Filesystem MCP

Name: Filesystem MCP
Author: j0hanz

by j0hanzversion 2.19.2i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.j0hanz/filesystem-mcp

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Filesystem MCP server for AI assistants.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: stdio
Category: Other

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: FS_ALLOWED_DIRS, FS_READ_ONLY_DIRS

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "FS_ALLOWED_DIRS": "your-value",
        "FS_READ_ONLY_DIRS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add filesystem --env FS_ALLOWED_DIRS=your-value --env FS_READ_ONLY_DIRS=your-value -- npx -y @j0hanz/filesystem-mcp

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "FS_ALLOWED_DIRS": "your-value",
        "FS_READ_ONLY_DIRS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "FS_ALLOWED_DIRS": "your-value",
        "FS_READ_ONLY_DIRS": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

FS_ALLOWED_DIRS env
Allowed directories; ':'-separated on Unix, ';'-separated on Windows. Alternative to positional arguments.
FS_READ_ONLY_DIRS env
Read-only directories; ':'-separated on Unix, ';'-separated on Windows. Writes, moves, and deletes under them are refused.

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account j0hanz, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Otheri

More stars than 0% of the other 18345 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 100% of the other 18345 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 18345 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Filesystem MCP safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

The registry does not list a required key, though some servers ask you to sign in on first use.

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (2.19.2) reached the registry today.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js, Docker on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Spec Driven Development, Remote Desktop Commander, ScienceShot science reference

Alternatives

Servers in the same category from other makers, sorted by stars.

Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

Spec Driven Development

by formulahendry

MCP Server that facilitates spec-driven development workflows, not just Vibe Coding.

Runs on your computer★ 440MITUpdated 14 months ago

Install

Remote Desktop Commander

by desktop-commander

Remote Desktop Commander: use files, terminal and processes on your own computers from any AI app.

Runs in the cloud★ 211Updated 2 days ago

Install

ScienceShot science reference

by scienceshot.com

Sourced, citable answers in radiation and particle physics, photonics, electronics and quantum.

Runs in the cloudUpdated today

Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Filesystem MCP

Let your AI assistant work with your files, safely.

Read, search, edit, and patch files in the folders you choose.

Secret files stay hidden, and risky changes wait for your OK.

Real sessions with a real model, except the web client demo. The apply? prompt comes from the example gatekeeper client, not the server.

Undo skips a file you edited since, so your edit stays

Rename across a repo, reviewed as one diff, with dist/ and .env untouched

Bring back a deleted folder that git can't restore

Secret files stay hidden, and overwrites wait for your OK

Move files into an archive, then undo a move that overwrote one

Review different edits to three files as one diff before they are written

A patch that no longer fits changes nothing

Find a crash in a 14 MB log without reading all of it

What is this?

Model Context Protocol (MCP) is how AI apps such as Claude, GitHub Copilot in VS Code, and Cursor connect to tools. Filesystem MCP is an MCP server: a small program that runs on your computer and gives the AI 14 tools for working with files. You choose which folders it can use, and everything outside them is off limits.

Once it is connected, you can ask things like:

_"Find every TODO in this repo and group them by file."_
_"Rename getUser to fetchUser in all .ts files. Show me the diff first."_
_"What changed between config.dev.json and config.prod.json?"_
_"Read the last 50 lines of server.log and explain the error."_
_"Move the old screenshots into archive/2025/."_

Why Filesystem MCP?

It is safe by default. The AI can use only the folders you allow, and .env files, private keys, and cloud credentials are blocked. The server asks you before the AI deletes a non-empty folder, opens a folder you did not allow, or writes over a file with create or move. These questions need a client that can show them. If yours cannot, the server refuses each of those actions instead of asking. Only create and copies can skip the question, because overwrite: true replaces a file without asking, on any client. undo can usually restore a file that create or a copy replaced. Edits made with edit, patch, and replace_text apply without asking, but the AI can show you the diff first with dryRun. If the AI should never change anything, --read-only removes every tool that writes.
Search and editing are made for code. The AI can search inside files like grep, with a regex engine (RE2) that cannot hang, and by default the server skips .gitignored files and folders like node_modules. Edits are exact-match replacements that return an error when the text does not match, and you can preview them as a diff first.
It saves the AI's context. The AI can read many files in one call or only the lines it needs, and it can check a file's size and token estimate before reading it.
It works with any MCP client, over stdio or HTTP, on macOS, Linux, and Windows. You can install it with npx, Docker, or a one-click Claude Desktop extension, or build your own client on it.
It is private. It runs on your machine, has no telemetry, and makes no network calls.

Compared with the reference server

How this server differs from the official @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem, checked against its README on 2026-11-05:

Capability	Filesystem MCP	Reference server
Search inside files	`search_text`: literal text or RE2 regex	None; `search_files` matches names only
Secret files	`.env`, keys, and credentials blocked by default	Not blocked
Overwriting a file	`create` asks first; `overwrite: true` does not ask	`write_file` overwrites without asking
Delete files	`delete`; asks before deleting a non-empty folder	None
Undo a change	`undo` reverts recent changes; skips files edited since	None
`.gitignore`	Respected by listing and search tools	Not supported
Read-only mode	`--read-only` removes every tool that writes	`--read-only` removes every tool that writes
Per-folder read-only	`--read-only-root` guards chosen folders	Run a second server with `--read-only`
Apply a unified diff	`patch`	None
Compare two files	`diff`	None
Replace across many files	`replace_text` over a folder or glob	None
Watch files	Subscribe to a file and get change notifications	None
Transport	stdio, or Streamable HTTP with `--port`	stdio

Quick start

[!NOTE]

You need Node.js 24 or later. Check with node --version.

Add the server to your AI app. Pick yours below.
Replace /path/to/project with the folder the AI may use. You can list several folders.
Restart the app and ask: _"Which folders can you access?"_

[!TIP]

VS Code currently shares the folders you have open with the server, so the

one-click VS Code install works without a path. In other apps, or over HTTP,

put the folder in args. If the AI says it has no folders, that is the fix.

VS Code

Click Install in VS Code above, or add this to .vscode/mcp.json:

"servers": { "filesystem": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest", "/path/to/project"] } } }

Or from a terminal:

code --add-mcp '{"name":"filesystem","command":"npx","args":["-y","@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest","/path/to/project"]}'

Cursor

Click Install in Cursor above, then add your folder to args. Or add this to .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json for all projects:

"mcpServers": { "filesystem": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/fil

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Filesystem MCP

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Otheri

Common questions

Alternatives

Spec Driven Development

Remote Desktop Commander

ScienceShot science reference

README from the maker

Filesystem MCP

What is this?

Why Filesystem MCP?

Compared with the reference server

Quick start