What is Mcp Server Wsl Filesystem

mcp-server-wsl-filesystem is a Node.js server implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP) specifically designed for filesystem operations within the Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL). It allows seamless interaction between Windows and WSL distributions.

Use cases

Use cases include accessing and modifying configuration files in WSL from Windows, managing project files that span both environments, and performing batch file operations across multiple WSL distributions.

How to use

To use mcp-server-wsl-filesystem, install the server and run it in your environment. You can access WSL distributions from Windows using commands like ‘wsl -d ’ and utilize various API tools such as read_file, write_file, and edit_file to perform file operations.

Key features

Key features include the ability to access any WSL distribution from Windows, read/write files, create/list/delete directories, move files/directories, search files, and retrieve file metadata. It supports multiple WSL distributions and allows operations only within specified directories.

Where to use

mcp-server-wsl-filesystem is ideal for developers and system administrators who need to manage files across Windows and WSL environments, particularly in software development, testing, and deployment scenarios.

⚠️ IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
The original Filesystem MCP Server can already access WSL files by simply using the network path \\wsl.localhost\DistributionName as a parameter in the configuration.
Example:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "\\\\wsl.localhost\\Debian",
        "C:\\path\\to\\other\\allowed\\dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

However, this project offers an alternative implementation specifically optimized for WSL Linux distributions.

While the official server works by recursively walking directories using Node.js’s fs module, this implementation leverages native Linux commands inside WSL (such as find, grep, etc.), making file listing and content search operations significantly faster.

This can be especially useful when dealing with large directory trees or when search performance is critical.

So while the native network path may be simpler for many use cases, this project remains a valuable solution for WSL users looking for better performance or more custom control over the indexing and searching logic.

Filesystem MCP Server for WSL

Node.js server implementing the Model Context Protocol (MCP), specifically designed for filesystem operations in Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL).
This project is a fork of the original Filesystem MCP Server but completely reimagined for WSL environments.
Unlike the original project, which handles generic file operations, this version focuses exclusively on seamless interaction between Windows and Linux distributions under WSL.
Both projects are compatible and can run in parallel on the same system.

Features

• Access any WSL distribution from Windows
• Read/write files in WSL from Windows host
• Create/list/delete directories in WSL
• Move files/directories across WSL filesystem
• Search files within WSL
• Get file metadata from the WSL filesystem
• Support for multiple WSL distributions

Note: The server only allows operations within directories specified via args.

API

Resources

• wsl -d <distrib>: Command for operations on WSL distributions

Tools

• read_file

  • Read complete contents of a file from WSL
  • Input: path (string)
  • Reads content as UTF-8 text

• read_multiple_files

  • Read multiple files simultaneously from WSL
  • Input: paths (string[])
  • Failed reads won’t stop the entire operation

• write_file

  • Create or overwrite a file in WSL (use with caution)
  • Inputs:
    • path (string)
    • content (string)

• edit_file

  • Selective edits with advanced pattern matching and formatting
  • Inputs:
    • path (string)
    • edits (array of { oldText, newText })
    • dryRun (boolean, optional)
  • Features:
    • Multi-line matching
    • Indentation preservation
    • Git-style diff preview
    • Non-destructive dry run mode

• create_directory

  • Create or ensure the existence of a directory in WSL
  • Input: path (string)

• list_directory

  • List directory contents with [FILE] or [DIR] prefixes
  • Input: path (string)

• directory_tree

  • Recursive JSON tree view of contents
  • Input: path (string)

• move_file

  • Move or rename files/directories
  • Inputs:
    • source (string)
    • destination (string)

• search_files

  • Recursively search by name
  • Inputs:
    • path (string)
    • pattern (string)
    • excludePatterns (string[], optional)

• get_file_info

  • Detailed metadata
  • Input: path (string)
  • Returns: size, timestamps, type, permissions

• list_allowed_directories

  • Lists all directories accessible to the server

• list_wsl_distributions

  • Lists available distributions and shows the active one

Requirements

• Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) properly configured
• At least one Linux distribution installed in WSL

For Claude Desktop users:
No additional installation required — just configure your claude_desktop_config.json.

For development:

• Node.js (v14.0.0 or higher)
• TypeScript (included as a dev dependency)

Installing Node.js on Windows

1. Download the installer from nodejs.org
2. Run it and follow the instructions
3. Check versions:

node --version
npm --version

Usage

Before running the server, you need to build the TypeScript project:

npm install
npm run build

Run the server by specifying which WSL distribution to use (optional) and which directories to expose:

node dist/index.js [--distro=distribution_name] <allowed_directory> [additional_directories...]

If no distribution is specified, the default WSL distribution will be used.

Examples

Access Ubuntu-20.04 distribution:

node dist/index.js --distro=Ubuntu-20.04 /home/user/documents

Use default distribution:

node dist/index.js /home/user/documents

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json:

Option 1: Using a specific WSL distribution

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wsl-filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-server-wsl-filesystem",
        "--distro=Ubuntu-20.04",
        "/home/user/documents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Option 2: Using the default WSL distribution

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wsl-filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-server-wsl-filesystem",
        "/home/user/documents"
      ]
    }
  }
}

In the second example, the system will use your default WSL distribution without you needing to specify it.

Differences from original project

This fork adapts the original Filesystem MCP Server to work with WSL by:

1. Replacing direct Node.js filesystem calls with WSL command executions
2. Adding support for selecting specific WSL distributions
3. Implementing path translation between Windows and Linux formats
4. Enhancing file content handling for cross-platform compatibility
5. Adding specialized tools for WSL management

License

This project is a fork of the original Filesystem MCP Server created by the Model Context Protocol team.

This MCP server for WSL is licensed under the MIT License, following the original project’s license. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the original project repository.