Add
ReferenceDeveloper Tools

Filesystem

by Model Context Protocol

Let an assistant read, search and edit files in the folders you choose on your own machine.

ConnectRepository(opens in a new tab)

Best for

Working with the files of a specific project folder on your own computer from an MCP client that runs local servers.

Connect Filesystem

Recommended setup

Local

This server runs on your machine. The publisher's guide has the exact command and settings for your client.

Before you connect

It can change files in every directory you allow, and the repository describes its servers as reference implementations to learn from, not production-ready solutions, so scope the directories narrowly.

Open official setup guide(opens in a new tab)

Overview

The Filesystem server is one of the small set of reference servers kept by the MCP steering group. It runs locally on Node.js and works only inside the directories you pass to it on the command line, which become its allow-list. Within them an assistant can read text and media files, write and edit files, create and list directories, move files, search by pattern, show a directory tree and read file metadata. Because it is a reference implementation, the project positions it as an example for building servers rather than a production-ready product.

What it can do

  • Reads text and media files, reads several files at once, and writes or edits files.
  • Creates and lists directories, moves files, searches for files, returns a directory tree and shows file metadata.
  • Only touches the allowed directories given on the command line; a tool lists which directories are currently allowed.
  • Runs through npx on Node.js 24 or later, or from a Docker image built from the repository.

What you need

Sign-in and credentials

No account or API key. Access is limited to the directories you list when starting the server.

Sources

Documentation
github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main/src/filesystem
Repository
github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/HEAD/src/filesystem
Last checked
Oct 31, 2026
Record reviewed
Oct 31, 2026

Statements on this page come from

Listing on HistChat is not an endorsement or a security review. MCP servers can access data or perform actions, so review the source and permissions before connecting.

Related MCP servers

  • Chrome DevTools

    GoogleOfficial

    Let a coding agent drive a live Chrome browser to debug pages, inspect network traffic and record performance traces.

    Category
    Developer Tools
    Connection
    Local
    GitHub stars
    55k

  • GitHub

    GitHubOfficial

    Let an assistant browse repositories, triage issues, handle pull requests and check Actions runs on GitHub.

    Category
    Developer Tools
    Connection
    Remote · Local
    GitHub stars
    34k

  • Grafana

    Grafana LabsOfficial

    Search dashboards, query Prometheus and Loki, and work with incidents in a Grafana instance from an assistant.

    Category
    Developer Tools
    Connection
    Local
    GitHub stars
    3.6k

  • Sentry

    SentryOfficial

    Search errors and traces, triage issues and debug failures in Sentry from a coding assistant.

    Category
    Developer Tools
    Connection
    Remote · Local

  • GitLab

    GitLabOfficial

    Connect an assistant to GitLab projects, issues and merge requests through the MCP endpoint built into GitLab itself.

    Category
    Developer Tools
    Connection
    Remote

  • Firecrawl

    FirecrawlOfficial

    Search, scrape, crawl and interact with web pages from an assistant, with output as Markdown or structured JSON.

    Category
    Browser & Web
    Connection
    Remote · Local
    GitHub stars
    7.7k