Filesystem MCP Server

Secure filesystem MCP server for reading, writing, searching, diffing, and patching files.

Overview

A secure, production-ready Model Context Protocol server that gives AI assistants controlled access to the local filesystem. All operations are sandboxed to explicitly allowed directories with path traversal prevention, sensitive file blocking, and optional Bearer token authentication.

Supports stdio (default) and Node Streamable HTTP transport. HTTP sessions are implemented with isolated per-session server state. The HTTP transport is stateful by default and currently non-resumable; it does not persist an event store for Last-Event-ID replay.

Key Features

18 filesystem tools — read, write, search, diff, patch, hash, and bulk operations with structured output schemas
Security-first — path validation, symlink escape prevention, sensitive file denylist, localhost-only CORS, Host header validation for loopback HTTP binds, optional API key auth
Dual transport — stdio for local use, Node Streamable HTTP for networked/multi-session deployments
Structured output — all tools return typed outputSchema / structuredContent for reliable LLM parsing
Self-documenting — 6 built-in resources (internal://instructions, internal://tool-catalog, etc.) and 4 built-in prompts (get-help, compare-files, analyze-path, get-tool-help)

Requirements

Node.js >= 24

Quick Start

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

Docker

docker run -i --rm -v /path/to/project:/workspace:ro ghcr.io/j0hanz/filesystem-mcp /workspace

Or using Docker Compose:

services:
  filesystem-mcp:
    build: .
    stdin_open: true
    volumes:
      - ./:/projects/workspace:ro
    command: ['/projects/workspace']

CLI Usage

filesystem-mcp [options] [allowedDirs...]

Arguments:
  allowedDirs              Directories the server can access

Options:
  --allow-cwd              Allow the current working directory as an additional root
  --port <number>          Enable HTTP transport on the given port
  -v, --version            Display server version
  -h, --help               Display help

Examples:
  $ npx @j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest /path/to/project
  $ npx @j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest --allow-cwd
  $ npx @j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest --port 3000 /path/to/project

Client Configuration

<details> <summary>Install in VS Code</summary>

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

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

Or install via CLI:

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

</details> <details> <summary>Install in VS Code Insiders</summary>

Add to .vscode/mcp.json:

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

Or install via CLI:

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

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Cursor</summary>

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Visual Studio</summary>

Add to <SOLUTIONDIR>.mcp.json or %USERPROFILE%\.mcp.json:

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

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Goose</summary>

Add to ~/.config/goose/config.yaml:

extensions:
  filesystem:
    name: Filesystem MCP
    cmd: npx
    args:
      - -y
      - '@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest'
    enabled: true
    type: stdio

</details> <details> <summary>Add to LM Studio</summary>

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Claude Desktop</summary>

Add to claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Claude Code</summary>

claude mcp add filesystem-mcp -- npx -y @j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest

Or add a project-scoped .mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Windsurf</summary>

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Amp</summary>

amp mcp add filesystem-mcp -- npx -y @j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest

Or add to settings.json:

{
  "amp.mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Cline</summary>

Add to cline_mcp_settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Codex</summary>

codex mcp add filesystem -- npx -y @j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest

Or add to ~/.codex/config.toml (or .codex/config.toml in a trusted project):

[mcp_servers.filesystem]
command = "npx"
args = ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]

</details> <details> <summary>Install in GitHub Copilot Coding Agent</summary>

Add this JSON in your repository's GitHub Copilot coding agent MCP configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"],
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Warp</summary>

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Kiro</summary>

Add to .kiro/settings/mcp.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Gemini CLI</summary>

Add to ~/.gemini/settings.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Zed</summary>

Add to ~/.config/zed/settings.json:

{
  "context_servers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Augment</summary>

Add to VS Code settings.json under augment.advanced:

{
  "augment.advanced": {
    "mcpServers": [
      {
        "id": "filesystem",
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
      }
    ]
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in Roo Code</summary>

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp@latest"]
    }
  }
}

</details> <details> <summary>Install in

…

Filesystem Context

Installation

Configuration

How to use

README