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mcp-filesystem-server

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Go server implementing Model Context Protocol (MCP) for filesystem operations. Trusted by 500+ developers. Trusted by 500+ developers.

543 stars GoFile & Data Management Updated Oct 29, 2025

Documentation

MCP Filesystem Server

This MCP server provides secure access to the local filesystem via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Components

Resources

  • file://
    • Name: File System
    • Description: Access to files and directories on the local file system

Tools

File Operations

  • read_file
    • Read the complete contents of a file from the file system
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Path to the file to read
  • read_multiple_files
    • Read the contents of multiple files in a single operation
    • Parameters: `paths` (required): List of file paths to read
  • write_file
    • Create a new file or overwrite an existing file with new content
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Path where to write the file, `content` (required): Content to write to the file
  • copy_file
    • Copy files and directories
    • Parameters: `source` (required): Source path of the file or directory, `destination` (required): Destination path
  • move_file
    • Move or rename files and directories
    • Parameters: `source` (required): Source path of the file or directory, `destination` (required): Destination path
  • delete_file
    • Delete a file or directory from the file system
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Path to the file or directory to delete, `recursive` (optional): Whether to recursively delete directories (default: false)
  • modify_file
    • Update file by finding and replacing text using string matching or regex
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Path to the file to modify, `find` (required): Text to search for, `replace` (required): Text to replace with, `all_occurrences` (optional): Replace all occurrences (default: true), `regex` (optional): Treat find pattern as regex (default: false)

Directory Operations

  • list_directory
    • Get a detailed listing of all files and directories in a specified path
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Path of the directory to list
  • create_directory
    • Create a new directory or ensure a directory exists
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Path of the directory to create
  • tree
    • Returns a hierarchical JSON representation of a directory structure
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Path of the directory to traverse, `depth` (optional): Maximum depth to traverse (default: 3), `follow_symlinks` (optional): Whether to follow symbolic links (default: false)

Search and Information

  • search_files
    • Recursively search for files and directories matching a pattern
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Starting path for the search, `pattern` (required): Search pattern to match against file names
  • search_within_files
    • Search for text within file contents across directory trees
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Starting directory for the search, `substring` (required): Text to search for within file contents, `depth` (optional): Maximum directory depth to search, `max_results` (optional): Maximum number of results to return (default: 1000)
  • get_file_info
    • Retrieve detailed metadata about a file or directory
    • Parameters: `path` (required): Path to the file or directory
  • list_allowed_directories
    • Returns the list of directories that this server is allowed to access
    • Parameters: None

Features

  • Secure access to specified directories
  • Path validation to prevent directory traversal attacks
  • Symlink resolution with security checks
  • MIME type detection
  • Support for text, binary, and image files
  • Size limits for inline content and base64 encoding

Getting Started

Installation

Using Go Install

bash
go install github.com/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server@latest

Usage

As a standalone server

Start the MCP server with allowed directories:

bash
mcp-filesystem-server /path/to/allowed/directory [/another/allowed/directory ...]

As a library in your Go project

go
package main

import (
	"log"
	"os"

	"github.com/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server/filesystemserver"
)

func main() {
	// Create a new filesystem server with allowed directories
	allowedDirs := []string{"/path/to/allowed/directory", "/another/allowed/directory"}
	fs, err := filesystemserver.NewFilesystemServer(allowedDirs)
	if err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Failed to create server: %v", err)
	}

	// Serve requests
	if err := fs.Serve(); err != nil {
		log.Fatalf("Server error: %v", err)
	}
}

Usage with Model Context Protocol

To integrate this server with apps that support MCP:

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

Docker

Running with Docker

You can run the Filesystem MCP server using Docker:

bash
docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server:latest /path/to/allowed/directory

Docker Configuration with MCP

To integrate the Docker image with apps that support MCP:

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "ghcr.io/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server:latest",
        "/path/to/allowed/directory"
      ]
    }
  }
}

If you need changes made inside the container to reflect on the host filesystem, you can mount a volume. This allows the container to access and modify files on the host system. Here's an example:

json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "-i",
        "--rm",
        "--volume=/allowed/directory/in/host:/allowed/directory/in/container",
        "ghcr.io/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server:latest",
        "/allowed/directory/in/container"
      ]
    }
  }
}

License

See the LICENSE file for details.

Frequently asked questions

What is mcp-filesystem-server?

mcp-filesystem-server is Go server implementing Model Context Protocol (MCP) for filesystem operations. Trusted by 500+ developers. Trusted by 500+ developers.

How do I install mcp-filesystem-server?

Open the GitHub repository and follow its README. Most MCP servers are added to your client's MCP config, then called by your agent.

Is mcp-filesystem-server open source?

Yes — it is hosted on GitHub at https://github.com/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server and has 543 stars.

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