mcp-server-filesystem

Filesystem MCP Server

Node.js server implementing Model Context Protocol (MCP) for filesystem operations.

Features

• Read/write files
• Create/list/delete directories
• Move files/directories
• Search files
• Get file metadata
• Load files into model context

Note: The server will only allow operations within directories specified via args.

API

Resources

The server supports files and directories as resources:

• Files (file:///<path>)

  • Text files are provided as UTF-8 text
  • Binary files (images, PDFs, etc.) are provided as base64-encoded blobs
  • Automatic MIME type detection for common file types

• Directories (folder:///<path>)

  • Listed as resources with inode/directory MIME type
  • Contents provided as newline-separated file listing
  • Pagination support for large directories

Tools

• read_file

  • Read complete contents of a file
  • Input: path (string)
  • Reads complete file contents with UTF-8 encoding

• read_multiple_files

  • Read multiple files simultaneously
  • Input: paths (string[])
  • Failed reads won't stop the entire operation

• write_file

  • Create new file or overwrite existing (exercise caution with this)
  • Inputs:
    • path (string): File location
    • content (string): File content

• edit_file

  • Make selective edits using advanced pattern matching and formatting
  • Features:
    • Line-based and multi-line content matching
    • Whitespace normalization with indentation preservation
    • Fuzzy matching with confidence scoring
    • Multiple simultaneous edits with correct positioning
    • Indentation style detection and preservation
    • Git-style diff output with context
    • Preview changes with dry run mode
    • Failed match debugging with confidence scores
  • Inputs:
    • path (string): File to edit
    • edits (array): List of edit operations
      • oldText (string): Text to search for (can be substring)
      • newText (string): Text to replace with
    • dryRun (boolean): Preview changes without applying (default: false)
    • options (object): Optional formatting settings
      • preserveIndentation (boolean): Keep existing indentation (default: true)
      • normalizeWhitespace (boolean): Normalize spaces while preserving structure (default: true)
      • partialMatch (boolean): Enable fuzzy matching (default: true)
  • Returns detailed diff and match information for dry runs, otherwise applies changes
  • Best Practice: Always use dryRun first to preview changes before applying them

• create_directory

  • Create new directory or ensure it exists
  • Input: path (string)
  • Creates parent directories if needed
  • Succeeds silently if directory exists

• list_directory

  • List directory contents with [FILE] or [DIR] prefixes
  • Input: path (string)

• move_file

  • Move or rename files and directories
  • Inputs:
    • source (string)
    • destination (string)
  • Fails if destination exists

• search_files

  • Recursively search for files/directories
  • Inputs:
    • path (string): Starting directory
    • pattern (string): Search pattern
    • excludePatterns (string[]): Exclude any patterns. Glob formats are supported.
  • Case-insensitive matching
  • Returns full paths to matches

• get_file_info

  • Get detailed file/directory metadata
  • Input: path (string)
  • Returns:
    • Size
    • Creation time
    • Modified time
    • Access time
    • Type (file/directory)
    • Permissions

• list_allowed_directories

  • List all directories the server is allowed to access
  • No input required
  • Returns:
    • Directories that this server can read/write from

Prompts

• load_file

  • Load and a single file into model context
  • Input: path (string, absolute path to file)
  • Automatic file type detection and handling, supports text, image, and binary files
  • Only supports files in allowed directories

• load_folder

  • Recursively load all files in a folder into model context
  • Input: path (string, absolute path to folder)
  • Automatic file type detection and handling, supports text, image, and binary files
  • Limit of 30 files
  • Only supports files in allowed directories

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/username/Desktop",
        "/path/to/other/allowed/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

License

This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.