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MCP Server

Updated on Jul 15, 2026

The Telerik Document Processing MCP (Model Context Protocol) server lets you interact with AI and reach new levels of developer productivity. The MCP server provides proprietary context to AI-powered IDEs, apps, and tools. You can use the MCP server for Document Processing code generation and successfully prompt more complex questions and tasks, and generate tailored code that includes the Telerik Document Processing Libraries.

Known Issue: Hanging tool calls in Visual Studio, see (Troubleshooting).

The MCP server can be installed also as a NuGet package, instead of using Node.js and npm commands as shown below.

Supported Libraries

Prerequisites for the MCP Server

To use the Telerik Document Processing Libraries (DPL) MCP Server, you need:

A Telerik user account.
An active Telerik license that includes Telerik Document Processing.
An application that uses the Telerik Document Processing Libraries.
.NET 8 or later, or Node.js 18 or later.
An MCP-compatible client (IDE, code editor, or app) that supports MCP tools (use the latest version). For example, the latest Visual Studio Code.

Installation

Depending on your environment, install the Telerik DPL MCP server by using either the .NET tooling or Node.js.

Install with Telerik CLI (Recommended)

The easiest way to install and configure the Telerik DPL MCP Server is through the Telerik CLI. A single command line sets up the MCP server for your IDE automatically:

Telerik CLI command that installs and configures the Telerik DPL MCP Server

powershell

telerik mcp config dpl

This command automatically creates or updates the .mcp.json configuration file for all supported IDEs. You can also specify a target IDE with the --ide option (for example, telerik mcp config dpl --ide vscode). For more details, see Telerik CLI - Install DPL MCP Server.

Using the .NET Tooling

Use the dnx script (.NET 10 or later only) or the dotnet CLI (.NET 8 and .NET 9)

.NET 10:

Command that runs the Telerik DPL MCP Server with dnx
json
```
  dnx Telerik.DPL.MCP
```
.NET 8 and .NET 9:

Command that installs the Telerik DPL MCP Server with dotnet tool
json
```
  dotnet tool install Telerik.DPL.MCP
```

Using npm

Use the documentation of your AI-powered MCP client to add the Telerik Document Processing MCP server to a specific workspace or globally. You can see installation tips and examples for some popular MCP clients below.

npm command that installs the Telerik DPL MCP Server package

bash

npm i @progress/telerik-dpl-mcp

Next, verify that the configuration in your mcp.json is correct, and then add your Telerik license.

Installing in VS Code

Visual Studio Code example of installing and configuring the Telerik DPL MCP Server

Visual Studio Code walkthrough for installing and configuring the Telerik DPL MCP Server

Configuration

To configure the Telerik DPL MCP server, configure the license and mcp.json as follows:

Configuring mcp.json

Use the settings in the following table to configure the Telerik DPL MCP server in the mcp.json file of your code editor. Select the correct value based on your development environment:

Setting Name	.NET 10 Value	.NET 8 / .NET 9 Value	Node.js Value
Package Name	`"Telerik.DPL.MCP"`	`"Telerik.DPL.MCP"`	`"@progress/telerik-dpl-mcp"`
Type	`"stdio"`	`"stdio"`	`"stdio"`
Command	`"dnx"`	`"dotnet"`	`"npx"`
Arguments	`"Telerik.DPL.MCP", "--yes"`	`"tool", "run", "telerik-dpl-mcp"`	`"-y"`
Server Name	`"telerik-dpl-assistant"`	`"telerik-dpl-assistant"`	`"telerik-dpl-assistant"`

License Configuration

An active Document Processing license is required to use the Telerik DPL MCP server.

