qingchejun/mindlm-io

Turn text, web pages and PDFs into interactive mind maps — an MCP server and a command-line
tool, with no API key required.
bash
npx -y mindlm-mcp demo
That renders a built-in example and opens it. One HTML file, no build step, no account, no key.
Three inputs. Plain text or Markdown, an http(s) page, or a local PDF.
Two outputs. A Markdown outline you can edit, and a standalone HTML mind map
(markmap) that works offline — every script is inlined.
Zero keys. Over MCP the server hands your own model a draft plus the cleaned source text and
lets it write the final outline. Set your own API key only if you want the server to call a model
itself. See How the outline gets written.
Docs and a live demo: ·
Source:
## Quick start
Every client runs the same command — npx -y mindlm-mcp serve — and needs no environment
variables. MINDMAPOUTPUTDIR below is optional; it just decides where exported files land.
### Claude Code
bash
claude mcp add mindlm -- npx -y mindlm-mcp serve
Scope it to one project with --scope project, and pass environment variables with -e:
bash
claude mcp add mindlm -e MINDMAPOUTPUTDIR=~/Documents/mindmaps -- npx -y mindlm-mcp serve
Check it with claude mcp list, or /mcp inside a session.
### Claude Desktop
Add this to claudedesktopconfig.json, then restart the app:
json
"mcpServers": {
"mindlm": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mindlm-mcp", "serve"],
"env": {
"MINDMAPOUTPUTDIR": "~/Documents/mindmaps"
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claudedesktopconfig.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claudedesktopconfig.json
### Cursor
The same block goes in ~/.cursor/mcp.json (all projects) or .cursor/mcp.json (one project):
json
"mcpServers": {
"mindlm": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mindlm-mcp", "serve"]
Ready-to-copy versions of all three live in examples/configs/.
Then ask for a mind map in plain language — "make a mind map of this PDF", "map out
https://example.com/article" — and the client picks the right tool.
## Tools
Four tools, always advertised in this order. The three tomindmap tools return a Markdown
outline; exportmindmap turns an outline into an HTML file. Every result carries both a readable
text block and structuredContent.
### texttomindmap
Outline text or Markdown you already have — a draft, notes, a transcript, a pasted chapter.
| Field | Type | Notes |
| text | string, required | The content to map. Capped by MINDMAPMAXINPUTCHARS. |
| mode | auto \| client \| llm \| heuristic | Default auto. |
| title | string | Root node title. Derived from the source if omitted. |
| maxDepth | int 2–6 | Levels including the root. Default 4. |
| maxChildren | int 3–15 | Children kept per node. Default 8. |
| language | string | e.g. "English", "中文". Defaults to the source language. |
| export | boolean | Also render an HTML file and return its path. |
| outputPath | string | Where that file goes. |
Input:
json
"text": "# Tides\n\nSpring tides are the largest of the month.\n\n## Neap\n\nNeap tides are the smallest.\n"
structuredContent (default auto mode with no API key, i.e. client mode):
json
"title": "Tides",
"markdown": "# Tides\n\n## Spring tides are the largest of the month.\n\n### Neap\n- Neap tides are the smallest.\n",