Stack Score

Editorial pickMCP server

Filesystem MCP

Read, write, and search local files from Claude.

Try Filesystem MCP

Best for

Anyone running Claude locally who wants safe, scoped read/write access to a specific set of folders on their machine.

At a glance

Pricing: free
Setup time: 15 minutes
Learning curve: medium
Last verified: 5/26/2026

What we love

✓Official Anthropic reference implementation — well maintained
✓Path allowlist prevents accidental access outside scope
✓Works with any MCP-compatible client, not just Claude

Where it falls short

−No built-in versioning or undo for writes
−Symlink handling depends on host OS behavior
−Large file reads can hit context limits quickly

Install & connect

Copy-paste ready

Install

shell

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/allowed/dir

Config — Claude Desktop

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/you/Desktop"]
    }
  }
}

Config — Cursor

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "${workspaceFolder}"]
    }
  }
}

Config — Claude Code

shell

claude mcp add filesystem -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /Users/you/Desktop

Config — VS Code

json

{
  "servers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "${workspaceFolder}"]
    }
  }
}

Pricing

✓ Pricing verified Jun 21, 2026

1 tier

Open source

MIT license

✓Self-hosted via npm or Docker
✓Free forever
✓No telemetry

Why we picked it

The first MCP installed on any new Claude setup. Daily workflows depend on it.
— MoreAI.tools editor

Overview

Official Anthropic MCP server giving Claude full filesystem access — read, write, list, search files in scoped directories. The foundational MCP server.

Key features

●Read files and directories with permission scoping
●Write and edit files with diff-style operations
●Search across folders with glob and content patterns
●List directory contents with metadata
●Move and rename files within allowed paths
●Restricts access to a configured allowlist of folders

Exposed tools

The MCP-tool names this server exposes. Your agent can invoke any of these when this server is connected.

read_text_file
Read complete contents of a UTF-8 text file. Optional head/tail to limit lines.
read_media_file
Read an image or audio file as base64 with the correct MIME type.
read_multiple_files
Read multiple files at once. Partial failures don't stop the batch.
write_file
Create a new file or overwrite an existing one. Destructive.
edit_file
Selective edits via pattern matching with git-style diff output and dry-run support.
create_directory
Create a directory, including parents. Idempotent.
list_directory
List directory contents with [FILE]/[DIR] prefixes.
list_directory_with_sizes
Like list_directory but includes file sizes and summary stats.
move_file
Move or rename files and directories. Fails if destination exists.
search_files
Recursive glob-style search with exclude patterns.
directory_tree
Recursive JSON tree of directory contents with exclude support.
get_file_info
Size, timestamps, type, and permissions metadata for a path.
list_allowed_directories
Show which directories this server is allowed to access.

Best use cases

Local doc and note editing

Let Claude read and update your Obsidian vault, project notes, or markdown library.

Code review against local checkout

Point Claude at a repo on disk and have it scan, summarize, or edit files in place.

Bulk file operations

Rename, reorganize, or rewrite hundreds of files with a single conversational instruction.

Integrations

Claude Desktop

Claude Code

Cursor

Cline

any MCP client

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