FreeRDC

Give ChatGPT and Claude access to the folders you choose — and nothing else.

FreeRDC is an MCP server for file work with AI assistants. It reads, writes, searches and edits files and documents inside the folders you approve, and refuses everything outside them. Anything that can run commands, click the screen or shut the machine down is off unless you turn it on.

Demo video · Website · Privacy · Listed on the official MCP Registry as io.github.danielarif26/freerdc

Why FreeRDC

• Containment first. Paths outside your approved folders, .. traversal and symlink escapes are rejected before any file is touched. Protected paths such as device keys are denied even inside a root.

• Risky tools are opt-in. Shell, GUI and system tools are disabled by default. The desktop extension exposes 23 file and document tools out of the box and 84 only when you enable local power.

• Every tool is described and annotated. In the desktop extension, each tool has a title, a description, input and output schemas, and read-only / destructive / open-world hints, so the assistant knows what it is about to do.

• Local. The desktop extension runs on your Mac. Your files are not sent to FreeRDC servers.

• Audited. Every operation is written to a hash-chained audit log, with a STOP file kill switch.

Related MCP server: Aura

Get started

Claude Desktop (desktop extension)

1. Download freerdc-0.1.0.mcpb from Releases.

2. Open it with Claude Desktop and pick the folder(s) FreeRDC may use.

3. Leave local power tools off unless you need shell or GUI access.

Requires macOS and Node.js 22+. Details and privacy policy: mcpb/README.md.

ChatGPT (self-hosted)

Run the server locally and reach it privately through OpenAI Secure MCP Tunnel. Do not expose the local listener to the public internet. See docs/OPENAI-INTEGRATION.md and docs/DEPLOYMENT.md.

ChatGPT hosted connector (early access)

The hosted connector is in review for the ChatGPT app directory. Until it is listed, add it in ChatGPT developer mode with the MCP URL https://freerdc.sjaman.deno.net/mcp.

1. Connect FreeRDC in ChatGPT. The sign-in page shows a 10-character pairing code (letters A–Z and digits 2–9).

2. Download freerdc-agent-hosted.mjs from Releases. Requires Node.js 22+.

3. Pair this computer, choosing the folder ChatGPT may use:

   node freerdc-agent-hosted.mjs connect --server https://freerdc.sjaman.deno.net/mcp --code YOUR_CODE --device-id my-mac --root /absolute/allowed/folder

4. Keep the agent running while you use FreeRDC:

   node freerdc-agent-hosted.mjs run --device-id my-mac

The pairing code expires after about 10 minutes. The agent is a prebuilt binary; its source is not included in this repository.

Run from source

Requires Node.js 22+, npm and Git.

npm ci
npm run build
node packages/server/dist/src/cli.js --root /absolute/allowed/folder --port 8787

The server binds to 127.0.0.1 only, requires at least one explicit root, stores state under ~/.freerdc, and leaves process tools disabled. Create ~/.freerdc/STOP to activate the kill switch. Pick the narrowest folder that fits the task — never add credentials, caches or unrelated projects to a root.

Installer scripts

macOS or Linux:

curl -fsSLo install.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielarif26/freerdc/main/install.sh
sh install.sh

Windows PowerShell:

Invoke-WebRequest https://raw.githubusercontent.com/danielarif26/freerdc/main/install.ps1 -OutFile install.ps1
.\install.ps1

The installers follow the mutable main branch. For higher assurance, review a commit or tag and pin it with FREERDC_REF=<tag-or-commit>. Rerun with --uninstall (macOS/Linux) or -Uninstall (Windows) to remove an installer-managed copy.

Packages

npm run typecheck && npm run build && npm test

Security

• Secrets belong in environment variables or file references — never in this repository, profiles, shell history or tunnel metadata.

• Report vulnerabilities privately; see SECURITY.md.

License

Released under AGPL-3.0-or-later. See docs/EDITIONS.md for what the Community Edition includes.