What is Mcp File Server

The mcp-file-server is an MCP server designed for reading and writing files from the local file system. It provides file system access for AI assistants, such as Claude for Desktop.

Use cases

Use cases include enabling AI assistants to manage local files, integrating file operations into AI workflows, and providing a backend for applications that require file manipulation.

How to use

To use mcp-file-server, you can deploy it using Docker Compose or directly with Docker. Clone the repository, configure the volume mount path if necessary, and run the server. Connect it to Claude for Desktop by updating the configuration file.

Key features

Key features include listing files and directories, reading file contents, writing content to files, and deleting files and directories.

Where to use

mcp-file-server can be used in various fields where file system access is required for AI applications, particularly in desktop environments.

MCP File Server

An MCP server for reading and writing files from your local file system. This server can be used with Claude for Desktop or any other MCP client to provide file system access for AI assistants.

Features

• List files and directories
• Read file contents
• Write content to files
• Delete files and directories

Prerequisites

• Docker installed on your system
• Git (optional, for cloning the repository)

Setup and Deployment

Option 1: Using Docker Compose (Recommended)

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone https://github.com/abhishekloiwal/mcp-file-server.git
   cd mcp-file-server
   

2. Edit the docker-compose.yml file to update the volume mount path if needed. By default, it’s set to:

   volumes:
     - /Users/abhishekloiwal/CascadeProjects/ClaudeProjects:/data
   

   Replace with your desired local path if different.

3. Deploy with Docker Compose:

   docker-compose up -d
   

Option 2: Using Docker directly

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/abhishekloiwal/mcp-file-server.git
   cd mcp-file-server
   

2. Build the Docker image:

   docker build -t mcp-file-server .
   

3. Run the container with your local directory mounted:

   docker run -d --name mcp-file-server -v /Users/abhishekloiwal/CascadeProjects/ClaudeProjects:/data mcp-file-server
   

   Replace the path with your desired local directory path.

Connecting to Claude for Desktop

1. Create or update your Claude for Desktop configuration file at:

   • Mac: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %AppData%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add the mcp-file-server to your configuration:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "file-server": {
         "command": "docker",
         "args": [
           "exec",
           "-i",
           "mcp-file-server",
           "python",
           "server.py"
         ]
       }
     }
   }
   

3. Restart Claude for Desktop.

4. You should now see the file-server tools available in Claude.

Available Tools

The following tools are available through this MCP server:

• list_files: List all files in a directory
• read_file: Read the contents of a file
• write_file: Write content to a file
• delete_file: Delete a file or directory

License

MIT

Troubleshooting

• If Claude for Desktop doesn’t connect to the server, check the Docker container status:

  docker ps -a | grep mcp-file-server
  

• View server logs:

  docker logs mcp-file-server
  

• Make sure the volume is correctly mounted:

  docker inspect mcp-file-server | grep -A 10 Mounts