Filesystem MCP

Name: Filesystem MCP
Author: j0hanz

by j0hanz

Let your AI read, write, and manage local files safely

filesystem Node.js Beginner Self-hostable No API key Verified

📅 Updated: 2w ago

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Description

Filesystem MCP is one of the foundational building blocks of the MCP ecosystem. It gives AI assistants the ability to read, write, create, move, and search files on your local machine through a controlled, permission-aware interface. Rather than relying on the AI to generate file content that you manually copy-paste into place, Filesystem MCP lets the model work directly with your project files. The server operates within explicitly defined directory boundaries. When you configure it, you specify which directories the AI is allowed to access, and it cannot escape those boundaries. This sandbox approach means you get the productivity benefits of AI-driven file operations without the risk of unintended changes to system files or other projects. Every operation is scoped and auditable. Beyond basic read and write, Filesystem MCP includes practical utilities that make it genuinely useful for day-to-day development. The `search_files` tool lets the AI find files by pattern matching across your project. The `edit_file` tool enables surgical modifications to existing files without rewriting them entirely. And `read_multiple_files` allows the AI to efficiently gather context from several files at once, which is essential for understanding how different parts of a codebase relate to each other.

✅ Best for

Any developer using MCP-compatible AI assistants who wants the model to interact with project files directly instead of just generating code snippets

⏭️ Skip if

You only work with cloud-based files or need database-level storage — look at specialized MCP servers for those use cases

💡 Use cases

Scaffolding new projects by letting the AI create directory structures and boilerplate files
Refactoring operations that touch multiple files, like renaming a module and updating all imports
Searching through project files to gather context before making code changes

👍 Pros

✓ Sandboxed by design — the AI can only access directories you explicitly allow
✓ Includes file search and multi-file read for efficient codebase exploration
✓ Surgical file editing without needing to rewrite entire files

👎 Cons

✗ Restricted to local filesystem — no support for remote or cloud storage
✗ Large file operations may hit token limits depending on file sizes

🔧 Exposed tools (10 tools)

Tool	Category	Description
create_directory	management	Create a new directory, including any necessary parent directories
move_file	management	Move or rename a file or directory to a new location
delete_file	management	Delete a file or empty directory at the specified path
read_file	read	Read the full contents of a file at the specified path
list_directory	read	List all files and subdirectories within a given directory
get_file_info	read	Retrieve metadata about a file including size, modification date, and permissions
read_multiple_files	read	Read the contents of several files at once for efficient context gathering
search_files	search	Search for files matching a name pattern across the allowed directories
write_file	write	Create or overwrite a file with the provided content
edit_file	write	Apply targeted edits to an existing file using pattern-based replacements

⚡ Installation

Prerequisites:

• Node.js

claude mcp add filesystem -- npx @anthropic-ai/filesystem-mcp@latest /path/to/allowed/dir

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@anthropic-ai/filesystem-mcp@latest", "/path/to/allowed/dir"]
    }
  }
}

💡 Tips & tricks

Configure the allowed directories to be as specific as possible. Instead of granting access to your entire home directory, point it at individual project roots. This keeps the AI focused and reduces the chance of accidental modifications. When you need the AI to understand a complex codebase, start by asking it to use `search_files` and `read_multiple_files` to build context before making changes. The `edit_file` tool is particularly useful for small, targeted changes to large files where rewriting the whole file would be wasteful.

Quick info

Author: j0hanz
License
Runtime: Node.js
Transport: stdio
Category: filesystem
Difficulty: Beginner
Self-hostable: ✅
API key: No API key needed
Docker: —
Version: 1.5.1
Updated: Feb 5, 2026

Client compatibility

✅ Claude Code
✅ Cursor
✅ VS Code Copilot
✅ Gemini CLI
✅ Windsurf
✅ Cline
✅ JetBrains AI
✅ Warp

Platforms

🍎 macOS 🐧 Linux 🪟 Windows