Everything MCP Server

Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for Everything, the blazing-fast file search engine for Windows. Enables instant file and folder searching through MCP.

Features

• Lightning Fast: Leverages Everything's instant search capabilities

• Powerful Search Syntax: Wildcards, regex, boolean operators, size filters, date filters

• File Details: Get comprehensive file information (size, dates, attributes)

• Flexible Filtering: Filter by type, size, date, attributes, and more

• Sorting: Sort results by name, path, size, extension, or dates

Prerequisites

Windows Only - Everything search engine must be installed:

1. Download Everything: https://www.voidtools.com/downloads/

2. Install Everything and let it index your drives

3. Verify es.exe (command-line interface) is available:

   • Usually located at: C:\\Program Files\\Everything\\es.exe

   • Or install via Scoop: scoop install everything

Installation

Using NPX (Recommended)

Global Installation

From Source

Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your claude_desktop_config.json:

Using NPX

Using Global Install

Custom es.exe Path

If es.exe is not in your PATH, set the ES_PATH environment variable:

VS Code

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

Available Tools

1. search

Search for files and folders using Everything's powerful search syntax.

Parameters:

• query (required): Search query using Everything syntax

• maxResults (optional): Maximum number of results (default: 50)

• regex (optional): Use regular expression search (default: false)

• caseSensitive (optional): Match case (default: false)

• wholeWord (optional): Match whole words only (default: false)

• matchPath (optional): Match full path and filename (default: false)

• foldersOnly (optional): Return only folders (default: false)

• filesOnly (optional): Return only files (default: false)

• sortBy (optional): Sort by name, path, size, extension, date-created, date-modified, date-accessed

• sortDescending (optional): Sort in descending order (default: false)

• showSize (optional): Include file size in results (default: false)

• showDateModified (optional): Include date modified in results (default: false)

• parentPath (optional): Search only within this parent path

Example:

2. get_file_info

Get detailed information about a specific file.

Parameters:

• filename (required): Full path or filename to get information about

Returns: File size, creation date, modification date, access date, and attributes

Example:

Everything Search Syntax

Everything supports powerful search syntax:

Basic Search

• Simple text: readme

• Wildcards: *.txt, file?.doc

• Multiple terms: report 2024 (AND is implicit)

Boolean Operators

• AND: file AND document or file document

• OR: txt OR doc

• NOT: NOT backup or !backup

File Extensions

• Single: ext:jpg

• Multiple: ext:jpg;png;gif

Size Filters

• Exact: size:1024kb

• Greater than: size:>1mb

• Less than: size:<100kb

• Range: size:1mb..10mb

Date Filters

• Modified: dm:today, dm:lastweek, dm:2024

• Created: dc:yesterday

• Accessed: da:thismonth

Attributes

• Hidden: attrib:H

• Read-only: attrib:R

• System: attrib:S

• Directory: attrib:D

Path Matching

• In folder: path:C:\\Users\\

• Parent: parent:Downloads

Advanced

• Regex: Enable with regex: true parameter

• Case-sensitive: Enable with caseSensitive: true

• Whole word: Enable with wholeWord: true

See Everything Search Syntax for complete reference.

Usage Examples

Example 1: Find Recent JavaScript Files

Tell Claude:

Claude will use:

Example 2: Find Large Files

Tell Claude:

Claude will use:

Example 3: Search in Specific Directory

Tell Claude:

Claude will use:

Example 4: Get File Information

Tell Claude:

Claude will use:

How It Works

1. Everything Service: Everything runs as a Windows service, maintaining a real-time index of all files

2. es.exe: Command-line interface to query the Everything database

3. MCP Server: Wraps es.exe and provides MCP tools for Claude

4. Instant Results: Searches complete in milliseconds, even across millions of files

Troubleshooting

Everything Not Found

Error: Failed to execute es.exe

Solutions:

1. Verify Everything is installed: Download from https://www.voidtools.com/

2. Ensure Everything service is running (check system tray)

3. Verify es.exe location:

   • Default: C:\\Program Files\\Everything\\es.exe

   • Scoop: C:\\Users\\<username>\\scoop\\apps\\everything\\current\\es.exe

4. Set ES_PATH environment variable in MCP config

No Results Found

Causes:

• Query doesn't match any files

• Everything database not fully indexed yet

• Incorrect search syntax

Solutions:

• Try a broader search term

• Check Everything GUI to verify files are indexed

• Review search syntax

Permission Issues

Issue: Can't access certain directories

Solution: Run Everything as administrator or adjust folder permissions

Development

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository

2. Create a feature branch

3. Make your changes

4. Test thoroughly

5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Everything by voidtools - The amazing search engine

• Model Context Protocol by Anthropic

Links

• NPM Package: https://www.npmjs.com/package/@danielsimonjr/everything-mcp

• GitHub Repository: https://github.com/danielsimonjr/everything-mcp

• Everything Search: https://www.voidtools.com/

• MCP Documentation: https://modelcontextprotocol.io

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