Local Files Server
FreeNot checkedProvides safe local file operations through MCP, including reading, writing, searching, organizing, and protected deletion with configurable path restrictions.
About
Provides safe local file operations through MCP, including reading, writing, searching, organizing, and protected deletion with configurable path restrictions.
README
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for managing local files. Provides tools for reading, writing, analyzing, searching, and organizing files with built-in safety protections.
Features
- 📖 Read/Write files - UTF-8 and base64 support
- 📂 Directory operations - List, organize, search
- 🔍 Content search - Regex pattern matching
- 🔎 Find duplicates - MD5 hash comparison
- 📊 File analysis - Size, MIME type, line counts
- 🛡️ Safety protections - Configurable allowed/protected paths
- 🖥️ Cross-platform - macOS, Linux, Windows
Installation
NPX
Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:
macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
"mcpServers": {
"local-files": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "fsorg"]
}
}
}
That's it! Claude Desktop will automatically download and run the MCP server via npx.
Alternative: Install from source
git clone https://github.com/argtobias/fsorg.git
cd fsorg
pnpm install
pnpm build
Then configure Claude Desktop:
{
"mcpServers": {
"local-files": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/fsorg/dist/index.js"]
}
}
}
Safety Configuration
Create a config file at:
-- macOS/Linux: ~/.config/localfiles-org/config.json
-- Windows: %LOCALAPPDATA%\localfiles-org\config.json
{
"allowedPaths": [
"~/projects",
"~/Development",
"~/workspace",
"/tmp"
],
"additionalProtectedPaths": [
"~/my-important-folder"
],
"additionalProtectedPatterns": [
"^backup",
"\\.bak$"
]
}
Configuration Options
| Option | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|
allowedPaths |
Paths where delete operations are permitted | ~/projects, ~/dev, etc. |
additionalProtectedPaths |
Extra paths to protect from deletion | [] |
additionalProtectedPatterns |
Regex patterns for protected file names | [] |
Always Protected (cannot be overridden)
- System paths:
/,/etc,/usr,/bin,/System, etc. - User paths:
~,~/Documents,~/Desktop,~/Downloads,~/.ssh - Patterns:
.git,.env,.ssh, credentials, secrets
Available Tools
File Operations
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
read_file |
Read file contents (UTF-8 or base64) |
write_file |
Write content to file (UTF-8 or base64) |
delete_file |
Safely delete a file with protection checks |
move_file |
Move file with optional empty directory cleanup |
analyze_file |
Get file stats (size, MIME, lines, words) |
Directory Operations
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
list_directory |
List files with optional recursion and glob patterns |
delete_directory |
Safely delete directory (requires confirmation for recursive) |
organize_by_type |
Organize files into folders by extension/date/size |
Search Operations
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
search_content |
Search for regex patterns in file contents |
find_duplicates |
Find duplicate files by MD5 hash |
sort_file_content |
Sort lines in a file |
Batch Operations
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
rename_files |
Batch rename files using regex patterns |
Usage Examples
Read a file
{
"tool": "read_file",
"arguments": {
"path": "~/projects/myfile.txt"
}
}
Find and delete duplicates
{
"tool": "find_duplicates",
"arguments": {
"path": "~/projects/images",
"recursive": true
}
}
Safely delete with preview
{
"tool": "delete_file",
"arguments": {
"path": "~/projects/temp/old-file.txt",
"preview": true
}
}
Organize files by extension
{
"tool": "organize_by_type",
# Local Files MCP Server
Simple MCP server for safe local file operations: read, write, search, organize and protected delete.
## Quick install
Run via npx (recommended for Claude Desktop):
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"local-files": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "fsorg"]
}
}
}
From source:
git clone https://github.com/argtobias/fsorg.git
cd fsorg
pnpm install
pnpm build
Configuration
Create user config at:
macOS/Linux:
~/.config/localfiles-org/config.jsonWindows:
%LOCALAPPDATA%\\localfiles-org\\config.json
Minimal config example:
{
"allowedPaths": ["~/projects", "~/Development"],
"additionalProtectedPaths": [],
"additionalProtectedPatterns": []
}
Safety
- Only operations inside
allowedPathscan delete files. - System and user-critical paths are always protected.
- Pattern-based protection (e.g.
.git,.env) is enforced.
Usage examples
Read a file:
{ "tool": "read_file", "arguments": { "path": "~/projects/myfile.txt" } }
Find duplicates:
{ "tool": "find_duplicates", "arguments": { "path": "~/projects/images", "recursive": true } }
Delete with preview (safe):
{ "tool": "delete_file", "arguments": { "path": "~/projects/temp/old.txt", "preview": true } }
Development
pnpm install
pnpm build
pnpm dev
License
ISC
Install Local Files Server in Claude Desktop, Claude Code & Cursor
unyly install local-files-mcp-serverInstalls into Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor & VS Code — handles npx, uvx and build-from-source repos for you.
First time? Get the CLI: curl -fsSL https://unyly.org/install | sh
Or configure manually
Run in your terminal:
claude mcp add local-files-mcp-server -- npx -y github:TobiasArg/LocalFilesOrganizer-MCPFAQ
Is Local Files Server MCP free?
Yes, Local Files Server MCP is free — one-click install via Unyly at no cost.
Does Local Files Server need an API key?
No, Local Files Server runs without API keys or environment variables.
Is Local Files Server hosted or self-hosted?
Self-hosted: the server runs locally on your machine via the install command above.
How do I install Local Files Server in Claude Desktop, Claude Code or Cursor?
Open Local Files Server on unyly.org, pick your client tab (Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor) and press Install — the config is generated automatically, no JSON editing.
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