ftp-deploy-mcp

The deploy button for AI coding agents. Claude Code · Claude Desktop · Cursor · Windsurf · Trae · Antigravity → your own FTP / FTPS / SFTP servers.

Version française → README.fr.md

Your agent runs the deploy — you just ask.

Why

• Every web project ends the same way: "now put it on the server."

• AI agents write great code, but most have no safe way to ship it to classic hosting — OVH, Ionos, Hostinger, o2switch and the rest of the shared-hosting world still run on FTP/SFTP, not git push.

• ftp-deploy-mcp gives any MCP client a deploy path to your own infrastructure, in the same conversation where the code was written.

• Unlike generic SSH-exec MCP servers, this one is purpose-built for file deployment: a path jail, a read-only mode, dry-run, and credentials that never enter the model's context.

Related MCP server: mcp-remote-ssh

Features

Quickstart

1. git clone https://github.com/alebgl77/ftp-deploy-mcp.git && cd ftp-deploy-mcp

2. Run install.cmd (double-click, Windows) or ./install.sh (macOS / Linux).

3. Restart your IDE and ask your agent: "Deploy ./dist to prod."

How it works

flowchart LR
subgraph agents [AI agents]
  A[Claude Code]; B[Cursor]; C[Windsurf]; D[Trae]; E[Antigravity]
end
agents -- MCP stdio --> S[ftp-deploy-mcp<br/>10 tools · path jail · read-only guard]
S -- FTP / FTPS --> F[(your web hosts)]
S -- SFTP --> G[(your servers)]
K[ftp-servers.json<br/>credentials stay local] -.-> S

1. What it is

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that runs over stdio and exposes 10 tools to your coding agent. Credentials live in a local config file and never travel through the LLM context. Every remote operation is confined under a root you choose per server.

Requires Node.js >= 18. No native dependency to compile.

2. Installation

⚡ One-command install (recommended)

git clone https://github.com/alebgl77/ftp-deploy-mcp.git
cd ftp-deploy-mcp

Then launch the wizard:

• Windows: double-click install.cmd.

• macOS / Linux: ./install.sh (run chmod +x install.sh first if needed).

• Or manually: npm install && npm run setup.

The setup wizard does everything for you:

• builds or imports your server configuration (including a FileZilla import of your existing sites);

• tests the connection to each server;

• automatically writes the config files of the detected MCP clients (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Antigravity) — with a .backup-<date> backup before modifying any existing file;

• prints (and copies) a paste-ready block for Trae, which is configured from its UI.

Then restart your IDE and ask your agent, e.g. "List my FTP servers".

Diagnostics and options

At any time, a read-only diagnostic (writes nothing):

npm run doctor          # or: node src/index.js doctor

It prints the Node version, which config file is in use, the server list (never passwords), and — per client — whether the ftp entry is wired to this install.

setup options (node src/index.js setup [options]):

(b) Global install

npm install -g .

The ftp-deploy-mcp command is now on your PATH; use it instead of node .../src/index.js.

(c) Publish to npm (for npx -y usage)

If you publish this package to npm under your own name, clients can run it with no prior install:

{ "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "your-package-name"] }

3. Server configuration

Create an ftp-servers.json file. The server looks for it in this order (first found wins):

1. --config <path> (command-line flag)

2. FTP_MCP_CONFIG environment variable (path to the JSON)

3. ./ftp-servers.json (process working directory)

4. ~/.ftp-mcp/servers.json

Full schema

{
  "defaultServer": "prod",          // optional: used when "server" is not given
  "servers": {
    "prod": {
      "protocol": "sftp",           // REQUIRED: "ftp" | "ftps" | "sftp"
      "host": "ssh.example.com",    // REQUIRED
      "port": 22,                    // optional (defaults: ftp/ftps 21, sftp 22)
      "user": "deploy",             // REQUIRED
      "password": "${ENV:PROD_PW}", // optional: password (or an env placeholder)
      "privateKeyPath": "~/.ssh/id_ed25519", // optional (sftp); "~" is expanded
      "passphrase": "…",            // optional: private-key passphrase
      "root": "/var/www/site",      // optional (default "/"): ALL ops are jailed under it
      "readOnly": false,             // optional: blocks upload/deploy/mkdir/rename/delete
      "insecureTLS": false,           // optional (ftps): accept a self-signed certificate
      "implicitTLS": false           // optional (ftps): implicit TLS (port 990, legacy servers)
    }
  }
}

The block above uses // comments for teaching only. The real file must be strict JSON (no comments). See ftp-servers.example.json.

Environment-variable substitution

Any string value may contain ${ENV:VARIABLE_NAME}. It is replaced with the environment variable's value at startup. If the variable is unset, tools return a clear error naming the missing variable.

"password": "${ENV:OVH_FTP_PASSWORD}"

Security tips

• Add ftp-servers.json to your .gitignore (already done in this repo).

• Restrict the file permissions (chmod 600 ftp-servers.json on Unix).

• Prefer environment variables (${ENV:…}) or an SSH key over a plaintext password.

