CHM to Markdown Converter

by DTDucas

83 stars

617 downloads

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GitHub Website

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About

A Python utility that converts Compiled HTML Help (.chm) files into clean Markdown. It uses a profile system—a generic profile works with any CHM file, and a revit profile is built for Autodesk Revit API documentation. Designed for developers and technical writers who need a…

Details

Author: DTDucas
GitHub stars: 83
Downloads: 617
Categories: Other

- Profile-based conversion with generic or revit profiles
- Auto‑encoding detection via chardet (UTF-8, GB18030, GBK, GB2312, etc.)
- Cross‑platform 7‑Zip detection (Windows, Linux, macOS)
- Flexible CHM structure support (flat, nested, DirectX SDK style)
- Preserving code blocks with language detection (C#, VB, C++, F#, Python, etc.)
- Generating file_index.json, id_lookup.json, and index.md for AI integration

Setting up with Highlight

This MCP is not yet compatible with Highlight’s one-click setup. However, you can still use it with Highlight by following these steps:

Download and install Highlight from highlightai.com/download
Navigate to the plugins tab and select "Add Custom Plugin"
Configure the plugin with the settings below

Plugin Name CHM to Markdown Converter

Command (node, npx, python, etc.)

Please refer to the README for specific instructions on how to obtain API keys or other required environment variables.
Enable "Start Automatically" if you want the plugin to start when Highlight launches

Setting up with Cursor

Open Cursor's settings
Navigate to the MCP section
Click "Add new Global MCP server"
Copy and paste the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop's settings
Go to the Integrations tab
Click "Add MCP Server"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

Note: Make sure Claude Desktop is running before attempting to connect.

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Windsurf

Open Windsurf's preferences
Go to the Integrations section
Click "Add MCP Integration"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Cline

Open Cline's settings
Navigate to the Integrations section
Click "Add MCP Server"
Copy and paste the configuration below based on your operating system

Note: Make sure to restart Cline after adding the configuration.

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

Setting up with Goose

Open Goose's preferences
Go to the Integrations tab
Select "MCP Servers"
Click "Add New Server"
Use the configuration below based on your operating system

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

JSON

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

From the repository

Install Python 3.10+ and 7-Zip (must be on PATH). Clone the repository, run pip install -r requirements.txt, place .chm files in the resources/ folder, then execute python chm_to_markdown.py. Use --single, --all, --profile, --preserve-structure, --keep-html, and concurrency tuning flags as needed.

Claude Desktop / Cursor

Paste into your MCP client config file to install this server.

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "chm to markdown converter": {
            "chm-to-markdown": {
                "command": "python",
                "args": [
                    "chm_to_markdown.py"
                ]
            }
        }
    }
}

McpServers

{
    "chm-to-markdown": {
        "command": "python",
        "args": [
            "chm_to_markdown.py"
        ]
    }
}

CHM to Markdown Converter

A Python utility for converting Compiled HTML Help (.chm) files into clean Markdown, with built-in support for multiple document types through a profile system.

Originally built for Autodesk Revit API documentation; the generic profile works with any CHM file.

Features

- Profile-based conversion — generic profile for any CHM, revit profile for Autodesk Revit API docs
- Auto encoding detection — handles UTF-8, GB18030, GBK, GB2312, and more via chardet
- Cross-platform 7-Zip detection — finds 7z/7za/7zz on PATH (Windows, Linux, macOS)
- Flexible CHM structure support — handles html/ subdirectory, flat, and deeply nested layouts (e.g. DirectX SDK)
- --preserve-structure — optionally mirrors the CHM's internal folder hierarchy in the output instead of flattening everything into data/
- Code block preservation — detects language from class names and named divs; supports C#, VB, C++, F#, Python, Java, JS/TS, Bash, SQL, XML, JSON
- Table normalization — cleans and re-formats Markdown tables
- Index generation — produces file_index.json, id_lookup.json, and index.md for search and AI integration
- Async + batched processing — bounded concurrency and periodic GC prevent memory overflow on large CHM files (6 000+ pages)

Project Structure

chm_converter/ # Core package ├── config.py # ConversionConfig dataclass + built-in profiles ├── encoding.py # Encoding detection (chardet + CJK fallbacks) ├── extractor.py # CHM extraction via 7-Zip; HTML folder detection ├── html_processor.py # HTML cleaning, link rewriting, code block extraction ├── md_converter.py # HTML → Markdown conversion + post-processing ├── indexer.py # File dictionary building + index file generation └── pipeline.py # High-level async pipeline (process_chm_file, process_all_chm_files)

chm_to_markdown.py # CLI entry point resources/ # Place CHM files here output/ # Generated Markdown (created automatically)

Output layout

output/
└── <name>/
    ├── core/
    │   ├── file_index.json   # id → {title, filename, version}
    │   ├── id_lookup.json    # lowercase id → {title, filename, keywords, version}
    │   └── index.md          # alphabetical navigation page
    └── data/
        ├── Topic1.md
        ├── Topic2.md
        └── ...

Requirements

- Python 3.10+
- 7-Zip — 7z must be reachable via the default install path or PATH
- Windows: installs to C:\Program Files\7-Zip\7z.exe by default, or add to PATH
- Linux: sudo apt install p7zip-full
- macOS: brew install p7zip

Installation

git clone https://github.com/DTDucas/chm-converter.git
cd chm-converter
pip install -r requirements.txt

Usage

Place .chm files in the resources/ folder, then run:

```bash

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Details

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Setting up with Highlight

From the repository

Claude Desktop / Cursor

McpServers

CHM to Markdown Converter

Features

Project Structure

Output layout

Requirements

Installation

Usage

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