MCP File Downloader 🚀

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables Claude Desktop to download files from the web, with automatic browser fallback for JavaScript-heavy sites.

🎯 Why This Exists

Claude Desktop can't natively download files. This MCP server bridges that gap, providing:

• Direct HTTP downloads with smart redirect handling

• Automatic browser-based fallback for complex sites

• Seamless integration with Claude Desktop

Perfect for downloading datasets, documents, and files from sites that use JavaScript for download links.

✨ Features

• Smart Download Strategy: Tries HTTP first, falls back to browser if needed

• 10-Level Redirect Support: Handles complex redirect chains

• JavaScript Rendering: Uses Playwright for sites requiring browser execution

• Flexible File Naming: Auto-names from URL or accepts custom names

• Cross-Platform: Works on Windows, macOS, and Linux

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Node.js 18+

• Claude Desktop

Installation

1. Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/yourusername/mcp-file-downloader.git
cd mcp-file-downloader

2. Install dependencies:

npm install

3. Add to Claude Desktop config:

Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "file-downloader": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:\\path\\to\\mcp-file-downloader\\download-server.js"]
    }
  }
}

4. Restart Claude Desktop

📖 Usage

In Claude Desktop, you can now download files:

"Download this file: https://example.com/data.csv"

"Get the PDF from https://example.com/report.pdf and save it as quarterly_report.pdf"

"Download https://site-with-javascript.com/dynamic-file.xlsx" 
(automatically uses browser if HTTP fails)

Parameters

• url (required): The URL to download from

• filename (optional): Save as this filename. Can include full path

• use_browser (optional): Force browser download method

🔧 Advanced Usage

Force Browser Mode

For sites that always need JavaScript:

"Download https://complex-site.com/file.zip using browser mode"

Custom Save Location

"Download https://example.com/data.csv to ~/Documents/mydata.csv"

📂 Project Structure

mcp-file-downloader/
├── download-server.js    # MCP server implementation
├── package.json          # Dependencies
├── LICENSE              # MIT license
├── README.md           # This file
└── CLAUDE_HINTS.md     # Advanced documentation

🤝 Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

Development Setup

1. Fork the repository

2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/AmazingFeature)

3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some AmazingFeature')

4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/AmazingFeature)

5. Open a Pull Request

🐛 Troubleshooting

"Too many redirects" error

The site likely requires JavaScript. Use use_browser: true parameter.

Downloads failing

Check that Node.js has write permissions to your download directory.

Claude doesn't see the tool

1. Verify the path in claude_desktop_config.json is correct

2. Fully quit Claude Desktop (check system tray)

3. Restart Claude Desktop

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built for the Model Context Protocol ecosystem

• Uses Playwright for browser automation

• Inspired by the need to download ETF holdings data in Claude Desktop

📧 Contact

For questions or support, please open an issue on GitHub.

Note: This is an independent project and not officially affiliated with Anthropic or Claude.