBAC and least-privilege at runtime, writes to a full audit trail, and integrates with Splunk and Loki for SIEM visibility. Connect from Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code, n8n, or any custom agent. Install once, distribute org-wide, and see exactly how Carbone is being used by every AI agent in your stack.

Tools

list_templates

List stored Carbone templates with filtering, search, and pagination. Filter by Template ID, Version ID, category, or upload origin. Use includeVersions to see the full version history of each template. Supports cursor-based pagination for large collections. Note: filtering by tags is not supported by the Carbone API — use list_tags to discover tags, then filter results manually.

convert_document

Convert any document to another format without storing a template. Supports 100+ input/output format combinations: Office documents, PDFs, images, web pages, spreadsheets, and more. The source file can be a local path, a URL, or a base64 string. Use render_document instead when you need data injection ({d.field} tags), translations, or batch generation. Common conversions: DOCX → PDF (file: "report.docx", convertTo: "pdf"), XLSX → PDF (file: "data.xlsx", convertTo: "pdf"), PPTX → PDF (file: "slides.pptx", convertTo: "pdf", converter: "O" for best fidelity), HTML → PDF (file: "page.html", convertTo: "pdf", converter: "C" for full CSS/JS rendering), DOCX → HTML (file: "doc.docx", convertTo: "html"), XLSX → CSV (file: "sheet.xlsx", convertTo: "csv"), PDF → PNG (file: "doc.pdf", convertTo: "png"), PPTX → PNG (first slide as image), MD → PDF (file: "readme.md", convertTo: "pdf").

render_document

Generate a document by merging a Carbone template with JSON data. Two modes: (1) pass templateId to use a previously uploaded template; (2) pass template (file path, URL, or base64) to upload and render in a single request without storing a template. Supports output format conversion, multilingual rendering, currency conversion, batch generation, and advanced PDF options (watermark, password, PDF/A). Async mode: pass webhookUrl to render asynchronously — Carbone will POST the renderId to your URL when the document is ready. Async mode is required when using batch generation (batchSplitBy).

list_categories

List all template categories currently in use in your Carbone account. Categories act like folders for organising templates (e.g. "invoices", "legal", "hr"). Use the returned names as the category filter in list_templates or upload_template.

list_tags

List all tags currently used across templates in your Carbone account. Tags are free-form labels attached to templates (e.g. "sales", "billing", "v2"). Note: the Carbone API does not support filtering list_templates by tag — use this tool to discover available tags, then call list_templates and filter the results manually.

upload_template

Upload and store a reusable Carbone template. Once uploaded, use render_document with the returned Template ID to generate documents from it. Supports versioning: multiple versions can live under a single stable Template ID, with deployedAt controlling which version is active. Accepted formats: DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, ODT, ODS, ODP, ODG, HTML, XHTML, IDML, XML, Markdown, PDF, and more.

update_template_metadata

Update the metadata of a stored template: name, comment, category, tags, deployment timestamp, or expiration. Use deployedAt to activate a specific version for rendering. Use expireAt to schedule or trigger immediate deletion.

delete_template

Delete a stored Carbone template. This is a soft delete: the template is marked for garbage collection and removed after a delay (default 24 hours). You can delete by Template ID (removes all versions) or by Version ID (removes only that specific version). For immediate or scheduled deletion, use update_template_metadata with expireAt = 42000000000 (NOW) or a future Unix timestamp.

download_template

Download the original source file of a stored Carbone template (e.g. the DOCX, XLSX, PPTX, or HTML file that was uploaded). Use this to inspect, edit, or back up a template. Pass a Template ID to download the currently deployed version, or a Version ID to download a specific version.

get_api_status

Check Carbone API health and version. Returns the current API version and a status message. Useful for verifying connectivity and confirming which Carbone version is active.

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Set Up Your Carbone MCP Server in Minutes

Add the following configuration to your MCP client. Authentication is handled via OAuth. Compatible with Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code, n8n, and any MCP-compatible agent.

Claude Desktop

claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "willow-carbone": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://<org>.mcp-s.com/mcp/mcp/carbone"
    }
  }
}

Cursor

.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "willow-carbone": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://<org>.mcp-s.com/mcp/mcp/carbone"
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

CLI

claude mcp add willow-carbone --transport http https://<org>.mcp-s.com/mcp/mcp/carbone

n8n

HTTP Request Node

{
  "url": "https://<org>.mcp-s.com/mcp/mcp/carbone",
  "method": "POST"
}

Or click "Install with Willow" above to set up automatically with SSO and RBAC preconfigured.

Enterprise Governance for Carbone

Willow adds the layer Carbone and every other SaaS doesn't ship out of the box: every call runs behind SSO (Okta, Azure AD), enforces RBAC and least-privilege at runtime, writes to full audit logs, and detects shadow AI usage across your stack. One MCP gateway. Any agent. Every tool.

Carbone MCP Server FAQ

What is the Carbone MCP server?

The Carbone MCP server is a Model Context Protocol implementation that lets AI agents like Claude, Cursor, and ChatGPT read and write Carbone data through a standardized interface. Willow hosts and governs this server so enterprises can roll it out without a security review backlog.

How is Willow's Carbone MCP server different from the official one?

The official Carbone MCP server is scoped to a single user's account and does not include enterprise governance. Willow's version adds SSO, RBAC, audit logging, shadow AI detection, and centralized control over which actions agents can take across the entire org.

Which AI clients work with the Carbone MCP server?

Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, ChatGPT, VS Code with MCP support, n8n, and any custom agent built with OpenAI Agents SDK, LangChain, Vercel AI SDK, or Anthropic SDK.

Is the Carbone MCP server secure? How does Willow handle authentication?

Every call runs behind your existing SSO (Okta, Azure AD). Per-user OAuth scopes the agent to exactly what that user can do in Carbone, nothing more. No credentials reach the LLM. Every action writes to an audit trail.

Can I limit which Carbone actions agents can take?

Yes. Willow lets you scope agents to specific actions, specific projects, or specific environments. Toggle actions on or off in the dashboard, or enforce policy via infrastructure-as-code through GitHub.

How do I detect shadow Carbone MCP servers in my org?

Willow's browser extension and discovery service surface unmanaged MCP servers, skills, and AI agents across the org. If a developer installed an unapproved Carbone MCP locally, you'll see it.

What does the Carbone MCP server cost?

Pricing depends on org size and deployment model (SaaS, dedicated cloud, self-host). See withwillow.ai/pricing or contact sales for a quote.

How do I install the Carbone MCP server with Willow?

Install via the Willow Connect Panel in one click, or paste the JSON snippet above into your Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Claude Code config. SSO and RBAC inherit from your existing Willow setup.