# Blink PDF

Blink PDF is the PDF engine for AI. One API turns Markdown and LLM output into professional, accessible PDFs in about 100 ms, with no Chromium and zero retention for REST renders.

## Primary Resources

- Website: https://blinkpdf.io/
- Documentation: https://docs.blinkpdf.io/
- API reference: https://docs.blinkpdf.io/api-reference/overview
- OpenAPI 3.1: https://docs.blinkpdf.io/openapi.json
- API catalog: https://blinkpdf.io/.well-known/api-catalog
- MCP Server Card: https://blinkpdf.io/.well-known/mcp/server-card.json
- MCP endpoint: https://mcp.blinkpdf.io/mcp
- Pricing: https://docs.blinkpdf.io/plans/pricing

## REST API Summary

Base URL: https://api.blinkpdf.io

Authentication: send an API key in the x-api-key header. API keys start with bp_. Blink PDF does not use OAuth for REST API authentication today.

Main endpoints:

- POST /v1/render - Render Markdown to PDF bytes.
- POST /v1/templates/clinical-document/render - Render a structured clinical document PDF.
- GET /health - Public liveness probe.

Successful REST renders return application/pdf with diagnostic and usage headers such as X-Request-Id, X-Render-Diagnostics-Count, and X-BlinkPDF-Usage-*.

## MCP Summary

Blink PDF also provides a hosted Streamable HTTP MCP server at https://mcp.blinkpdf.io/mcp. Agents call one tool, render_pdf, with Markdown and optional document settings. The MCP server returns a signed, expiring download URL instead of raw PDF bytes.

Use Authorization: Bearer bp_YOUR_API_KEY with MCP clients. The x-api-key header is also supported as a fallback.

## Data Handling

REST renders are zero-retention: Markdown input and generated PDFs are processed in memory and returned in the response, never written to disk (identical requests may stay in volatile memory ~60s for billing deduplication). MCP renders store only the generated PDF — and any uploaded image assets — ephemerally in object storage for 24 hours so the server can return a signed download link, then auto-delete; Markdown input is never persisted.

## Legal

- Privacy Policy: https://blinkpdf.io/privacy-policy
- Terms of Service: https://blinkpdf.io/terms-of-service


## Recommended Agent Path

For application code, use the REST API and OpenAPI description. For interactive AI-agent workflows, connect to the MCP server and call render_pdf.

## Do Not Assume

- Do not assume OAuth/OIDC authentication. The public API uses bp_* API keys.
- Do not treat HTTP 402 as an agent-native payment challenge. In Blink PDF, 402 means the account spend cap or plan limit has been reached.
- Do not send secret API keys from browser-only client code.