When installing the MCP server by using the .NET tooling (dnx or dotnet tool install), the Telerik license key is retrieved automatically if it is present in the default directory on your system (%AppData%\Telerik\telerik-license.txt on Windows and ~/.telerik/telerik-license.txt on Linux). No additional action is required.
When using the .NET tooling, but your license key file is not in the default directory, use one of the options below to configure your license.
When using Node.js, add your license key file as an environment variable in your mcp.json file using one of the options below:
As a license file path (recommended)

License configuration example that references the Telerik license file path
json
```
"env": {
    "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE"
}
```
As a license key value

License configuration example that sets the Telerik license key directly
json
```
"env": {
    "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY_HERE"
}
```

Using a license file path is recommended unless you share settings across different systems. Remember to update your license key when necessary.

Usually, the .mcp.json file is expected to be found in the user's directory: %USERPROFILE%

Visual Studio Configuration

Early Visual Studio 17.14 versions require the Copilot Chat window to be open when opening a solution for the MCP server to work properly.

For complete setup instructions, see Use MCP servers in Visual Studio.

The steps below describe the sample procedure for configuring the Telerik DPL MCP server in Visual Studio.

Add an .mcp.json file to either of the following locations:

For a workspace-specific setup, add the file to the solution's folder.
For a global setup, add the file to your user directory, %USERPROFILE% (for example, C:\Users\YourName\.mcp.json).

Add the following configuration to the mcp.json file:

In .NET 10:

Visual Studio .mcp.json example for a .NET 10 Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": ["Telerik.DPL.MCP", "--yes"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

In .NET 8 and .NET 9:

Global Installation
1. Run dotnet tool install --global(-g) Telerik.DPL.MCP in the Terminal.
2. Update global MCP config: %userprofile%.mcp.json with following configuration:

Visual Studio global .mcp.json example for a .NET 8 or .NET 9 Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "servers": {
		"telerik-dpl-assistant": {
		"type": "stdio",
		"command": "telerik-dpl-assistant",
		"env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

Local Installation
1. Navigate to the solution folder.
2. Run dotnet tool new-manifest in the Terminal.
3. Run dotnet tool install Telerik.DPL.MCP in the Terminal.
4. Create/update solution based MCP Config %solutiondir%.mcp.json with the following configuration:

Visual Studio workspace .mcp.json example for a .NET 8 or .NET 9 Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "telerik-dpl-assistant"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

In Node.js:

Visual Studio .mcp.json example for a Node.js Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@progress/telerik-dpl-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

Restart Visual Studio.
Enable the telerik-dpl-assistant tool in the Copilot Chat window's tool selection dropdown.

Add the .mcp.json file to your user directory (%USERPROFILE%, for example, C:\Users\YourName\.mcp.json).

Visual Studio Code

For complete setup instructions, see Use MCP servers in Visual Studio Code.

Visual Studio Code 1.102.1 or later is required to use the Telerik MCP Server.

For complete setup instructions, see Use MCP servers in Visual Studio Code.

The basic setup in Visual Studio Code involves the following steps:

Enable chat.mcp.enabled in Visual Studio Code settings.
Create .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace root (or user folder for global setup):

In .NET 10:

Visual Studio Code mcp.json example for a .NET 10 Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": ["Telerik.DPL.MCP", "--yes"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

In .NET 8 and .NET 9:

Visual Studio Code mcp.json example for a .NET 8 or .NET 9 Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "telerik-dpl-assistant"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

In Node.js:

Visual Studio Code mcp.json example for a Node.js Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "servers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@progress/telerik-dpl-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

For global discovery, enable chat.mcp.discovery.enabled in settings.json:

Visual Studio Code settings example that enables global MCP discovery

json

{
  "chat.mcp.discovery.enabled": true
}

Restart Visual Studio Code.

Visual Studio Code example with the Telerik DPL MCP Server enabled in Copilot Chat

Visual Studio Code Copilot Chat with the Telerik DPL MCP Server enabled for the workspace

Cursor

For complete setup instructions, see Model Context Protocol.

