JPG.now MCP Server

JPG.now: Convert JPG to Almost Anything—and Back Again

JPG.now is a browser-based file converter and image toolkit built around a common problem: you have a JPG, but the website, app, printer, or workflow you are using needs a different format—or you have another file type and need a widely compatible JPG.

The service supports more than 100 formats, requires no software installation, and lets guests start converting without creating an account. Alongside format conversion, it includes options for batch processing, image resizing, quality control, metadata removal, JPG compression, and several AI-powered image tools.

Visit JPG.now to choose a source format, select an output format, and convert your file online.

JPG to XXX: converting from JPG

“JPG to XXX” simply means that JPG is the source and XXX is the format you need as the output. JPG.now can convert JPG images into many common image, document, web, and publishing formats.

Popular examples include:

Keep in mind that changing the file format does not recreate detail that was already lost through JPG compression. Converting a JPG to PNG, TIFF, SVG, or PSD changes its container and compatibility; it does not turn the original raster image into a true vector graphic or restore the original camera data.

XXX to JPG: converting other formats to JPG

The reverse workflow is just as useful. JPG is supported by almost every browser, phone, content-management system, presentation app, and social platform, so converting XXX to JPG is often the quickest way to make a file easier to preview, upload, email, or share.

Common examples include:

JPG.now also converts camera RAW formats to JPG, including ARW, CR2, CR3, DNG, NEF, ORF, PEF, RAF, RW2, and others. This is helpful when you need a share-ready preview without asking the recipient to install specialist RAW-processing software.

Office and document formats can be rendered to JPG as well. Supported inputs listed by JPG.now include DOC/DOCX, PPT/PPTX, XLS/XLSX, ODT, ODS, ODP, Pages, Numbers, HTML, TXT, RTF, and several additional document formats. This direction is especially useful for producing image previews of documents, slides, or spreadsheets.

Which conversions work both ways?

Many everyday formats can be converted in either direction:

• JPG ↔ PNG
• JPG ↔ WebP
• JPG ↔ AVIF
• JPG ↔ GIF
• JPG ↔ HEIC
• JPG ↔ BMP
• JPG ↔ TIFF
• JPG ↔ SVG
• JPG ↔ ICO
• JPG ↔ PSD
• JPG ↔ EPS
• JPG ↔ PS
• JPG ↔ PDF

Support is not necessarily symmetrical for every format. For example, camera RAW and office-document files are generally useful as inputs that become JPG previews, while JPG is not a substitute for an editable RAW original, spreadsheet, slide deck, or word-processing document.

How to convert a file with JPG.now

1. Open JPG.now.
2. Choose the source format—or start with JPG if you are converting from JPG.
3. Select the target format.
4. Add your file or files.
5. Adjust any available settings, such as quality, width and height, or EXIF metadata removal.
6. Start the conversion and download the result when it is ready.

For batch jobs, add multiple compatible files before starting the conversion. If you are creating a PDF from several images, check their order before processing so the pages appear in the intended sequence.

Choosing the right output format

There is no single best format for every job:

• Choose JPG for photographs, broad compatibility, and relatively small files. It does not support transparency and uses lossy compression.
• Choose PNG for screenshots, graphics with sharp text, or images that require transparency. Files may be larger than JPG photographs.
• Choose WebP or AVIF for efficient website delivery when your target browsers and tools support them.
• Choose PDF when several images belong in one document or the recipient expects pages rather than separate image files.
• Choose TIFF for certain print, scan, and archival workflows where file size is less important.
• Choose HEIC for efficient storage in compatible Apple-centered workflows.
• Choose ICO for a favicon or Windows icon workflow.

When converting to JPG, remember that transparent areas cannot remain transparent. They must be flattened against a background. Animated GIFs also cannot stay animated in a single JPG, and layered PSD/XCF files become flat images.

More than a format converter

JPG.now also presents tools for:

• Compressing JPG files
• Resizing images during conversion
• Viewing or stripping EXIF metadata
• Removing image backgrounds
• Upscaling images by 2× or 4×
• Extracting text with OCR
• Generating images from text prompts
• Calculating aspect ratios, DPI/PPI, and print dimensions
• Checking common social-media image sizes

According to the service, guest files are encrypted in transit and automatically deleted within 24 hours. As with any online converter, avoid uploading files that contain sensitive information unless the service's current privacy terms and retention policy meet your requirements.

REST API

JPG.now provides an asynchronous REST API for application and server-side integrations. API access requires an account and an API key from Dashboard → API Access. Store the key as a secret and send it in the X-Api-Key header; do not put it in source code or commit it to Git.

• API documentation: jpg.now/api
• Base URL: https://jpg.now
• Authentication: X-Api-Key: jpgnow_your_key_here
• Request format: multipart/form-data

Each conversion has three steps:

1. Submit the file to POST /api/v1/convert and receive a job_id.
2. Poll GET /api/v1/jobs/{job_id} until the job is completed or failed.
3. Download the result from the returned download_url.

