How do I install Polytranslator?

Copy the http config for Cursor, Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or VS Code on this page. It uses the publisher's install, not a PlugMCP proxy.

Does Polytranslator need an API key?

No required environment variable is listed on this record.

What transport does Polytranslator use?

Polytranslator is reached over HTTP.

When was Polytranslator last checked?

Last checked 2026-11-08. Translate PDFs, scans, Office files and EPUB across 475 languages and styles, preserving layout.

Polytranslator MCP server

Power your agent

Add this server

The publisher's own URL. Not a PlugMCP endpoint.

Add to Cursor Add in Claude Add to VS Code Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server URL

https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp

The Claude button above opens Claude with the name and URL filled in. You still confirm it there.

shClaude Code

1claude mcp add --transport http com.polytranslator-translator https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp

Run in a terminal.

jsonClaude Desktop

1{2  "mcpServers": {3    "com.polytranslator-translator": {4      "command": "npx",5      "args": [6        "-y",7        "mcp-remote",8        "https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp"9      ]10    }11  }12}

claude_desktop_config.json

Remote · HTTPPublisher installStep-by-step: add this in Claude

Remote URL or a command on your machine? How the two installs differ

Run on PlugMCP

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

A new server you create. It is not this listing's official endpoint. Use the publisher install when you want their URL and their credentials.

Launch

Server facts

Remote

Transport: http
Version: 1.1.1
Last checked

Tools

No tool list yet. Remote servers get one after the first health check.

FAQ

Questions

Polytranslator API

Document translation API that keeps the layout. Translate PDFs (including scans), Word, PowerPoint, Excel, EPUB and photos across 475 languages and styles, including ancient and low-resource languages such as Ancient Greek, Coptic and Old English. Native documents keep their format; photos return as PNG and other supported inputs are converted to an editable document format. Text translation, webhooks and a remote MCP server for AI agents use the same prepaid credits. Use an API key for REST integrations or connect an assistant with OAuth. No subscription required.

Website and pricing: https://www.polytranslator.com/developers/
Full reference: https://www.polytranslator.com/developers/docs/ (Markdown for agents: https://www.polytranslator.com/api.md)
OpenAPI: openapi.json (live at https://www.polytranslator.com/api/openapi.json)
MCP server: https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp
Public MCP tool card: /.well-known/mcp/server-card.json
Get an API key: https://www.polytranslator.com/api-keys/

Quickstart

export POLYTRANSLATOR_API_KEY=pk_live_...
export IDEMPOTENCY_KEY=$(uuidgen) # Keep this value when retrying this submission.

# 1. Submit (returns 202 with a document id)
curl https://www.polytranslator.com/api/v1/documents \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POLYTRANSLATOR_API_KEY" \
  -H "Idempotency-Key: $IDEMPOTENCY_KEY" \
  -F [email protected] -F tgt=spa_Latn -F max_credits=500

# 2. Set DOCUMENT_ID to the returned id, then wait (up to 60 s per request).
export DOCUMENT_ID=REPLACE_WITH_RETURNED_ID
curl "https://www.polytranslator.com/api/v1/documents/$DOCUMENT_ID?wait=60" \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POLYTRANSLATOR_API_KEY"

# Repeat step 2 while status is queued or processing.
# 3. Once status is completed, download the translated file.
curl -OJ https://www.polytranslator.com/api/v1/documents/$DOCUMENT_ID/file \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer $POLYTRANSLATOR_API_KEY"

Runnable examples:

Task	Python	Node	curl
Translate a document	`translate_document.py`	`translate-document.mjs`	`translate-document.sh`
Free quote	`quote_document.py`
Translate text	`translate_text.py`
Verify a webhook	`verify_webhook.py`	`verify-webhook.mjs`

