File Operations MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides enhanced file operation capabilities with streaming, patching, and change tracking support.

Features

Basic File Operations: Copy, read, write, move, and delete files
Directory Operations: Create, remove, and copy directories
File Watching: Monitor files and directories for changes
Change Tracking: Track and query file operation history
Streaming Support: Handle large files efficiently with streaming
HTTP Interface: Streamable HTTP interface with Server-Sent Events (SSE)
Resource Support: Access files and directories through MCP resources
Progress Reporting: Real-time progress updates for long operations
Rate Limiting: Protection against excessive requests
Enhanced Security: Path validation and input sanitization
Robust Error Handling: Comprehensive error handling and reporting
Type Safety: Full TypeScript support with strict type checking
Docker Support: Containerized deployment with volume mounting

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install File Operations Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @bsmi021/mcp-file-operations-server --client claude

Manual Installation

npm install

Docker Installation

See DOCKER.md for comprehensive Docker setup instructions including local drive mounting for Windows and Linux.

Quick Docker Start:

# Stdio transport (for MCP clients)
docker run -it --rm -v "$(pwd):/workspace" ghcr.io/bsmi021/mcp-file-operations-server

# HTTP transport (for web/remote access)
docker run -it --rm -p 3001:3001 -v "$(pwd):/workspace" -e MCP_TRANSPORT=http ghcr.io/bsmi021/mcp-file-operations-server

Usage

Transport Modes

The server supports two transport modes:

1. Stdio Transport (Default)

For direct integration with MCP clients like Claude Desktop:

npm start

2. HTTP Transport with SSE (New in v1.5)

For remote connections and web applications:

npm run start:http

The HTTP server provides:

SSE Endpoint: GET http://localhost:3001/sse - Establishes streaming connection
Messages Endpoint: POST http://localhost:3001/messages - Receives client messages
Health Check: GET http://localhost:3001/health - Server status
Sessions: GET http://localhost:3001/sessions - Active connection info

Starting the Server

Development Mode

# Stdio transport with auto-reload
npm run dev

# HTTP transport with auto-reload
npm run dev:http

Production Mode

# Stdio transport
npm start

# HTTP transport
npm run start:http

# Custom port for HTTP
npm run start:http -- --port 8080

Available Tools

Basic File Operations

copy_file: Copy a file to a new location
read_file: Read content from a file
write_file: Write content to a file
move_file: Move/rename a file
delete_file: Delete a file
append_file: Append content to a file

Directory Operations

make_directory: Create a directory
remove_directory: Remove a directory
copy_directory: Copy a directory recursively (with progress reporting)

Watch Operations

watch_directory: Start watching a directory for changes
unwatch_directory: Stop watching a directory

Change Tracking

get_changes: Get the list of recorded changes
clear_changes: Clear all recorded changes

Available Resources

Static Resources

file:///recent-changes: List of recent file system changes

Resource Templates

file://{path}: Access file contents
metadata://{path}: Access file metadata
directory://{path}: List directory contents

Example Usage

Using Stdio Transport (MCP Clients)

// Copy a file
await fileOperations.copyFile({
    source: 'source.txt',
    destination: 'destination.txt',
    overwrite: false
});

// Watch a directory
await fileOperations.watchDirectory({
    path: './watched-dir',
    recursive: true
});

// Access file contents through resource
const resource = await mcp.readResource('file:///path/to/file.txt');
console.log(resource.contents[0].text);

// Copy directory with progress tracking
const result = await fileOperations.copyDirectory({
    source: './source-dir',
    destination: './dest-dir',
    overwrite: false
});
// Progress token in result can be used to track progress
console.log(result.progressToken);

Using HTTP Transport (Web/Remote)

Connecting via JavaScript:

// Establish SSE connection
const eventSource = new EventSource('http://localhost:3001/sse');
let sessionId = null;

eventSource.onopen = function() {
    console.log('Connected to MCP server');
};

eventSource.onmessage = function(event) {
    const message = JSON.parse(event.data);
    
    // Extract session ID from first message
    if (!sessionId && message.sessionId) {
        sessionId = message.sessionId;
    }
    
    console.log('Received:', message);
};

// Send a message to the server
async function sendMessage(method, params) {
    const message = {
        jsonrpc: '2.0',
        id: Date.now(),
        method: method,
        params: params
    };
    
    const response = await fetch('http://localhost:3001/messages', {
        method: 'POST',
        headers: {
            'Content-Type': 'application/json',
            'X-Session-ID': sessionId
        },
        body: JSON.stringify(message)
    });
    
    return response.json();
}

// Example: List tools
sendMessage('tools/list', {});

// Example: Read a file
sendMessage('tools/call', {
    name: 'read_file',
    arguments: { path: '/workspace/example.txt' }
});

Using curl for testing:

# Start SSE connection in background
curl -N http://localhost:3001/sse &

# Check server health
curl http://localhost:3001/health

# List active sessions
curl http://localhost:3001/sessions

Interactive Web Client:

A complete interactive example is available at examples/http-client.html. Open this file in a web browser to test the HTTP interface with a user-friendly GUI.

