Filesystem MCP Server

What it does

The filesystem server gives an MCP client controlled access to local directories. You pass allowed paths as command line arguments, or a client that supports Roots can supply and update them at runtime. If neither source provides a directory, the server fails during initialization rather than running unrestricted.

Tool annotations mark read only operations separately from writes, flag idempotent calls, and mark destructive operations such as overwrites and moves. Every tool reports openWorldHint false because access stays inside the allowed local directories.

It is published as an npm package and can also run in Docker with directories mounted under /projects, including read only mounts.

Configuration

Run with npx and pass one or more allowed directory paths as arguments, or run the Docker image with bind mounts under /projects.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/path/to/allowed/dir"]
    }
  }
}

Source: https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main/src/filesystem. Placeholders only. Replace them in your own environment, and never commit real keys to a repository.

No environment variables are required per the official documentation.

Verified tools and features

• read_text_file Config checked

  Reads a file as UTF-8 text, with optional head or tail line limits.

• write_file and edit_file Config checked

  Creates or overwrites files, and applies selective text edits with dry run diff previews.

• search_files and directory_tree Config checked

  Recursively searches with glob patterns and returns a JSON tree of directory contents.

• list_allowed_directories Config checked

  Lists the directories the server is currently permitted to access.

Security notes

Stacks featuring this server