Filesystem

You have a dedicated MCP Server that exposes file system operations, analysis, and manipulation through a standardized tool interface. It lets you list and create directories, read and write files, analyze text, hash files, find duplicates, and handle compression tasks like zipping and unzipping archives, all via MCP-enabled clients.

How to use

You connect to the Filesystem MCP Server using an MCP client. Once connected, you can perform a wide range of file-related tasks by invoking the registered tools exposed by the server. For example, you can inspect directory contents, create directories, read and write files with specific encodings, analyze text properties such as line and word counts, compute file hashes with a chosen algorithm, identify duplicates within a directory, and create or extract ZIP archives. Use the tool calls to compose practical workflows, such as backing up a directory, auditing file metadata, or preparing content for processing pipelines.

Practical usage patterns include: - Listing a directory to understand its structure before making changes. - Creating nested directories in one operation when a path includes missing parents. - Reading a file with a specific encoding to ensure correct text handling. - Writing or appending content to a file with control over encoding. - Analyzing a text file to retrieve counts and encoding details for quality checks. - Hashing a file to verify integrity or detect duplicates. - Finding duplicates by comparing file hashes within a directory. - Packaging multiple files into a ZIP or extracting an archive to a target location.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before starting: - Node.js (and npm) installed on your system. - Basic command line skills to run short sequences of commands.

Step by step setup flow you will follow: - Clone the project repository. - Install dependencies. - Build the server. - Configure the MCP settings so clients can connect.

git clone <repository-url>
cd filesystem-server

npm install

npm run build

MCP server configuration example

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["path/to/filesystem-server/build/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Available tools

list_directory

Lists directory contents with metadata including name, path, size, timestamps, type, and permissions (recursive option supported).

create_directory

Creates a new directory with an option to create parent directories recursively.

read_file

Reads file content with optional encoding, defaulting to utf8.

write_file

Writes content to a file with an optional encoding, defaulting to utf8.

append_file

Appends content to a file with an optional encoding, defaulting to utf8.

analyze_text

Analyzes a text file to report line count, word count, character count, encoding, and MIME type.

calculate_hash

Calculates a file hash using a selectable algorithm (md5, sha1, sha256, sha512).

find_duplicates

Identifies duplicate files within a directory by grouping by hash and size.

create_zip

Creates a ZIP archive from a list of files to a specified output path.

extract_zip

Extracts a ZIP archive to a designated output directory.