What's New in v1.5

MCP SDK v1.5 Upgrade

Streamable HTTP Interface: New HTTP transport with Server-Sent Events (SSE)
Enhanced API: Upgraded to MCP SDK v1.5 with improved zod-based schemas
Multiple Connections: Support for simultaneous HTTP connections with session management
Better Type Safety: Improved TypeScript integration and error handling

Streaming Features

Large File Support: Efficient streaming for large file operations
Real-time Progress: Progress updates via SSE for long-running operations
Session Management: Multiple client connections with isolated sessions
HTTP API: RESTful endpoints alongside traditional MCP protocol

Docker Support

Quick Start with Docker

# Build the image
docker build -t mcp-file-operations-server .

# Run with stdio (for MCP clients)
docker run -it --rm -v "$(pwd):/workspace" mcp-file-operations-server

# Run with HTTP interface
docker run -it --rm -p 3001:3001 -v "$(pwd):/workspace" -e MCP_TRANSPORT=http mcp-file-operations-server

Volume Mounting

Windows:

docker run -it --rm -v "C:\MyProject:/workspace" -p 3001:3001 -e MCP_TRANSPORT=http mcp-file-operations-server

Linux/macOS:

docker run -it --rm -v "/home/user/project:/workspace" -p 3001:3001 -e MCP_TRANSPORT=http mcp-file-operations-server

For comprehensive Docker setup instructions including local drive mounting for Windows and Linux, see DOCKER.md.

Rate Limits

The server implements rate limiting to prevent abuse:

Tools: 100 requests per minute
Resources: 200 requests per minute
Watch Operations: 20 operations per minute

Rate limit errors include a retry-after period in the error message.

Security Features

Path Validation

All file paths are validated to prevent directory traversal attacks:

No parent directory references (../)
Proper path normalization
Input sanitization

Resource Protection

Rate limiting on all operations
Proper error handling and logging
Input validation on all parameters
Safe resource cleanup

Progress Reporting

Long-running operations like directory copying provide progress updates:

interface ProgressUpdate {
    token: string | number;
    message: string;
    percentage: number;
}

Progress can be tracked through the progress token returned in the operation result.

Development

Building

npm run build

Linting

npm run lint

Formatting

npm run format

Testing

npm test

Configuration

Environment Variables

Variable	Default	Description
`MCP_TRANSPORT`	`stdio`	Transport mode: `stdio` or `http`
`MCP_HTTP_PORT`	`3001`	Port for HTTP transport

Transport Selection

Stdio: Best for MCP clients like Claude Desktop, direct integration
HTTP: Best for web applications, remote access, development/testing

The server can be configured through various settings:

Rate Limiting: Configure request limits and windows
Progress Reporting: Control update frequency and detail level
Resource Access: Configure resource permissions and limits
Security Settings: Configure path validation rules
Change Tracking: Set retention periods and storage options
Watch Settings: Configure debounce times and recursive watching

Error Handling

The server provides detailed error information through the FileOperationError class and MCP error codes:

Standard MCP Error Codes

InvalidRequest: Invalid parameters or request format
MethodNotFound: Unknown tool or resource requested
InvalidParams: Invalid parameters (e.g., path validation failure)
InternalError: Server-side errors

Custom Error Types

File operation failures
Rate limit exceeded
Path validation errors
Resource access errors

Each error includes:

Specific error code
Detailed error message
Relevant metadata (file paths, limits, etc.)
Stack traces in development mode

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing feature')
Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
Open a Pull Request

License

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

Install Server

HTTP connection URL

security – no known vulnerabilities

license - permissive license

quality - confirmed to work

How are these scores calculated?

hybrid server

The server is able to function both locally and remotely, depending on the configuration or use case.

Tools

View all tools

A Model Context Protocol server that enables enhanced file system operations including reading, writing, copying, moving files with streaming capabilities, directory management, file watching, and change tracking.

Related Resources

Reddit Discussion about this server

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