Convert JPG to PNG with cURL

export JPG_NOW_API_KEY="jpgnow_your_key_here"

curl -X POST https://jpg.now/api/v1/convert \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $JPG_NOW_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@photo.jpg" \
  -F "slug=jpg-to-png" \
  -F "quality=90"

A successful submission returns HTTP 202 with a response similar to:

{
  "job_id": "abc123",
  "status": "queued",
  "poll_url": "/api/v1/jobs/abc123"
}

Poll and download the finished conversion:

curl https://jpg.now/api/v1/jobs/abc123 \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $JPG_NOW_API_KEY"

curl -L https://jpg.now/download/abc123 \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $JPG_NOW_API_KEY" \
  -o converted.png

Convert PNG back to JPG

Reverse the converter slug:

curl -X POST https://jpg.now/api/v1/convert \
  -H "X-Api-Key: $JPG_NOW_API_KEY" \
  -F "file=@image.png" \
  -F "slug=png-to-jpg" \
  -F "quality=90"

The same pattern works for other supported pairs, such as jpg-to-webp, webp-to-jpg, jpg-to-pdf, pdf-to-jpg, heic-to-jpg, and jpg-to-heic. Use a slug listed by JPG.now rather than constructing an unverified format pair: not every input/output combination is symmetrical.

Optional conversion fields include quality from 10–100 and width/height in pixels. GET /api/v1/usage reports the current quota, remaining allowance, and reset time. The API documentation lists these important response codes:

Use a polling limit and a delay of roughly one second between checks. Do not loop forever or retry 400, 401, 402, or 403 responses without correcting their cause. API availability, credit costs, rate limits, and plan entitlements can change, so consult the live API and pricing pages before deploying a production integration.

MCP: use JPG.now from an AI agent

Model Context Protocol (MCP) lets an AI application discover and invoke tools through a standard interface. JPG.now documents a REST API, but this repository does not claim that JPG.now operates an official hosted MCP server. Instead, mcp_server.py is a small local bridge: an MCP client calls a tool, and the bridge performs the documented JPG.now REST requests.

The bridge exposes two tools:

• convert_file — upload a local file, wait for conversion, and save the result locally.
• get_api_usage — check the API account's quota and reset information.

1. Install the bridge

Python 3.11 or later is required by the current official MCP Python SDK.

git clone https://github.com/chrisyau83/jpg-now.git
cd jpg-now
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate        # Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

2. Provide the JPG.now API key

export JPG_NOW_API_KEY="jpgnow_your_key_here"

Keep the key in the MCP client's secret or environment configuration. Never place it in a prompt, pass it as a tool argument, or commit it to this repository.

3. Configure an MCP client

For a client that accepts the common mcpServers JSON format, use an absolute path and adjust it for your machine:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "jpg-now": {
      "command": "/absolute/path/to/jpg-now/.venv/bin/python",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/jpg-now/mcp_server.py"],
      "env": {
        "JPG_NOW_API_KEY": "jpgnow_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

The exact settings file and interface differ between MCP clients. The bridge uses local stdio, so the client launches it as a subprocess; no port or public server is required.

To inspect the tools during development with the official MCP Inspector:

source .venv/bin/activate
JPG_NOW_API_KEY="jpgnow_your_key_here" mcp dev mcp_server.py

4. Ask the agent to convert a file

Once the MCP server is enabled, prompts can be as direct as:

Convert /Users/me/Pictures/photo.jpg to PNG with JPG.now and save it as /Users/me/Pictures/photo.png.

The client can call convert_file with:

{
  "input_path": "/Users/me/Pictures/photo.jpg",
  "slug": "jpg-to-png",
  "output_path": "/Users/me/Pictures/photo.png",
  "quality": 90
}

For the reverse direction, use png-to-jpg. The bridge also accepts optional width, height, timeout_seconds, and overwrite arguments. It preserves an existing output file unless overwrite is explicitly set to true. Files are uploaded to JPG.now for processing, so the same privacy, retention, account, credit, and rate-limit considerations as the REST API apply.

Quick answers

Can I convert JPG to PNG and PNG to JPG?

Yes. JPG.now lists both directions. JPG to PNG can help with compatibility and later editing, while PNG to JPG is often used to make photographic images smaller or satisfy an upload requirement.

Can I convert JPG to PDF and PDF to JPG?

Yes. JPG to PDF packages images as document pages, while PDF to JPG renders document pages as images.

Can I convert HEIC to JPG?

Yes. This is useful for iPhone photos that need to open on systems without HEIC support. JPG.now also lists JPG to HEIC.

Does converting JPG to SVG create a vector image?

Not automatically. A JPG is made of pixels. Placing or representing it in an SVG-compatible output does not recreate editable vector paths. True vectorization requires tracing or redrawing the image.

Is JPG.now free?

JPG.now offers free guest conversions with daily and file-size limits, plus optional account and paid plans. Limits and plan details can change, so check the website for the current terms.

About this repository

This independent guide explains the conversion workflows available through JPG.now. It does not contain the service's source code and is not an official support channel. Product features, supported formats, limits, pricing, and retention policies may change; consult the live website before relying on them for a production workflow.