text_editor
View, create, and edit files with persistent state across command calls. This tool is identical with Claude's built in text editor tool called text_editor_20241022
LABSCO SUMMARY
The editor surface a model already knows, for clients that do not ship one.
Everything runs through one tool with a command argument, which keeps the definition cost to a single entry while still covering view, create, replace and insert. Because it mirrors text_editor_20241022, the calling conventions are ones a model has already seen rather than a new dialect to learn. The persistent state across calls is what makes a multi-step edit practical — the file is not reopened from scratch each time.
What it is
A single-tool file editor where the command argument selects the operation, described by its author as identical to Claude's built-in text_editor_20241022 tool.
What you get
- Viewing a file scoped by view_range, so a large file is read as a slice rather than whole
- File creation from file_text at a given path
- In-place replacement of old_str with new_str
- Insertion of text at a chosen insert_line
- State that persists across command calls, so a sequence of edits stays in one session
Requirements
Nothing — no account, no key. The paths you pass must be reachable on the machine the server runs on.
Setup effort
One command — npx -y mcp-server-text-editor
USE CASES
01
Making one exact change without re-pasting the file
View the range around the line in question, then replace old_str with new_str. The match has to be exact, so the view step is what makes the replacement land.
02
Writing out a file the model has just drafted
Create the file from file_text in one call, then keep editing it in the same session — state persists across command calls, so the follow-up edits do not have to re-establish the file.
1 tool
Counted once with only startup setup. Other versions, modes or optional credentials may expose a different list.
BEFORE YOU INSTALL
What to know first
Tools you get
1 tool when we connected.
Requires
- npx on PATH
- Node.js 18+
CONTEXT COST
Light Standing cost
Rated by the size of the one tool definition that rides along on every turn
INSTALLATION
Connect your client
Add the block to your client, or run the command directly.
Server setup
Configuration file
JSON
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-server-text-editor": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"mcp-server-text-editor"
]
}
}
}npx
TERMINAL
npx -y mcp-server-text-editor
