Convert line endings in a file to LF or CRLF. Use after detect_line_endings to fix mixed or wrong line endings. UTF-16 is converted per code unit and the BOM is preserved. Returns original style, new style, and number of lines changed. No-op if file already uses the target style. Parameters: path (required), style (required: "lf" or "crlf"), encoding (optional, auto-detected including most BOM-less UTF-16 text — pass utf-16-le or utf-16-be if a very short or unusual file is misread).

Check if a newer version of mcp-file-tools is available. Returns current version, latest version, and update instructions if outdated. Uses cached result (max 1 GitHub API call per 2h). Call once at the start of each session.

Convert file from one encoding to another. Use after detect_encoding to identify the source. A source BOM is stripped before decoding, and a conflict between the BOM and an explicit 'from' is an error. No-op if the file already holds the target bytes. Parameters: path (required), from (source encoding, auto-detected if omitted), to (target encoding, required), backup (create .bak file before converting, default: false), bom (optional: "auto" default — BOM for UTF-16 targets and keeps a same-encoding source BOM; "always", "never", "preserve"). IMPORTANT: Use backup=true for irreversible conversions.

Copy a file. Fails if destination exists. Parameters: source (required), destination (required).

Create a directory recursively (mkdir -p). Succeeds silently if already exists. Parameter: path (required).

Delete a file. Does not delete directories. Parameter: path (required).

Auto-detect file encoding with confidence score (0-100) and BOM detection. ALWAYS use this first when encountering garbled text or � characters. Use before read_text_file to determine the correct encoding. Parameters: path (required), mode (sample=fast default, chunked=thorough, full=entire file).

Detect line ending style (crlf/lf/mixed/none) and find inconsistent lines. Useful for diagnosing mixed line ending issues in cross-platform legacy codebases. Returns dominant style, total lines, and line numbers with minority endings. Parameters: path (required), encoding (optional, auto-detected including most BOM-less UTF-16 text — pass utf-16-le or utf-16-be if a very short or unusual file is misread).

DEPRECATED: Use 'tree' instead (85% fewer tokens). Returns JSON tree structure for compatibility with mcp-js-servers. Parameters: path (required), excludePatterns (optional).

Replace text in a file with whitespace-flexible matching. Returns unified diff. Supports non-UTF-8 via encoding param. In 'ask before edits' mode: ALWAYS call with dryRun=true first, show the diff, then dryRun=false after user confirms. With auto-edit permissions: call directly with dryRun=false. On no match, the error hints the closest matching content — use it to fix oldText and retry. Parameters: path, edits [{oldText, newText}], dryRun (false), encoding (auto).

Get file/directory metadata: size, timestamps, permissions, type. Use this to check file size before reading large files with read_text_file. Parameter: path (required).

Regex search in file contents with encoding support. PREFER THIS over built-in Grep when searching non-UTF-8 files or when encoding-aware matching is needed. Parameters: pattern (required regex), paths (required array of files/dirs), caseSensitive (default: true), contextBefore/After (lines), maxMatches (default 1000), include/exclude (globs), encoding.

Returns the list of directories this server is allowed to access. Subdirectories are also accessible. If empty, user needs to add directory paths as args in .mcp.json.

List files and directories with optional glob pattern filtering (e.g., *.pas, *.dfm). Parameters: path (required), pattern (optional, default: *).

List all 24 supported encodings with name, aliases, and description. Use this to find the correct encoding name for read/write/convert operations.

Detect, strip, or add Unicode BOM (Byte Order Mark). UTF-8 BOM breaks PHP/shell scripts; UTF-16 files need BOMs. Parameters: path (required), action (required: "detect"|"strip"|"add"), encoding (required for "add": utf-8, utf-16-le, utf-16-be, utf-32-le, utf-32-be).

Move or rename files/directories. Fails if destination exists. Parameters: source (required), destination (required).

Read multiple files concurrently with encoding support. PREFER THIS when reading several non-UTF-8 files at once. Individual failures don't stop the batch — partial results are returned. Parameters: paths (required array), encoding (optional, auto-detected per file).

Read file with encoding auto-detection, converts to UTF-8. PREFER THIS over built-in Read for non-UTF-8 files (Cyrillic, legacy codebases). For files >2000 lines, use offset/limit to paginate. Returns totalLines and fileSizeBytes for planning subsequent reads. Use maxCharacters to cap output size and prevent token overflow. Parameters: path (required), encoding (optional, auto-detected), offset (1-indexed start line), limit (max lines to return), maxCharacters (optional, truncates content).

Recursively search for files matching a glob pattern (*.ext or **/*.ext). Returns full paths. Parameters: path (required), pattern (required), excludePatterns, maxResults (default 10000).

Compact indented tree view of directory structure. Uses 85% fewer tokens than directory_tree — PREFER THIS for directory visualization. Set showEncoding=true to detect and display file encodings (e.g., for auditing legacy codebases). Parameters: path (required), maxDepth (0=unlimited), maxFiles (default 1000), dirsOnly (bool), exclude (array of patterns), showEncoding (bool, shows detected encoding per file).

Write file with encoding conversion from UTF-8. PREFER THIS over built-in Write for non-UTF-8 files — converts UTF-8 content to target encoding, preserving legacy compatibility. Parameters: path (required), content (required), encoding (optional: defaults to an existing file's detected encoding, else utf-8), bom (optional: "auto" default — BOM for UTF-16 targets and keeps a BOM the file already had; "always", "never", "preserve"). Use after read_text_file to preserve original encoding.