File Server MCP

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that exposes documents from specific folders through configurable access.

Features

• Configurable Folders: Expose specific folders like Documents, Reports, Desktop, etc.

• File Type Filtering: Only allow specific file extensions for security

• Size Limits: Configurable maximum file size limits

• Tools Available:

  • list_files: List files in a configured folder with optional pattern matching

  • read_file: Read the content of a specific file

  • search_files: Search for files containing specific text

• Resources: Access files through MCP resource URIs like file://documents/filename.txt

Related MCP server: Local Files MCP Server

Configuration

The server can be configured through environment variables or the config.json file:

Default Folders

• documents: C:\Users\bill\Documents

• reports: C:\Support

• desktop: C:\Users\bill\Desktop

• backup_scripts: C:\support

Environment Variables

• FILE_SERVER_CONFIG: JSON string with custom configuration

• DOCUMENTS_FOLDER: Override documents folder path

• REPORTS_FOLDER: Override reports folder path

• DESKTOP_FOLDER: Override desktop folder path

Configuration File

Edit config.json to customize:

{
  "folders": {
    "documents": "C:\\Users\\bill\\Documents",
    "reports": "C:\\Support",
    "desktop": "C:\\Users\\bill\\Desktop",
    "backup_scripts": "C:\\support"
  },
  "allowedExtensions": [".txt", ".md", ".pdf", ".docx", ".xlsx", ".csv", ".json", ".xml", ".log", ".ps1"],
  "maxFileSize": 10485760
}

Installation

Prerequisites

1. Install Node.js (https://nodejs.org/)

2. Install npm dependencies:

   npm install

Build

npm run build

MCP Configuration

Add to your MCP settings file (C:\Users\bill\AppData\Roaming\Code\User\globalStorage\saoudrizwan.claude-dev\settings\cline_mcp_settings.json):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "file-server": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["C:/Users/bill/Desktop/file-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "FILE_SERVER_CONFIG": "{\"folders\":{\"documents\":\"C:\\\\Users\\\\bill\\\\Documents\",\"reports\":\"C:\\\\Support\",\"desktop\":\"C:\\\\Users\\\\bill\\\\Desktop\",\"backup_scripts\":\"C:\\\\support\"}}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Usage Examples

Once installed, you can use the file server through MCP tools:

List Files

Use the list_files tool with folder="documents" to see all files in the Documents folder

Read a File

Use the read_file tool with folder="reports" and filename="backup-report.csv" to read a specific file

Search Files

Use the search_files tool with folder="backup_scripts" and searchText="SQLite" to find scripts containing "SQLite"

Access Resources

Access file://documents/ to get a list of files in Documents
Access file://reports/backup-report.csv to read a specific file

Security Features

• Only configured folders are accessible

• File type restrictions through allowedExtensions

• File size limits to prevent large file access

• Path traversal protection

• Read-only access (no file modification)

Folder Structure

file-server/
├── package.json          # Node.js package configuration
├── tsconfig.json         # TypeScript configuration  
├── config.json          # Server configuration
├── README.md            # This file
├── src/
│   └── index.ts         # Main server implementation
└── build/               # Compiled JavaScript (after npm run build)
    └── index.js         # Executable MCP server

Development

# Watch mode for development
npm run dev

# Build for production
npm run build

# Test the server
npm start