Filesystem MCP Server: Setup for Claude, Cursor and Other Apps

• Reads a text file, or just its first or last lines

  Returns the contents of one file as UTF-8 text. You can ask for only the first or last N lines of a large file.

  Try: “Read the last 50 lines of logs/app.log.”

  Files · read_text_file

• Reads several files in one go

  Reads a list of files together. If one file cannot be read, the others still come back.

  Try: “Read package.json, tsconfig.json and README.md and summarize how this project is set up.”

  Files · read_multiple_files

• Finds files and folders by name pattern

  Searches a folder and everything inside it for names that match a pattern, and skips any patterns you exclude. It returns full paths and stops after 100,000 entries.

  Try: “Find every file ending in .test.ts under src, ignoring node_modules.”

  Files · search_files

• Lists what is in a folder

  Shows the files and folders directly inside one folder, marked as file or directory.

  Try: “What is in my Documents/taxes folder?”

  Files · list_directory

• Lists a folder with file sizes, biggest first if you ask

  Like a plain listing, but with each file's size and totals for files, folders and combined size. It can sort by name or by size.

  Try: “Show me the biggest files in my Downloads folder.”

  Files · list_directory_with_sizes

• Maps a whole folder tree at once

  Returns every folder and file under a starting folder as a nested tree. You can exclude patterns, and it stops after 100,000 entries.

  Try: “Show me the folder structure of this project, without node_modules.”

  Files · directory_tree

• Shows a file's size, dates, type and permissions

  Returns size, created, modified and last-accessed times, type, permissions and how many hard links the file has.

  Try: “When was report.docx last changed and how big is it?”

  Files · get_file_info

• Reads an image or audio file so the assistant can look at it

  Returns an image or audio file as content the assistant can view or hear. Any other file type comes back as an embedded binary resource.

  Try: “Look at screenshots/error.png and tell me what the error says.”

  Files · read_media_file

• Creates a file or overwrites an existing one

  Writes the given text to a path, replacing the file if it exists. An overwrite is not crash-safe, so a crash mid-write can leave a partly written file.

  Try: “Create notes/meeting-2026-11-02.md with the summary we just wrote.”

  Write · write_file

• Replaces specific text inside a file and shows a diff

  Applies a list of find-and-replace edits to a file, keeping its line endings and indentation. A preview mode shows the diff without changing the file.

  Try: “In config.json, change the port from 3000 to 4000. Show me the preview first.”

  Write · edit_file

• Creates a folder, including missing parent folders

  Makes a new folder and any parents it needs. It does nothing if the folder already exists.

  Try: “Create a folder called archive/2026 in my Documents.”

  Write · create_directory

• Moves or renames files and folders

  Moves or renames a file or folder, and fails if the destination already exists. Across drives it copies the file and then removes the original.

  Try: “Rename draft.txt to final-report.txt.”

  Write · move_file

• Used by the assistant behind the scenes

  Shows which folders the server may use

  Lists the folders you gave the server access to, so the assistant knows where it can work.

  Try: “Which folders can you access?”

  Files · list_allowed_directories

• Older name for reading a text file

  The deprecated version of the text-file reader. The server still registers it, and it reads a file the same way.

  Try: “Read the contents of notes.txt.”

  Files · read_file

Watch out for

• It can overwrite and edit your files

  Writing a file replaces an existing one, and edits change files in place. Keep the allowed folders small and backed up, and ask for the preview before edits. github.com

• Hard links can reach outside the allowed folders

  Folder checks go by path. If a file inside an allowed folder is hard-linked elsewhere, editing it changes it everywhere, as with pnpm's node_modules. Check the link count in the file info. github.com

• Docker can make a folder read-only

  Mount a folder with the ro flag if you only want the assistant to read it. Mount each folder under /projects as the README shows. github.com

• Big folders are cut off after 100,000 entries

  Searching and tree listing visit at most 100,000 entries, so on very large folders results can be incomplete. Point it at a narrower folder. github.com

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