mcp servers · featured
Filesystem MCP Server
Anthropic's reference MCP server for filesystem operations. Gives your agent read, write, list, and search access to local directories with configurable sandbox boundaries.
install via your agent of choice
❯ npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/allowed/directory
## what it does
What it does
The Filesystem MCP server exposes a directory (or set of directories) to your AI agent. You specify which paths are allowed at startup — the server enforces that sandbox boundary for every operation.
This is Anthropic’s reference implementation from the official MCP servers monorepo.
Installation
# Run directly via npx (no install required):
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem ~/projects
# Or install globally:
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystemClaude Desktop configuration
Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/you/projects"]
}
}
}You can specify multiple directories:
{ "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/you/projects", "/Users/you/documents"] }Available tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
read_file | Read the complete contents of a file |
write_file | Create or overwrite a file |
edit_file | Apply targeted edits with diff-style precision |
list_directory | List directory contents |
search_files | Regex search across files |
directory_tree | Recursive tree view |
move_file | Move or rename files |
get_file_info | Metadata: size, permissions, dates |
Security model
- Sandbox enforced at startup: the server only serves paths you explicitly allow.
- No network access: purely local filesystem operations.
- No auth required: access is controlled by running the server in a trusted context.
All operations are rejected if the path would escape the configured allowed directories via symlinks or .. traversal.
## compatibility
claude-desktop ✓
claude-code ✓
cline ✓
cursor ✓
## exposed tools
→ read_file
→ read_multiple_files
→ write_file
→ edit_file
→ create_directory
→ list_directory
→ directory_tree
→ move_file
→ search_files
→ get_file_info
→ list_allowed_directories
## embed this badge
cache ✓ in cache.directory
