#3MCP server

Filesystem MCP Server

Reference server for scoped read and write access to local folders

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of 445 · by weekly downloads

Weekly downloads

624K

npm + PyPI, last 7 days

Add it to your client

Official

Install

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/dir

mcpServers

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/path/to/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Transport: stdio
Runtime: Node
Auth: Not required
Tools: 13
License: MIT

Tools

read_text_fileread_media_fileread_multiple_fileswrite_fileedit_filecreate_directorylist_directorylist_directory_with_sizesdirectory_treemove_filesearch_filesget_file_info+1

Connect the Filesystem server to Claude Desktop or another MCP client and the model can open, edit and search files inside the directories you allow, and nowhere else. It is one of the reference servers maintained in the modelcontextprotocol/servers repository.

Setup

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/dir /path/to/other runs over stdio with no key. Each path argument becomes an allowed directory. Clients that support MCP Roots can send their own list at runtime, and it replaces the command-line list entirely. With no arguments and no roots, the server fails at startup. The Docker image mcp/filesystem expects mounts under /projects; add ro to a mount to make it read-only.

What it exposes

read_text_file (with head/tail), read_media_file, read_multiple_files
write_file, and edit_file with a dryRun mode that returns a git-style diff
create_directory, list_directory, list_directory_with_sizes, directory_tree
move_file, search_files (glob patterns), get_file_info, list_allowed_directories

Every tool carries MCP tool annotations, so a client can tell read-only calls from ones that overwrite or move files.

Limits

write_file overwrites existing files, and move_file removes the source.

Start here if you are learning MCP or want a chat client to work inside one project folder.

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