Filesystem MCP Server

What does “Filesystem” MCP Server do?

The Filesystem MCP Server provides secure, programmatic access to the local filesystem through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). It enables AI assistants and other clients to interact with files and directories on the server’s machine, facilitating operations such as reading, writing, copying, moving, searching, and modifying files, as well as managing directories. Designed to enhance development workflows, the server exposes APIs for file operations while enforcing strict security controls—such as allowed directories and path validation—to prevent unauthorized access. This makes it an ideal bridge for connecting AI agents with file management tasks, supporting use cases like codebase exploration, automated file editing, batch search-and-replace, and more, all with granular control and robust safety measures.

List of Prompts

No explicit prompt templates are mentioned in the repository documentation or files.

List of Resources

No explicit MCP “resources” are documented in the repository. The server focuses on exposing filesystem operations as tools.

List of Tools

• read_file
  Read the complete contents of a file from the filesystem.
• read_multiple_files
  Read the contents of multiple files in a single operation.
• write_file
  Create a new file or overwrite an existing file with new content.
• copy_file
  Copy files and directories.
• move_file
  Move or rename files and directories.
• delete_file
  Delete a file or directory from the filesystem, with optional recursive delete.
• modify_file
  Find and replace text within a file using string matching or regex.
• list_directory
  List all files and directories in a specified path.
• create_directory
  Create a new directory or ensure a directory exists.
• tree
  Returns a hierarchical JSON representation of a directory structure.
• search_files
  Recursively search for files and directories matching a pattern.
• search_within_files
  Search for text within file contents across directory trees.
• get_file_info
  Retrieve detailed metadata about a file or directory.
• list_allowed_directories
  Returns the list of directories that the server is allowed to access.

Use Cases of this MCP Server

• Automated Codebase Exploration
  Developers and AI assistants can quickly explore project folders, list files, and search for code patterns or file types.
• Batch File Editing
  Use the modify_file tool to perform find-and-replace operations—either via plain text or regex—across multiple files for efficient code or textbase edits.
• Secure File Management
  Provides a controlled environment for reading, writing, moving, copying, or deleting files within specified directories, ideal for automation without risking the entire system.
• Content Search and Discovery
  Quickly locate files or directories matching certain patterns or containing specific content, supporting documentation, refactoring, or research tasks.
• Automated Backup or Organization
  Use copy_file, move_file, and tree tools to automate backup routines, reorganize project structures, or mirror directory layouts.

How to set it up

Windsurf

1. Ensure you have Go installed and the MCP Filesystem Server binary available.

2. Open your Windsurf configuration file.

3. Add the MCP server with the following JSON snippet:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "filesystem": {
         "command": "mcp-filesystem-server",
         "args": ["/path/to/allowed/directory"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save the configuration and restart Windsurf.

5. Verify that “filesystem” MCP server appears in your MCP integrations.

Securing API keys (example with environment variables)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "mcp-filesystem-server",
      "args": ["/path/to/allowed/directory"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${FILESYSTEM_API_KEY}"
      },
      "inputs": {
        "api_key": "${FILESYSTEM_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude

1. Download and install the Filesystem MCP Server.

2. Locate the Claude configuration file for MCP integrations.

3. Insert the server registration as follows:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "filesystem": {
         "command": "mcp-filesystem-server",
         "args": ["/path/to/allowed/directory"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save and restart Claude.

5. Check that the Filesystem MCP Server is active.

Cursor

1. Install the server binary using Go or from release.

2. Open Cursor’s settings or configuration file for MCP.

3. Add the Filesystem MCP Server:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "filesystem": {
         "command": "mcp-filesystem-server",
         "args": ["/path/to/allowed/directory"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save and restart Cursor.

5. Confirm integration by running a test tool (e.g., list_directory).

Cline

1. Build or download the Filesystem MCP Server binary.

2. Configure Cline’s MCP integration settings.

3. Add:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "filesystem": {
         "command": "mcp-filesystem-server",
         "args": ["/path/to/allowed/directory"]
       }
     }
   }
   

4. Save configuration and restart Cline.

5. Test by running a read_file operation.

Note on Securing API Keys

Use environment variables for sensitive data. Example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "mcp-filesystem-server",
      "args": ["/path/to/allowed/directory"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${FILESYSTEM_API_KEY}"
      },
      "inputs": {
        "api_key": "${FILESYSTEM_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

How to use this MCP inside flows

Using MCP in FlowHunt

To integrate MCP servers into your FlowHunt workflow, start by adding the MCP component to your flow and connecting it to your AI agent:

Click on the MCP component to open the configuration panel. In the system MCP configuration section, insert your MCP server details using this JSON format:

{
  "filesystem": {
    "transport": "streamable_http",
    "url": "https://yourmcpserver.example/pathtothemcp/url"
  }
}

Once configured, the AI agent is now able to use this MCP as a tool with access to all its functions and capabilities. Remember to change “filesystem” to whatever the actual name of your MCP server is and replace the URL with your own MCP server URL.

Overview

| Roots Support | ✅ | list_allowed_directories exposes allowed roots |

Our opinion

The Filesystem MCP Server is robust and highly focused on secure, granular filesystem access—offering a comprehensive set of file and directory operations as MCP tools. Its documentation is clear, and the server provides many practical primitives for AI-powered development workflows. However, it does not document prompt templates or explicit MCP resources, and features like sampling are not mentioned. Roots are supported via the list_allowed_directories tool.

Score: 8/10 — Excellent tooling and documentation, minor gaps in prompt/resource features and advanced MCP features.

MCP Score