File Organizer

Version 3.5.0 | MCP protocol 2024-11-05 | Node.js 18+

npm version npm downloads License Tests

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that organizes files. It gives a Claude-style assistant a single atomic operation to categorize, sort, dedupe, and rename files, instead of making it chain dozens of primitive read, write, and rename calls.

• Why
• Quick start
• Features
• Tools
• File categories
• Example workflows
• Security
• Troubleshooting
• Architecture
• Documentation

---

Why

A filesystem MCP server built only on read, write, make, and delete forces an assistant to plan every move and rename as a separate step. Each step costs tokens, and more steps means more chances to get the path wrong.

File Organizer MCP replaces those chains with one call:

Primitive approach	File Organizer MCP
Many read / write / rename calls	organize_files() runs the whole move atomically
Dozens of reasoning steps	One reasoning step
High token use	Minimal token use
Easy to corrupt on partial failure	Rollback-safe operations

---

Quick start

One-command setup

npx file-organizer-mcp --setup

The wizard detects installed AI clients (Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and others), configures them, and walks you through folder selection and preferences.

Requirements

Node.js 18 or newer.

After setup

You can ask the assistant things like:

• "Organize my Downloads folder"
• "Find duplicate files in my Documents"
• "Show me my largest files"

Install methods

Method	Command	Use case
npx	npx file-organizer-mcp --setup	Occasional use or a trial
Global	npm install -g file-organizer-mcp	Regular use, faster startup

---

Features

• Categorization into 12 or more file types.
• Cron-based automatic organization and directory watch mode.
• Duplicate detection by SHA-256 content hash.
• Metadata extraction: EXIF for photos, ID3 for audio, topic extraction for documents.
• Smart organization that picks the right strategy per file type.
• Dry-run preview, atomic moves, and rollback.
• Path traversal protection, TOCTOU mitigation, and metadata scrubbing.
• Windows, macOS, and Linux.

---

Tools

Core tools

• file_organizer_scan_directory - List a directory with detailed file info. directory is required; include_subdirs toggles recursion.
• file_organizer_read_file - Read a file with 8-layer path validation. path is required; encoding is utf-8, base64, or binary.
• file_organizer_organize_smart - Handle music, photos, and documents in one pass, choosing the best strategy per file.
• file_organizer_batch_rename - Rename many files by pattern, regex, or numbering.
• file_organizer_undo_last_operation - Reverse the most recent organization.

Full tool list

• file_organizer_analyze_duplicates
• file_organizer_batch_read_files
• file_organizer_categorize_by_type
• file_organizer_delete_duplicates
• file_organizer_find_duplicate_files
• file_organizer_find_largest_files
• file_organizer_get_categories
• file_organizer_inspect_metadata
• file_organizer_list_files
• file_organizer_list_watches
• file_organizer_organize_by_content
• file_organizer_organize_files
• file_organizer_organize_music
• file_organizer_organize_photos
• file_organizer_preview_organization
• file_organizer_read_file
• file_organizer_scan_directory
• file_organizer_set_custom_rules
• file_organizer_smart_suggest
• file_organizer_system_organize
• file_organizer_undo_last_operation
• file_organizer_unwatch_directory
• file_organizer_view_history
• file_organizer_watch_directory

For parameters and return shapes, see API.md.

---

File categories

Category	Typical extensions
Executables	.exe, .msi, .bat, .sh
Videos	.mp4, .avi, .mkv, .mov
Documents	.pdf, .doc, .docx, .txt, .md
Images	.jpg, .jpeg, .png, .gif, .webp
Audio	.mp3, .wav, .flac, .m4a
Archives	.zip, .rar, .7z, .tar.gz
Code	.py, .js, .ts, .java, .go, .json

---

Example workflows

Clean up a Downloads folder

1. Scan the folder and review the file distribution and space use.
2. Identify duplicates and stale files.
3. Preview the moves and conflicts.
4. Confirm, then organize into category folders.

Result: a sorted folder, duplicates flagged, and reclaimed space.

Organize a project

The assistant scans the project, splits files into Code, Assets, and Docs, keeps the src/ tree intact, and moves loose config files, readmes, and screenshots into their proper folders.

Find and handle duplicates

The assistant hashes files, groups duplicates, scores each copy by location, name quality, and age, and recommends which to keep and which to delete. It reports the wasted space. You decide whether to delete.

Discover large files

Point it at a folder and it lists the largest files by size, flags old backups you can archive, and notes any large duplicates.

Organize music

It reads ID3 tags and rebuilds the folder as Artist / Album / Title.mp3.

Before:
Downloads/
  song1.mp3
  track02.mp3
  music_file.mp3

After:
Music/
  Coldplay/
    A Rush of Blood to the Head/
      Clocks.mp3
      The Scientist.mp3
  Radiohead/
    OK Computer/
      Paranoid Android.mp3
      Karma Police.mp3

Organize photos

It reads the capture date from EXIF and sorts photos into YYYY / MM / DD folders.

