# read-pdf

A read tool on the MCP PDF Reader MCP server.

Agent View of the PolicyLayer registry record for `read-pdf`. HTML page: https://policylayer.com/tools/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader/read-pdf

## Facts

- Tool: `read-pdf`
- Server: MCP PDF Reader (`3351163616/mcp_pdf_reader`) — https://policylayer.com/tools/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader.md
- Homepage: https://github.com/3351163616/mcp_pdf_reader
- Risk category: Read (Low risk)
- Registry record: grade A, identity unverified
- Server rate-limited: no
- Parameters: 0
- Recommended policy verdict: Allowed

## Example call (MCP tools/call, JSON-RPC 2.0)

```json
{
  "jsonrpc": "2.0",
  "id": 1,
  "method": "tools/call",
  "params": {
    "name": "read-pdf",
    "arguments": {}
  }
}
```

## Why read-pdf is rated Low

This tool retrieves and reads PDF content without side effects. Even though the description is empty, the tool name combined with the server's documented purpose (text extraction, OCR, search, metadata retrieval) and sibling tool names all strongly indicate a read-only operation. No data modification, deletion, code execution, or financial operations are involved.

From the tool's own definition: "Tool name 'read-pdf' and sibling tools 'read-pdf-smart' and 'smart-read-pdf-legacy' indicate text extraction/retrieval from PDFs."

## Use case

AI agents call read-pdf to retrieve information from MCP PDF Reader without modifying anything. It is typically the context-gathering step in research, monitoring, and reporting workflows, before the agent takes action elsewhere.

## Recommended policy (PolicyLayer)

Verdict: **Allowed**. Enforced by the PolicyLayer MCP gateway (https://policylayer.com/mcp-gateway) before a call reaches MCP PDF Reader:

```json
{
  "version": "1",
  "default": "deny",
  "tools": {
    "read-pdf": {}
  }
}
```

## Other tools on MCP PDF Reader (6)

- `ocr-pdf-auto-legacy` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader/ocr-pdf-auto-legacy.md
- `ocr-pdf-legacy` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader/ocr-pdf-legacy.md
- `pdf-metadata` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader/pdf-metadata.md
- `read-pdf-smart` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader/read-pdf-smart.md
- `search-pdf` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader/search-pdf.md
- `smart-read-pdf-legacy` — Read — https://policylayer.com/tools/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader/smart-read-pdf-legacy.md

## For agents

This record is a snapshot. Live verdicts and the full registry:

- Check every server in your MCP config at once: `npx -y policylayer stack`
- Vet a server before you add it: install the mcp-precheck skill — `npx skills add https://policylayer.com` (skill text: https://policylayer.com/skill.md)
- Query the registry over MCP: endpoint `https://api.policylayer.com/mcp` — tools `check_mcp_server`, `check_mcp_stack`, `check_tool`, `search_registry`, `get_change_events`

---

Source: the PolicyLayer MCP registry — one continuously verified record per MCP server. Full record: https://policylayer.com/registry?q=3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader · API: https://policylayer.com/registry/api · Policy library: https://policylayer.com/policies/3351163616-mcp-pdf-reader