For developers

Populate.ai API & MCP

Turn any bill, receipt, invoice, scan, or photo into structured data with one HTTP call — or plug Populate.ai straight into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, and other AI assistants via MCP.

REST API

Call Populate.ai from any language

Simple JSON in, structured JSON out. Same 5-agent pipeline you use in the browser.

Quickstart

MCP server

Wire it to your AI assistant

One URL. Model Context Protocol tools for parsing, reconstructing, and browsing your uploads.

Install snippet

API keys

Sign in to create an API key

API keys are tied to your Populate.ai account. Once signed in, you can create, name, and revoke keys here.

Quickstart

Create an API key above, then send your first request:

curl -X POST https://populate.info/api/v1/parse \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer pop_live_..." \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{
    "filename": "invoice.pdf",
    "mimeType": "application/pdf",
    "fileBase64": "<base64-encoded file>"
  }'

Endpoints

Method	Path	Description
POST	/api/v1/parse	Extract a table (rows/columns + per-cell confidence) from a document or audio dictation.
POST	/api/v1/reconstruct	Intelligent OCR — return a formatted document (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables).
GET	/api/v1/documents	List your recent saved uploads.
GET	/api/v1/documents/:id	Fetch one saved document by id.
GET	/api/v1/health	Health probe — no auth required.

All authenticated calls take Authorization: Bearer pop_live_…. Files are sent as base64 in the request body — the API returns the same JSON your browser sees.

MCP server

Add Populate.ai as a Model Context Protocol server. Your AI assistant signs in with your Populate.ai account and can call the same tools on your behalf.

MCP URL

https://populate.info/mcp

Claude Desktop / Web

Settings → Connectors → Add custom server → paste the MCP URL. Sign in with the Populate.ai account you already use.

ChatGPT (Developer mode)

Settings → Connectors → Add → paste the MCP URL. Authorize with your Populate.ai account when prompted.

Cursor

Settings → MCP → Add server → HTTP → paste the MCP URL. Sign in to complete the OAuth handshake.

Any MCP client

Point the client at the MCP URL above. Populate.ai uses OAuth 2.1 with dynamic client registration — most clients discover it automatically.

Available tools

parse_document — extract rows/columns from a document.
reconstruct_document — Intelligent OCR into a formatted document.
list_documents — list your saved uploads.
get_document — fetch one saved upload.

Limits during beta: Table extraction is capped at 120 rows per document and Intelligent OCR at 10 pages per PDF. API and MCP calls both act as the signed-in Populate.ai user, so they bypass the anonymous 5-upload cap.