Before:
Pictures/
  IMG_001.jpg
  photo123.png
  DSC_4567.raw

After:
Pictures/
  2023/
    12/
      25/
        IMG_001.jpg
      31/
        photo123.png
  2024/
    01/
      15/
        DSC_4567.raw

Security-screen a folder

It extracts metadata and content signatures, then flags sensitive metadata, such as EXIF GPS coordinates in a PDF or personal identifiers in a resume, and suggests redaction or quarantine.

Set up automatic organization

Register a directory with a cron schedule:

{
  "directory": "/Users/john/Downloads",
  "schedule": "0 9 * * *",
  "min_file_age_minutes": 5
}

The server organizes the folder on that schedule. Add more watches for other directories.

---

Security configuration

Access is restricted to a whitelist of user directories by default. System directories stay blocked.

Allowed by default

The server enables these locations if they exist on the machine:

Platform	Allowed directories
Windows	Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Pictures, Videos, Music, OneDrive, Projects, Workspace
macOS	Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Movies, Music, Pictures, iCloud Drive, Projects
Linux	Desktop, Documents, Downloads, Music, Pictures, Videos, ~/dev, ~/workspace

Always blocked

These paths stay blocked even if you add them to the config:

• Windows: C:\Windows, Program Files, AppData, $Recycle.Bin
• macOS: /System, /Library, /Applications, /private, /usr
• Linux: /etc, /usr, /var, /root, /sys, /proc
• Everywhere: node_modules, .git, .vscode, .idea, dist, build

Custom configuration

Edit the user config file:

• Windows: %APPDATA%\file-organizer-mcp\config.json
• macOS: $HOME/Library/Application Support/file-organizer-mcp/config.json
• Linux: $HOME/.config/file-organizer-mcp/config.json

Add paths to customAllowedDirectories:

{
  "customAllowedDirectories": [
    "C:\\Users\\Name\\My Special Folder",
    "D:\\Backups"
  ]
}

You can paste a folder path straight from your file explorer's address bar.

External drives and network mounts

Paths outside your home directory are blocked unless you opt in. To allow an external volume such as /Volumes/My Drive on macOS or /media/user/usb on Linux, set allowExternalVolumes to true:

{
  "allowExternalVolumes": true,
  "customAllowedDirectories": [
    "/Volumes/MyExternalDrive",
    "/Volumes/Photography Backup"
  ]
}

Windows drive letters like D:\ work without this flag.

Restart the client after editing the config.

Conflict strategy

{
  "conflictStrategy": "rename"
}

• rename (default) - Append a suffix to the new file, for example file (1).txt.
• skip - Keep the existing file and skip the new one.
• overwrite - Replace the existing file, after writing a backup.

Legacy auto-organize schedule

For a simple hourly, daily, or weekly schedule:

{
  "autoOrganize": {
    "enabled": true,
    "schedule": "daily"
  }
}

For anything more granular, use the file_organizer_watch_directory tool.

Defenses

Attack type	Protection
Unauthorized access	Whitelist plus blacklist enforcement
Path traversal	8-layer validation pipeline
Symlink attacks	Real path resolution
DoS	Resource limits on file count, depth, and size

---

Troubleshooting

The MCP server does not appear

1. Check the config file path is correct.
2. Confirm Node.js 18 or newer: node --version.
3. Fully restart the client.
4. Check the path in the client config file.

Permission errors

• Windows: run the client as Administrator.
• macOS/Linux: check folder permissions with ls -la.
• Confirm the target directory is writable.

Files are not moving

1. Make sure dry_run is not enabled.
2. Close programs that may be locking the files.
3. Check for sufficient disk space.
4. Read the operation summary for error messages.

---

Architecture

The server runs a screen-then-enrich pipeline: an MCP protocol handler passes every request through security screening (path validation, sensitive-file detection, rate limiting), then metadata enrichment (EXIF, ID3, document properties), then the service layer that performs the operation. All file operations go through validated paths and support rollback.

See ARCHITECTURE.md for the full diagram and design notes.

---

Documentation

• API.md - Complete tool reference
• ARCHITECTURE.md - Design and architecture
• CONTRIBUTING.md - Contribution guidelines
• MIGRATION.md - v2 to v3 upgrade guide
• CHANGELOG.md - Version history
• SECURITY.md - Security model and reporting

---

Contributing

Read CONTRIBUTING.md, then clone and build:

git clone https://github.com/kridaydave/File-Organizer-MCP.git
cd File-Organizer-MCP
npm install
npm run build
npm test

Report bugs and feature requests on GitHub Issues. For a security vulnerability, email [email protected].

License

MIT. See LICENSE.