About
MCP Server for DeepL Translation API
README
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server providing high-quality translation capabilities via the DeepL API.
Features
This server provides 24 tools for working with DeepL:
| Tool | Description | Required Params |
|---|---|---|
translate_text |
Translate text with formality, context, glossary, model, tag-handling, style, translation-memory, and custom-instruction options | text, target_lang |
rephrase_text |
Improve text clarity and style using DeepL Write with optional writing style and tone | text |
get_source_languages |
List v2 source languages | — |
get_target_languages |
List v2 target languages with formality support info | — |
get_usage |
Get API usage statistics | — |
get_languages_v3 |
Retrieve beta v3 supported languages by product with feature metadata | — |
get_language_products_v3 |
Retrieve beta v3 language products and feature rules | — |
get_glossary_language_pairs |
List language pairs supported by glossaries | — |
list_glossaries |
List v3 glossaries | — |
get_glossary |
Retrieve v3 glossary metadata | glossary_id |
get_glossary_entries |
Retrieve glossary dictionary entries | glossary_id |
create_glossary |
Create a v3 multilingual glossary | name, dictionaries |
delete_glossary |
Delete a v3 glossary | glossary_id |
list_translation_memories |
List v3 translation memories available to the account | — |
list_style_rules |
List v3 style rule lists | — |
get_style_rule |
Retrieve a v3 style rule list | style_id |
create_style_rule |
Create a v3 style rule list | name, language |
update_style_rule |
Update a v3 style rule list name | style_id, name |
delete_style_rule |
Delete a v3 style rule list | style_id |
request_voice_session |
Request a DeepL Voice realtime WebSocket session | source_media_content_type, target_languages |
reconnect_voice_session |
Request a replacement DeepL Voice realtime token | — |
upload_document |
Upload a local file for document translation | file_path, target_lang |
get_document_status |
Check document translation status | document_id, document_key |
download_document |
Download a translated document to a local path | document_id, document_key, output_path |
Translation Features
- Next-gen model selection — Use
model_typevalues such asquality_optimizedorprefer_quality_optimized - Formality control — Adjust tone for formal/informal contexts
- Context parameter — Provide additional context for better accuracy (not billed)
- Glossary support — Create, list, inspect, use, and delete DeepL v3 glossaries
- Batch translation — Translate multiple texts in a single request
- Preserve formatting — Keep original text formatting
- HTML/XML tag handling — Use
tag_handling,tag_handling_version,ignore_tags,splitting_tags, and related options - Billing visibility — Use
show_billed_charactersto include billed character counts in translation responses - Document translation — Upload, poll, and download translated files
- v3 language metadata — Retrieve product-specific language support and feature rules
- Translation memories — List account translation memories and use them in translation requests
- Style rules — List, create, inspect, rename, delete, and use style rule lists
- Voice session setup — Request or reconnect DeepL Voice realtime WebSocket sessions; audio streaming is done by the returned WebSocket URL
- DeepL Write options — Rephrase with
writing_styleandtonewhen the plan supports Write API - Sentence splitting control — Control how sentences are split
API Type Auto-Detection
The server automatically detects whether you're using the Free or Pro API based on your key format:
- Keys ending in
:fx→ Free API (api-free.deepl.com) - Other keys → Pro API (
api.deepl.com)
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18+ (including Node.js 25)
- DeepL API Key — Sign up here (Free tier available)
Quick Start
1. Clone and Build
git clone https://github.com/watchdealer-pavel/deepl-mcp-server.git
cd deepl-mcp-server
npm install
2. Configure Your MCP Client
Add to your MCP client configuration:
Claude Desktop (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"deepl": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/deepl-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"DEEPL_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
Claude Code (.mcp.json in your project):
{
"mcpServers": {
"deepl": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/deepl-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"DEEPL_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
}
}
}
}
3. Restart Your MCP Client
Restart Claude Desktop or Claude Code to load the server.
Usage Examples
Basic Translation
{
"text": "Hello, how are you?",
"target_lang": "DE"
}
Formal Translation with Context
{
"text": "Thanks for your help!",
"target_lang": "DE",
"formality": "more",
"context": "Business email to a client"
}
Batch Translation
{
"text": ["Hello", "Goodbye", "Thank you"],
"target_lang": "FR"
}
Check API Usage
Use get_usage to see your current quota:
{
"character_count": 12500,
"character_limit": 500000,
"characters_remaining": 487500,
"percent_used": "2.50%",
"api_type": "Free"
}
Supported Languages
Source Languages (auto-detected if omitted)
AR, BG, CS, DA, DE, EL, EN, ES, ET, FI, FR, HU, ID, IT, JA, KO, LT, LV, NB, NL, PL, PT, RO, RU, SK, SL, SV, TR, UK, ZH
Target Languages
All source languages plus regional variants:
EN-GB— British EnglishEN-US— American EnglishPT-BR— Brazilian PortuguesePT-PT— European PortugueseZH-HANS— Simplified ChineseZH-HANT— Traditional Chinese
Use get_target_languages for a complete list with formality support indicators.
Error Handling
The server handles common API errors:
- 400 — Invalid parameters
- 401/403 — Authentication failed or feature not available on the current plan
- 429 — Rate limit exceeded
- 456 — Quota exceeded
Security and OSV Status
This repository has been scanned with Google's OSV-Scanner and remediated to a clean state.
- Latest scan result: 0 known dependency vulnerabilities
- Reports are written to
.osv/osv-report.jsonand.osv/osv-summary.md - Remediation notes are in
.osv/remediation-notes.md - The vulnerable direct dependency chains were fixed by upgrading
@modelcontextprotocol/sdkandaxios
Run the scan locally:
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
osv-project-scan .
Development
# Watch mode (auto-rebuild)
npm run watch
# Manual build
npm run build
# Run the server
npm start
# Test with MCP Inspector
npm run inspector
# Run live end-to-end tests against DeepL API
# Requires DEEPL_API_KEY in the environment and consumes a small number of billable characters.
npm run test:live
The live test exercises translation, language listing, v3 language metadata, translation-memory listing, style-rule listing/create/get/update/delete when available, voice session request when available, usage, glossary create/use/delete, document upload/status/download, and DeepL Write. Free API keys may return an expected plan error for DeepL Write.
License
MIT License — see LICENSE file.
Links
- DeepL API Documentation
- DeepL Pro API — Sign up for API access
- Model Context Protocol — MCP documentation
Installing Deepl
This server has no published package — it is built from source. Open the repository and follow its README.
▸ github.com/watchdealer-pavel/deepl-mcp-serverFAQ
Is Deepl MCP free?
Yes, Deepl MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does Deepl need an API key?
No, Deepl runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is Deepl hosted or self-hosted?
Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.
How do I install Deepl in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open Deepl on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.
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