LibreTranslate MCP: machine translation for agents
LibreTranslate MCP
A translation MCP from the LibreTranslate team: the agent detects a text's language, translates it and lists supported languages with three tools
- 7 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- AGPL-3.0
Extended access
Why this level
- The text to translate is sent over the network to the external LibreTranslate service
- The API key must be stored in the client's environment variable
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/libretranslate-mcpDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewExtended accessThe tool runs code or makes network calls and only reads external data.
- The text to translate is sent over the network to the external LibreTranslate service
- The API key must be stored in the client's environment variable
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
LibreTranslate MCP connects an agent to LibreTranslate machine translation. It is a Model Context Protocol server written in TypeScript. It accepts calls from the agent and forwards them to the LibreTranslate API, whose address is set with an environment variable. There are three tools. `detect` identifies the language of the text passed in, `translate` translates text from one language into another, and `languages` returns the languages the chosen translation server supports. The server starts with npx from the `@libretranslate/mcp` package, so no separate install is needed. The API address is set with `LIBRETRANSLATE_API_URL`, which defaults to https://libretranslate.com. The key goes in `LIBRETRANSLATE_API_KEY` and is required for the public libretranslate.com address. The project description gives configs for Claude and OpenCode. The MCP server is released under AGPL-3.0.
Who it is for. For developers and editors who need text translated inside a conversation with an agent in Claude or OpenCode without leaving for a separate service.
Good fit when
- You need to quickly detect the language of an incoming message and translate it into Russian
- You need to translate a set of interface strings or documentation and prefer not to leave the translation itself to the model
- You want to find out which languages a specific LibreTranslate server supports before planning localization
- You want to build translation into an agent chain together with other MCP tools
Not a fit when
- You need to translate a PDF with equations while keeping the layout: PDFMathTranslate fits scientific papers
- You need to translate a whole book in EPUB or DOCX: the translate-book skill exists for that
- The text is confidential and you use the public libretranslate.com: the text goes to an external server
- You have no API key and use the libretranslate.com address: that address does not work without a key
Example request
Detect the language of this letter and translate it into Russian, then show which languages the server can translate intoMCP
- Transport
- stdio
- Authentication
- API key
Environment variables
LIBRETRANSLATE_API_URL- LibreTranslate API address, https://libretranslate.com by default.
LIBRETRANSLATE_API_KEYrequired, secret- LibreTranslate service API key, required for the libretranslate.com address.
Limitations
The libretranslate.com address requires an API key, which you get from the LibreTranslate service. The project description gives no details on pricing, request limits or translation quality; check the LibreTranslate site for those.
The server offers only three actions: detect a language, translate and list languages. It has no whole-document translation, batch file processing or glossaries. The project description is short, configs are given for Claude and OpenCode, and setup for other agents was not tested. The AGPL-3.0 license sets conditions for anyone who modifies the server code and offers it over a network.
How to disable. Delete the libretranslate block from your client's MCP config and restart it. You can revoke the API key in your LibreTranslate account.
FAQ
Is there an MCP for translating text in Claude?
Yes, LibreTranslate MCP adds translation to Claude through the LibreTranslate service. The server starts with npx from the @libretranslate/mcp package and gives three tools: language detection, translation and a language list.
Do I need a key for LibreTranslate MCP?
For the libretranslate.com address the API key is required, set in the LIBRETRANSLATE_API_KEY variable. The API address can be changed with the LIBRETRANSLATE_API_URL variable.
What tools does LibreTranslate MCP have?
Three: detect identifies the language of a text, translate translates text from one language into another and languages lists the supported languages.
How do I connect LibreTranslate MCP to OpenCode?
In opencode.json add an mcp block named LibreTranslate with the type local and the command npx -y @libretranslate/mcp. In the environment field set LIBRETRANSLATE_API_URL and LIBRETRANSLATE_API_KEY.
How does LibreTranslate MCP differ from translate-book?
LibreTranslate MCP translates short texts on request through an external service. The translate-book skill translates whole books in PDF, DOCX and EPUB using parallel subagents.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Authentication | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| LibreTranslate MCP: machine translation for agents (this card) | yes | API key | 7 | |
| PDFMathTranslate | yes | not required | 38,408 | translation of scientific PDFs with equations and preserved layout, while this server translates short texts on request |
| translate-book | no | 2,402 | a skill that translates books in PDF, DOCX and EPUB with parallel subagents, while this server offers simple phrase translation through an API |
README in short
The description has three parts: two config blocks for OpenCode and Claude, a table of environment variables and a list of three tools with one-line explanations. The project calls itself an MCP server connecting agents to LibreTranslate to give them machine translation. The repository has build and package publishing workflows.