Filesystem MCP Server

Overview

The Filesystem MCP server provides a secure way for AI assistants to interact with your local filesystem. It implements the Model Context Protocol (MCP) to enable file operations while maintaining strict access controls.

Installation

You can install and run the Filesystem MCP server using either NPX or Docker. Both methods allow you to specify which directories the server is allowed to access.

Installation with Claude Desktop

Add the following configuration to your claude_desktop_config.json file:

Using NPX:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/path/to/allowed/directory",
        "/path/to/another/allowed/directory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Using Docker:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--mount", "type=bind,src=/path/to/allowed/directory,dst=/projects/allowed",
        "--mount", "type=bind,src=/path/to/another/directory,dst=/projects/another,ro",
        "mcp/filesystem",
        "/projects"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Note: When using Docker, all directories must be mounted to /projects by default. You can add the ro flag to make a directory read-only.

Installation with VS Code

Add the following to your VS Code User Settings (JSON) file or to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace:

Using NPX:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "filesystem": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": [
          "-y",
          "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
          "${workspaceFolder}"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Docker:

{
  "mcp": {
    "servers": {
      "filesystem": {
        "command": "docker",
        "args": [
          "run",
          "-i",
          "--rm",
          "--mount", "type=bind,src=${workspaceFolder},dst=/projects/workspace",
          "mcp/filesystem",
          "/projects"
        ]
      }
    }
  }
}

Security Considerations

The Filesystem MCP server only allows operations within directories explicitly specified in the configuration. This sandboxing approach ensures that AI assistants cannot access files outside of the allowed directories.

When using Docker, you can further restrict access by mounting directories with the ro (read-only) flag, which prevents the server from making any modifications to those directories.

Building from Source

If you prefer to build the Docker image yourself:

docker build -t mcp/filesystem -f src/filesystem/Dockerfile .

Usage Examples

Once installed, the AI assistant can use the Filesystem MCP to perform various operations:

1. Reading file contents:

   • Ask the assistant to "Show me the contents of file.txt"

2. Editing files:

   • Ask the assistant to "Replace all occurrences of 'foo' with 'bar' in file.txt"

3. Directory operations:

   • Ask the assistant to "List all files in the current directory"
   • Ask the assistant to "Create a new directory called 'test'"

4. Searching:

   • Ask the assistant to "Find all JavaScript files containing 'function'"

5. File information:

   • Ask the assistant to "Get information about file.txt"