Overview

The MCP Filesystem Server enables AI models to safely interact with local file systems through the Model Context Protocol. It provides controlled access to read, write, and manage files within specified directories, making it essential for AI-powered file management and code editing tasks.

Official Server:

Developed and maintained by Anthropic

Key Features

📁

File Operations

Read, write, and edit files with UTF-8 encoding support

🗂️

Directory Management

Create, list, and navigate directory structures

🔍

Search & Metadata

Search files recursively and retrieve detailed file metadata

🔒

Secure Boundaries

Operations restricted to specified allowed directories only

Available Tools

Quick Reference

Tool	Purpose	Category
`read_file`	Read complete file contents	Read
`read_multiple_files`	Read multiple files at once	Read
`write_file`	Create or overwrite file	Write
`edit_file`	Make selective edits to file	Write
`create_directory`	Create new directory	Directory
`list_directory`	List directory contents	Directory
`move_file`	Move or rename files	File Ops
`search_files`	Search for files recursively	Search
`get_file_info`	Get file metadata	Metadata
`list_allowed_directories`	List accessible directories	Info

Detailed Usage

read_file▶

Read complete file contents with UTF-8 encoding.

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "read_file",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/file.txt"
  }
});

Returns full file contents as string.

read_multiple_files▶

Read multiple files simultaneously for efficiency.

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "read_multiple_files",
  arguments: {
    paths: [
      "/path/to/file1.txt",
      "/path/to/file2.js",
      "/path/to/file3.md"
    ]
  }
});

Returns array of file contents.

write_file▶

Create new file or overwrite existing file with content.

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "write_file",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/output.txt",
    content: "Hello, World!\nThis is a new file."
  }
});

Exercise caution - overwrites existing files without warning.

edit_file▶

Make selective edits using pattern matching with indentation preservation.

// Preview changes first (dry run)
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "edit_file",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/code.js",
    edits: [
      {
        oldText: "const foo = 'bar';",
        newText: "const foo = 'baz';"
      }
    ],
    dryRun: true
  }
});

// Apply edits
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "edit_file",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/code.js",
    edits: [
      {
        oldText: "const foo = 'bar';",
        newText: "const foo = 'baz';"
      }
    ],
    dryRun: false
  }
});

Always use dryRun: true first to preview changes.

create_directory▶

Create new directory with automatic parent directory creation.

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "create_directory",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/new/nested/directory"
  }
});

Succeeds silently if directory already exists.

list_directory▶

List directory contents with file/directory type indicators.

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "list_directory",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/directory"
  }
});

Returns items prefixed with [FILE] or [DIR].

move_file▶

Move or rename files and directories.

// Rename file
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "move_file",
  arguments: {
    source: "/path/to/old-name.txt",
    destination: "/path/to/new-name.txt"
  }
});

// Move to different directory
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "move_file",
  arguments: {
    source: "/path/to/file.txt",
    destination: "/new/path/file.txt"
  }
});

Fails if destination already exists.

search_files▶

Recursively search for files and directories by pattern.

// Search for JavaScript files
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "search_files",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/project",
    pattern: "*.js"
  }
});

// Search with exclusions
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "search_files",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/project",
    pattern: "*.ts",
    excludePatterns: ["node_modules/**", "dist/**", "*.test.ts"]
  }
});

Supports glob patterns for matching and exclusion.

get_file_info▶

Get detailed metadata for files or directories.

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "get_file_info",
  arguments: {
    path: "/path/to/file.txt"
  }
});

Returns size, timestamps, type, and permissions.

list_allowed_directories▶

List all directories the server is allowed to access.

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "list_allowed_directories",
  arguments: {}
});

Returns configured allowed directory paths.

Installation

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

Security:

Only directories listed in args will be accessible. Operations outside these paths will be blocked.

Common Use Cases

Code Editing

Make surgical edits to source files:

use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "edit_file",
  arguments: {
    path: "/project/src/config.js",
    edits: [
      {
        oldText: "API_URL = 'http://localhost:3000'",
        newText: "API_URL = 'https://api.production.com'"
      }
    ],
    dryRun: true  // Preview first
  }
});

Project Exploration

Search and analyze project structure:

// Find all TypeScript files
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "search_files",
  arguments: {
    path: "/project",
    pattern: "*.ts",
    excludePatterns: ["node_modules/**", "dist/**"]
  }
});

// Read configuration files
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "read_multiple_files",
  arguments: {
    paths: [
      "/project/package.json",
      "/project/tsconfig.json",
      "/project/.env"
    ]
  }
});

File Organization

Organize and structure files:

// Create directory structure
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "create_directory",
  arguments: {
    path: "/project/src/components/ui"
  }
});

// Move files to new structure
use_mcp_tool({
  server_name: "filesystem",
  tool_name: "move_file",
  arguments: {
    source: "/project/Button.tsx",
    destination: "/project/src/components/ui/Button.tsx"
  }
});

Security Model

The filesystem server implements strict security boundaries:

Allowed Directories: Only paths specified in server args are accessible
Path Validation: All paths are validated to prevent directory traversal attacks
No Deletion: Server does not provide file deletion capabilities
Read-Only Mounts: Docker supports read-only directory mounting

Sources

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Model Context Protocol (MCP): Open Standard for AI Integration

The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard enabling AI systems to connect with diverse data sources, tools, and services, eliminating custom integrations for seamless interaction.

Filesystem MCP Server