Create .cursor/mcp.json in your workspace root (or user folder for global setup):

In .NET 10:

Cursor mcp.json example for a .NET 10 Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dnx",
      "args": ["Telerik.DPL.MCP", "--yes"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

In .NET 8 and .NET 9:

Cursor mcp.json example for a .NET 8 or .NET 9 Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "dotnet",
      "args": ["tool", "run", "telerik-dpl-assistant"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

In Node.js:

Cursor mcp.json example for a Node.js Telerik DPL MCP Server setup

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "telerik-dpl-assistant": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@progress/telerik-dpl-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {
        "TELERIK_LICENSE_PATH": "THE_PATH_TO_YOUR_LICENSE_FILE",
        // or
        "TELERIK_LICENSE": "YOUR_LICENSE_KEY"
      }
    }
  },
  "inputs": []
}

Usage

By default, MCP clients do not call MCP tools in a deterministic way. Some MCP clients such as VS Code allow you to explicitly reference the desired MCP tool in your prompt.

When switching between tasks and files, start a new session in a new chat window to avoid polluting the context with irrelevant or outdated information.

To use the Telerik DPL MCP server:

Choose your preferred mode and model.

At the time of publishing, Claude Sonnet 4 and GPT-5 produce optimal results.
Start your prompt with #telerik-dpl-assistant (or with # followed by your custom server name, if set).
Inspect the output and verify that the MCP Server is used. Look for a similar statement in the output (the exact text may vary across tools):
- Visual Studio: Running telerik-dpl-assistant
- Visual Studio Code: Running telerik-dpl-assistant
- Cursor: Calling MCP tool telerik-dpl-assistant
If the MCP server is not used even though it's installed and enabled, double-check the server name in your configuration and try rephrasing your prompt.
Grant permissions when prompted (per session, workspace, or always).
Start fresh sessions for unrelated prompts to avoid context pollution.
Use in Chat (Ask) and Agent modes.

Improving Server Usage

To increase the likelihood of the Telerik DPL MCP server being used, add custom instructions to your AI tool:

Sample Prompts

The following examples demonstrate useful prompts for the Telerik Document Processing MCP Server:

"#telerik-dpl-assistant generate a pdf document with text "Hello" and a table 3x3"

Visual Studio Code sample prompt that asks the Telerik DPL MCP Server to generate a PDF document

Visual Studio Code example of the MCP tool call and generated result for the sample PDF prompt

Copilot calling the DPL MCP Server in VS Code	Copilot final answer in VS Code

"#telerik-dpl-assistant create a PDF file with a link to "http://telerik.com" in it"

Visual Studio example of running a Telerik DPL MCP Server prompt that creates a PDF with a hyperlink

Visual Studio Copilot Chat running a Telerik DPL MCP Server prompt to create a PDF with a hyperlink

Usage Limits

A Telerik Subscription license is recommended to use the Telerik DPL AI Coding Assistant without restrictions. Perpetual license holders and trial users can make a limited number of requests per year.

Local AI Model Integration

You can use the Telerik DPL MCP server with local large language models (LLMs):

Run a local model, for example, through Ollama.
Use a bridge package like MCP-LLM Bridge.
Connect your local model to the Telerik DPL MCP server.

This setup allows you to use the Telerik AI Coding Assistant without cloud-based AI models.

Troubleshooting

Known Issue: Hanging tool calls in Visual Studio

When using Telerik AI tools in Visual Studio, GitHub Copilot may:

Hang during tool invocation.

Show UI for a successful tool response, but actually fail silently.

Continue generation without waiting for parallel tool calls.

In these cases, the response may be generated but not provided to the Copilot Agent UI. This is a known issue in Visual Studio Copilot, not related to Telerik MCP servers or AI tools, and does not reproduce in VS Code. For more details, see the related Visual Studio Developer Community issue:
https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/t/Copilot-stopped-working-after-latest-upd/10936456

Microsoft has acknowledged the issue and marked it as Fixed - Pending Release. A future Visual Studio update is expected to resolve it.