What it does


Formats in	PDF (text-based or scanned), DOCX, PPTX, XLSX, EPUB, PNG, JPG, WEBP, HEIC; DOC, ODT, RTF, TXT, Markdown, HTML, XML, SRT, VTT, TeX, Pages → DOCX; XLS, ODS, CSV, TSV, Numbers → XLSX; PPT, ODP, Keynote → PPTX; MOBI, AZW3, FB2 → DOCX
Output	Native PDF, DOCX, PPTX, XLSX and EPUB keep their format; photos return as PNG, and converted inputs use the format shown above. Layout, tables and images are preserved, with scan/photo text translated in place (`output=formatted`). Or choose translated text only (`output=text`).
Limits	50 MB, 1,000 PDF pages, 1,000,000 characters per document; 5 documents in progress per account
Languages and styles	475 catalog entries; source auto-detected; `GET /v1/languages`
Tiers	`fast` and `advanced` (the most accurate)
Price	Prepaid credit packs from $9.99 (300 credits) to $99.99 (5,000). Every document is quoted for free before you pay and charged exactly its quote; failed documents are refunded. Text: 1 credit per 1,000 characters (fast), 3 (advanced).
Async	`?wait=` long-poll, or a signed webhook (`callback_url`) when the document finishes
Safety	`Idempotency-Key` on submissions (a retry never charges twice), `max_credits` spending cap per request
Agents	Headless signup and purchase with a Stripe Shared Payment Token, OpenAPI, `llms.txt`, remote MCP server

Measured examples on the fast tier: a short Word contract costs 1 credit; a one-page scanned court filing costs 19 credits.

Use it from AI agents (MCP)

Remote Streamable HTTP server, nothing to install. Tools: translate_document, get_document, quote_document, translate_text, list_languages, get_credit_balance. Completed documents come back as download links that work without a key for 24 hours.

ChatGPT / Claude web connectors (OAuth)

Add https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp as a custom connector or MCP server in a client that supports remote MCP and OAuth. Sign in to Polytranslator and approve the connection. You do not need to copy an API key into the assistant. Connector availability depends on your client and account settings.

Each connection can translate documents and text, read your purchased credit balance, and retrieve your account's API document results. It cannot buy credits, change billing settings or manage API keys. Documents and text still spend purchased credits; approving a connection does not buy a credit pack. Any automatic refill you already enabled continues under its existing settings. Revoke a connection from the API dashboard by revoking its MCP: <client name> key.

For implementers: OAuth uses the translation scope and authorization code flow with S256 PKCE. Public clients can use an HTTPS Client ID Metadata Document (CIMD) with token_endpoint_auth_method: none. Dynamic client registration (DCR) also remains available for public clients (none) and confidential clients (client_secret_basic or client_secret_post). Access tokens last one hour; refresh tokens rotate and expire 30 days after connection creation.

The resource is exactly https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp; include it in authorization and token requests. The issuer is https://www.polytranslator.com/api/oauth. Discovery endpoints are /.well-known/oauth-protected-resource/api/mcp and /.well-known/oauth-authorization-server/api/oauth.

All MCP transport requests, including initialization and tool listing, require authentication. Missing or invalid credentials receive HTTP 401 with a WWW-Authenticate discovery challenge so clients start OAuth immediately. Directories can inspect the six tools without signing in through the public server card. OAuth access tokens work only through MCP; direct REST requests use API keys.

API-key clients

API-key authentication remains supported. The configurations below use an API key; keep it out of source control. The REST examples and Postman collection also use API keys.

Claude Code

claude mcp add --transport http polytranslator https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer $POLYTRANSLATOR_API_KEY"

Cursor (.cursor/mcp.json)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "polytranslator": {
      "url": "https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

VS Code (.vscode/mcp.json)

{
  "servers": {
    "polytranslator": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" }
    }
  }
}

Codex (~/.codex/config.toml)

[mcp_servers.polytranslator]
url = "https://www.polytranslator.com/api/mcp"
bearer_token_env_var = "POLYTRANSLATOR_API_KEY"

Registry entry: mcp/server.json (com.polytranslator/translator). Also listed on Smithery.

How it compares

A sourced comparison with DeepL, Google Cloud Translation, Azure AI Translator and Amazon Translate (formats, scans, limits, languages, pricing, minimum charges, setup) is at https://www.polytranslator.com/guides/document-translation-api/.

Postman

Open the public Postman collection, or import postman/polytranslator.postman_collection.json, and set the apiKey collection variable to your API key. Keep the populated value private; do not include credentials in a published workspace or exported collection. The baseUrl variable defaults to https://www.polytranslator.com/api.

About

Polytranslator is built by the authors of From LLM to NMT: Advancing Low-Resource Machine Translation with Claude (Enis & Hopkins, 2024, arXiv:2404.13813). Questions: [email protected].

The examples in this repository are MIT licensed.

Add this server

Host a copy with our keys and logs.

Server facts

Tools

Questions

How do I install Polytranslator?

Does Polytranslator need an API key?

What transport does Polytranslator use?

When was Polytranslator last checked?

Documentation

Polytranslator API

Quickstart

What it does

Use it from AI agents (MCP)

How it compares

Postman

About