What would the idmly API do?

Send a self-contained HTML file, or a public URL to one, in a single authenticated POST and get back a native, editable Adobe InDesign .idml — the exact same conversion engine the idmly website runs, with no browser and no manual upload.

Who is the idmly API for?

Teams that need conversion programmatically or at scale: AI and design tools that want to hand users an editable InDesign file, agencies and studios with batch pipelines, SaaS products that generate documents, and publishers automating layout. Individual designers converting the odd file are better served by the free web converter.

Will the API output match the web tool?

Yes — identical. The API would call the same engine as the site, so you get the same native, editable .idml: real text frames, named paragraph and character styles, editable vector charts and tables, and linked images.

API · MCP · live

An API for HTML → editable InDesign

Q: Is the idmly API available yet?

Yes. An MCP server (npm idmly-mcp) works in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Windsurf; the engine also exposes a hosted MCP endpoint and a REST endpoint (POST /convert). The first two pages of any design convert free, and the $49 lifetime license covers all three.

Q: Can I convert at scale today?

Yes. POST /convert and the MCP endpoint are public today under the same per-address rate limits as the website. For batch volumes beyond those limits, get in touch and it will be provisioned for your use case.

Live · an MCP server, a hosted endpoint and plain REST

idmly already converts a self-contained HTML/CSS design into a native, editable Adobe InDesign .idml — the API puts that same engine behind one POST: send a file or a public URL, get back the .idml. No browser, no upload, no manual step.

It's live, three ways: the idmly-mcp server for Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Windsurf (npx -y idmly-mcp), a hosted MCP endpoint for remote agents, and plain REST. The first two pages convert free; the $49 license covers all of it. Running it at volume, or need a contract? Tell me below.

The web converter is one file at a time, by hand. The API is the same conversion, made callable — for the tools and teams that need it to happen automatically, at volume, inside their own product.

What you'd build with it

The web tool serves a designer with one file. The API serves a system. The clearest fits:

→AI & design tools. Your product generates HTML layouts — reports, decks, one-pagers. Today your users export a screenshot or a flat PDF. With the API you hand them a real, editable InDesign file. The whole premise of idmly is "AI design → InDesign"; the API is how other tools plug into that.
→Agencies & studios with a pipeline. A folder of HTML designs, or a templated report run weekly, converted in one batch instead of one upload at a time.
→SaaS that generates documents. Invoices, brochures, catalogues, certificates — give customers an InDesign-editable version as an export option, server-side.
→Publishers automating layout. Push templated HTML through to .idml as a step in an existing content workflow.

What it looks like

From an AI agent, one line installs the MCP server; from your own code, one endpoint with your license key, a file or a URL in, an .idml out:

# Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf: add the MCP server (free trial, no key needed)
claude mcp add idmly -- npx -y idmly-mcp

# REST: a self-contained HTML design → editable .idml
curl -X POST https://idmly-production.up.railway.app/convert \
  -F "file=@report.html" \
  -F "license_key=<your key>" -F "instance_id=<from the X-Idmly-Instance header>" \
  -o report.idml

# …or straight from a hosted URL
curl -X POST https://idmly-production.up.railway.app/convert \
  -F "url=https://yoursite.com/report.html" \
  -F "license_key=<your key>" -F "instance_id=<from the X-Idmly-Instance header>" \
  -o report.idml

# hosted MCP endpoint (remote agents, OpenAI Responses API)
https://idmly-production.up.railway.app/mcp   Authorization: Bearer <your key>

The first licensed reply carries an X-Idmly-Instance header; send it back as instance_id on later calls, or each call activates a new device against your license. A design with images comes back as a zip holding converted.idml and a Links/ folder. Leave the key out and you get the free trial: the first two pages.

Same engine as the site, so the output is identical: real text frames, named paragraph and character styles, editable vector charts and tables, and images placed and linked. Not a flattened PDF, not a screenshot — a native InDesign document.

Running it at volume?

The $49 license is for one person's use. For team seats, a REST contract, invoicing, or thousands of conversions a month, tell me what you'd run and I'll price it with you.

Frequently asked questions

Is the idmly API available yet?

Yes. The idmly-mcp server works in Claude Code, Cursor, Codex and Windsurf (npx -y idmly-mcp), and the same engine is reachable as a hosted MCP endpoint and a plain REST endpoint (POST /convert). The first two pages of any design convert free; the $49 lifetime license covers all three.

What does the API do?

Send a self-contained HTML file, or a public URL to one, in a single POST, and get back a native, editable .idml — the exact same conversion engine the web converter runs. An agent does the same through the MCP tool, and gets the file written next to its HTML.

Who is it for?

Teams that need conversion programmatically or at scale: AI and design tools that want to give users an editable InDesign file, agencies with batch pipelines, SaaS products that generate documents, and publishers automating layout. Converting the odd file by hand? The free web converter is the better fit.

How is it priced?

The $49 one-time license covers the website, the MCP server and the REST endpoint for one person's use. Team seats, high volumes, contracts and invoicing are priced by arrangement — tell me your expected monthly volume in the form above and I'll quote it.

Will the output match the web tool?

Yes, identical. The API calls the same engine as the site, so you get the same native, editable .idml: real text frames, named styles, editable vector charts and tables, linked images. What IDML is →

Can I convert at scale today?

Yes. POST /convert and the MCP endpoint are public today, under the same per-address rate limits as the website. For batch volumes beyond those limits, use the form above and I'll provision it for your use case.

Need it for one file, not a pipeline?

The web converter turns any HTML/CSS design into an editable InDesign file — first two pages free, no signup.

Open the converter — free → Request API access