DeepL MCP

How to Install and Use DeepL MCP

If you want to translate text easily using the DeepL service, DeepL MCP is a great tool. It provides translation features using the DeepL API. Here’s how to install it and start using it.

Step 1: Installing DeepL MCP

To get DeepL MCP running quickly, you can use npm, which is a tool for managing JavaScript packages. The easiest way is to use the command line tool npx. This runs the server without installing anything extra on your computer.

To start DeepL MCP server without installation, open your terminal and type:

npx deepl-mcp-server

If you want to install it on your computer so you can use it whenever you like, use:

npm install deepl-mcp-server

For developers who want to make changes or help improve the server, you can clone the repository and install dependencies with these commands:

git clone https://github.com/DeepLcom/deepl-mcp-server.git
cd deepl-mcp-server
npm install

Step 2: Get a DeepL API Key

Before using DeepL MCP, you need a DeepL API key. This key lets the server connect to DeepL’s translation service. You can get your API key by signing up at the DeepL API page.

If you use a free DeepL API account, you can translate up to 500,000 characters each month at no cost.

Step 3: Configure DeepL MCP Server

Next, you need to make DeepL MCP know your API key. You do this by setting an environment variable called DEEPL_API_KEY. This tells DeepL MCP how to connect to DeepL with your key.

If you just want to try it quickly with npx, run:

DEEPL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here npx deepl-mcp-server

Or if you installed it locally, run the server like this with the environment variable:

DEEPL_API_KEY=your_api_key_here node ./src/index.mjs

Replace your_api_key_here with your actual DeepL API key.

Step 4: Using DeepL MCP with Claude Desktop (Optional)

DeepL MCP can work with Claude Desktop for easy translations in your chat. Here’s how to set it up:

First, find or create Claude Desktop’s config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %AppData%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add this JSON configuration to the file to connect DeepL MCP:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "deepl": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["deepl-mcp-server"],
      "env": {
        "DEEPL_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Make sure to replace "your_api_key_here" with your DeepL API key. If you installed DeepL MCP locally, change the "command" to "node" and provide the path to the server file in "args".

Step 5: Available Tools in DeepL MCP

With DeepL MCP running, you can use these tools:

• get-source-languages: Lists all languages you can translate from.
• get-target-languages: Lists all languages you can translate to.
• translate-text: Translates text into another language.
• rephrase-text: Rewrites text in the same or different language.

Example: Translate Text

To translate, you send your text with the translate-text tool and specify the target language. You can also choose formality like “more polite” or “less formal”.

Parameters you pass include:

• text: the text you want to translate
• targetLang: language code like "en-US", "de", or "fr"
• formality (optional): 'less', 'more', or 'default'

By following these steps, you can set up the DeepL MCP server quickly and start translating or rephrasing your text with DeepL’s powerful API.