Filesystem MCP Server

local-only server

The server can only run on the client’s local machine because it depends on local resources.

Filesystem MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation providing file system operations, analysis, and manipulation capabilities through a standardized tool interface.

Architecture

The server is built on the MCP SDK and organized into distinct layers:

Components

  • Server Layer: Handles MCP protocol communication and tool dispatch
  • Tool Registry: Manages tool registration and execution
  • Operations Layer: Implements core functionality
  • File System Interface: Provides safe file system access

Installation

  1. Clone the repository:
git clone <repository-url> cd filesystem-server
  1. Install dependencies:
npm install
  1. Build the server:
npm run build
  1. Configure MCP settings (cline_mcp_settings.json):
{ "mcpServers": { "filesystem": { "command": "node", "args": ["path/to/filesystem-server/build/index.js"] } } }

Tool Reference

Directory Operations

list_directory

Lists directory contents with metadata.

interface ListDirectoryParams { path: string; // Directory path recursive?: boolean; // List recursively (default: false) } interface ListDirectoryResult { entries: { name: string; path: string; isDirectory: boolean; size: number; created: string; modified: string; accessed: string; mode: string; }[]; }

create_directory

Creates a new directory.

interface CreateDirectoryParams { path: string; // Directory path recursive?: boolean; // Create parent directories (default: true) }

File Operations

read_file

Reads file content with encoding support.

interface ReadFileParams { path: string; // File path encoding?: string; // File encoding (default: 'utf8') }

write_file

Writes content to a file.

interface WriteFileParams { path: string; // File path content: string; // Content to write encoding?: string; // File encoding (default: 'utf8') }

append_file

Appends content to a file.

interface AppendFileParams { path: string; // File path content: string; // Content to append encoding?: string; // File encoding (default: 'utf8') }

Analysis Operations

analyze_text

Analyzes text file properties.

interface AnalyzeTextParams { path: string; // File path } interface AnalyzeTextResult { lineCount: number; wordCount: number; charCount: number; encoding: string; mimeType: string; }

calculate_hash

Calculates file hash using specified algorithm.

interface CalculateHashParams { path: string; // File path algorithm?: 'md5' | 'sha1' | 'sha256' | 'sha512'; // Hash algorithm } interface CalculateHashResult { hash: string; algorithm: string; }

find_duplicates

Identifies duplicate files in a directory.

interface FindDuplicatesParams { path: string; // Directory path } interface FindDuplicatesResult { duplicates: { hash: string; size: number; files: string[]; }[]; }

Compression Operations

create_zip

Creates a ZIP archive.

interface CreateZipParams { files: string[]; // Files to include output: string; // Output ZIP path }

extract_zip

Extracts a ZIP archive.

interface ExtractZipParams { path: string; // ZIP file path output: string; // Output directory }

Error Handling

The server uses standard MCP error codes:

enum ErrorCode { ParseError = -32700, InvalidRequest = -32600, MethodNotFound = -32601, InvalidParams = -32602, InternalError = -32603 }

Error responses include:

  • Error code
  • Human-readable message
  • Additional context when available

Example error:

{ "code": -32602, "message": "File not found: /path/to/file.txt" }

Development

Project Structure

src/ ├── operations/ # Core operations implementation ├── tools/ # MCP tool definitions and handlers ├── __tests__/ # Test suites ├── index.ts # Entry point ├── server.ts # MCP server setup ├── types.ts # Type definitions └── utils.ts # Utility functions

Running Tests

Run the test suite:

npm test

Run with coverage:

npm run test:coverage

Development Mode

Run in watch mode:

npm run watch

Code Quality

Lint the codebase:

npm run lint

Type check:

npm run type-check

Dependencies

Core dependencies:

  • @modelcontextprotocol/sdk: MCP server implementation
  • file-type: File type detection
  • mime-types: MIME type lookup
  • crypto-js: File hashing
  • archiver: ZIP creation
  • extract-zip: ZIP extraction
  • iconv-lite: Text encoding
  • chardet: Encoding detection

Development dependencies:

  • typescript: Type system
  • jest: Testing
  • eslint: Linting
  • prettier: Formatting
  • ts-node: TypeScript execution
  • nodemon: Development server

Contributing

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create your feature branch
  3. Write tests for new features
  4. Ensure all tests pass
  5. Submit a pull request

License

MIT