BetterMCPFileServer

Provides a privacy-first MCP file server with path aliases and an AI-friendly API to read, write, search, and manage files and folders.

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GitHub Stars

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Language

6 months ago

First Indexed

2 months ago

Catalog Refreshed

Documentation & install

Readme and setup notes from the catalogue, plus a client-ready config you can copy for your MCP host.

Installation

Add the following to your MCP client configuration file.

Configuration

View docs

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "martinschlott-bettermcpfileserver": {
      "command": "BetterMCPFileServer",
      "args": [
        "code:~/projects",
        "docs:~/documents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

BetterMCPFileServer provides a privacy-preserving MCP server for filesystem access. It introduces aliases to hide real system paths, offers an AI-friendly six-function interface, and supports unified search across files and folders for efficient, privacy-conscious interactions with your data.

How to use

You connect to the server using a simple CLI invocation that passes alias:directory pairs. The server presents a virtual root of aliases (like code and docs) that map to real filesystem paths, enabling an AI client to browse, read, write, and manage files without exposing full system paths. You can perform common tasks such as listing directories, reading content, writing or updating files, editing specific text, and moving or renaming folders and files. All operations respect the defined alias boundaries and do not reveal sensitive paths.

How to install

# From source
git clone https://github.com/martinschlott/BetterMCPFileServer.git
cd BetterMCPFileServer
npm install
npm run build

# Run with aliases
BetterMCPFileServer code:~/projects docs:~/documents

Configuration and usage patterns

Use aliases to map trusted directories to simple, privacy-friendly names. The sample run demonstrates aliases like code and docs pointing to real paths. You can start with a minimal set and add more aliases as your environment requires.

BetterMCPFileServer code:~/projects docs:~/documents

Available tools

writeFile

Create or update a file with given content using a structured request that specifies the target path and new content.

readFileContent

Read and return the contents of a file at the specified path.

editFile

Apply targeted edits to a file by specifying oldText and newText replacements, with an option for a dry run.

manageFile

Perform file-level operations such as move, rename, copy, or delete based on an action parameter.

manageFolder

Create, rename, or delete folders using a single function with an action parameter.

searchFilesAndFolders

Search for files and directories using glob patterns, with optional metadata.