• Use readOnly: true for servers the agent must never write to.

• Set root as narrow as possible: the jail prevents any ../ breakout.

4. Import from FileZilla

Already have your sites in FileZilla? Convert them:

# Auto-detect the default sitemanager.xml location…
node src/index.js import-filezilla

# …or an explicit file, written to an ftp-servers.json
node src/index.js import-filezilla --file /path/sitemanager.xml --out ./ftp-servers.json

Without --out, the JSON is printed to stdout. Base64-encoded passwords are decoded; sites without a stored password get a ${ENV:<NAME>_PASSWORD} placeholder (you set the variable yourself). Example output:

{
  "defaultServer": "my-site",
  "servers": {
    "my-site": {
      "protocol": "ftp",
      "host": "ftp.example.com",
      "user": "deploy",
      "password": "…",
      "root": "/www/html"
    }
  }
}

Heads-up: the generated file contains decoded plaintext passwords — keep it out of version control (.gitignore) and restrict its permissions (chmod 600).

5. Manual client setup (if you don't use setup)

npm run setup writes these files automatically (with backups). This section is only useful if you'd rather wire everything by hand.

Replace /absolute/path/to/ftp-deploy-mcp/src/index.js with the real path (forward slashes / also work on Windows). If you published the package to npm, swap "command": "node", "args": ["…/src/index.js"] for "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "your-package-name"].

The file locations below are the default locations at the time of writing; these products' UIs evolve, so check their docs if needed.

Claude Code

Project-root .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ftp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ftp-deploy-mcp/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Or in one command:

claude mcp add ftp -- node /absolute/path/to/ftp-deploy-mcp/src/index.js

Claude Desktop

• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ftp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ftp-deploy-mcp/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ftp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ftp-deploy-mcp/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Windsurf

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ftp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ftp-deploy-mcp/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Trae

Trae has no stable config file — everything is done in its UI. AI chat panel → Settings/gear → MCP → Add → Configure Manually, then paste (this is the block setup prints and copies to your clipboard):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ftp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ftp-deploy-mcp/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Antigravity

Depending on the version, the file is one of:

• ~/.gemini/antigravity/mcp_config.json

• variant: ~/.gemini/config/mcp_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ftp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/ftp-deploy-mcp/src/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

You can also use the agent's MCP panel (MCP server management) → add a server, with the same structure.

6. The 10 tools

All remote paths (path, remote_path, …) are relative to the server root and use POSIX style. The server parameter is always optional (see resolution below).

Server resolution: explicit server parameter → defaultServer → the sole server if there is only one → otherwise an error listing the available names.

ftp_deploy default excludes: **/node_modules/**, **/.git/**, .env, .env.*, *.log, .DS_Store, Thumbs.db, ftp-servers.json, **/.ftp-mcp/** (your exclude globs are added; include restricts to matching files). Slash-less patterns match at any depth (gitignore-like): a nested apps/api/.env is excluded too.

7. Example prompts

• "Deploy ./dist to the prod server."

• "List what's in /www on ovh."

• "Fetch the .htaccess from prod and show it to me."

• "Do a dry run of deploying ./build to /www so I can see what would be sent."

• "Rename index.old.html to index.html on prod."

8. Security

• Root jail: every operation is normalized then verified to stay under the server root. Any breakout attempt (../…) is refused, even when root is /.

• Read-only: readOnly: true blocks every write (upload, deploy, mkdir, rename, delete); reads still work.

• Credentials out of the LLM: passwords, passphrases and keys are never returned in tool output.

• No telemetry, no outbound connection other than to your own servers.

• Per-call connections: each tool opens a connection, performs the op, and closes it — no persistent session.

9. Troubleshooting

• Timeout / cannot connect (FTP): usually passive mode blocked by a firewall. Make sure your server's passive ports are reachable.

• SFTP key auth: set privateKeyPath (~ is expanded) and, if the key is encrypted, passphrase. Check the key's permissions.

• Self-signed FTPS: set insecureTLS: true to accept an unverified certificate (only for servers you trust).

• Implicit FTPS (port 990): set implicitTLS: true (ftps protocol) for legacy servers that encrypt from the first byte, without an AUTH TLS command.

• "no server configured": the file was not found at any of the 4 locations. Create ftp-servers.json or pass --config <path> / FTP_MCP_CONFIG=<path>.

• The client doesn't see the tools after setup: fully restart the IDE (close every window, not just the project), then verify the wiring with npm run doctor.

• The server starts despite an invalid config: this is intentional (MCP clients dislike servers that die at startup). The exact error is printed on stderr at launch and returned on every tool call.

Development

npm test          # runs the full smoke test (local FTP + SFTP, no external network)
node src/index.js --version
node src/index.js --help

Contributing

Contributions are welcome — see CONTRIBUTING.md for the dev setup, the project's principles, and the PR checklist.

Security

Found a vulnerability? Please do not open a public issue — see SECURITY.md for how to report it privately.

License

MIT — see LICENSE.