Desktop Commander MCP

Create a new directory or ensure a directory exists.

Can create multiple nested directories in one operation. Only works within allowed directories.

IMPORTANT: Always use absolute paths for reliability. Paths are automatically normalized regardless of slash direction.

🐳 DOCKER: Prefer paths within mounted directories: /home/vercel-sandbox. When users ask about file locations, check these mounted paths first.

Apply surgical edits to files.

BEST PRACTICE: Make multiple small, focused edits rather than one large edit. Each edit_block call should change only what needs to be changed - include just enough context to uniquely identify the text being modified.

Force terminate a running terminal session.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Get the complete server configuration as JSON. Config includes fields for:

• blockedCommands (array of blocked shell commands)
• defaultShell (shell to use for commands)
• allowedDirectories (paths the server can access)
• fileReadLineLimit (max lines for read_file, default 1000)
• fileWriteLineLimit (max lines per write_file call, default 50)
• telemetryEnabled (boolean for telemetry opt-in/out)
• currentClient (information about the currently connected MCP client)
• clientHistory (history of all clients that have connected)
• version (version of the DesktopCommander)
• systemInfo (operating system and environment details) This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Retrieve detailed metadata about a file or directory including:

• size
• creation time
• last modified time
• permissions
• type
• lineCount (for text files)
• lastLine (zero-indexed number of last line, for text files)
• appendPosition (line number for appending, for text files)

Get more results from an active search with offset-based pagination.

Supports partial result reading with:

• 'offset' (start result index, default: 0)
• Positive: Start from result N (0-based indexing)
• Negative: Read last N results from end (tail behavior)
• 'length' (max results to read, default: 100)
• Used with positive offsets for range reading
• Ignored when offset is negative (reads all requested tail results)

Examples:

• offset: 0, length: 100 → First 100 results
• offset: 200, length: 50 → Results 200-249
• offset: -20 → Last 20 results
• offset: -5, length: 10 → Last 5 results (length ignored)

Returns only results in the specified range, along with search status. Works like read_process_output - call this repeatedly to get progressive results from a search started with start_search.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Retrieve a specific Desktop Commander onboarding prompt by ID and execute it.

SIMPLIFIED ONBOARDING V2: This tool only supports direct prompt retrieval. The onboarding system presents 5 options as a simple numbered list:

1. Organize my Downloads folder (promptId: 'onb2_01')
2. Explain a codebase or repository (promptId: 'onb2_02')
3. Create organized knowledge base (promptId: 'onb2_03')
4. Analyze a data file (promptId: 'onb2_04')
5. Check system health and resources (promptId: 'onb2_05')

USAGE: When user says "1", "2", "3", "4", or "5" from onboarding:

• "1" → get_prompts(action='get_prompt', promptId='onb2_01')
• "2" → get_prompts(action='get_prompt', promptId='onb2_02')
• "3" → get_prompts(action='get_prompt', promptId='onb2_03')
• "4" → get_prompts(action='get_prompt', promptId='onb2_04')
• "5" → get_prompts(action='get_prompt', promptId='onb2_05')

The prompt content will be injected and execution begins immediately.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Get recent tool call history with their arguments and outputs. Returns chronological list of tool calls made during this session.

Useful for:

• Onboarding new chats about work already done
• Recovering context after chat history loss
• Debugging tool call sequences

Note: Does not track its own calls or other meta/query tools. History kept in memory (last 1000 calls, lost on restart).

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Get usage statistics for debugging and analysis.

Returns summary of tool usage, success/failure rates, and performance metrics.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Open feedback form in browser to provide feedback about Desktop Commander.

IMPORTANT: This tool simply opens the feedback form - no pre-filling available. The user will fill out the form manually in their browser.

WORKFLOW:

1. When user agrees to give feedback, just call this tool immediately
2. No need to ask questions or collect information
3. Tool opens form with only usage statistics pre-filled automatically:

• tool_call_count: Number of commands they've made
• days_using: How many days they've used Desktop Commander
• platform: Their operating system (Mac/Windows/Linux)
• client_id: Analytics identifier

All survey questions will be answered directly in the form:

• Job title and technical comfort level
• Company URL for industry context
• Other AI tools they use
• Desktop Commander's biggest advantage
• How they typically use it
• Recommendation likelihood (0-10)
• User study participation interest
• Email and any additional feedback

EXAMPLE INTERACTION: User: "sure, I'll give feedback" Claude: "Perfect! Let me open the feedback form for you." [calls tool immediately]

No parameters are needed - just call the tool to open the form.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Send input to a running process and automatically receive the response.

CRITICAL: THIS IS THE PRIMARY TOOL FOR ALL LOCAL FILE ANALYSIS For ANY local file analysis (CSV, JSON, data processing), ALWAYS use this instead of the analysis tool. The analysis tool CANNOT access local files and WILL FAIL - use processes for ALL file-based work.

FILE ANALYSIS PRIORITY ORDER (MANDATORY):

1. ALWAYS FIRST: Use this tool (start_process + interact_with_process) for local data analysis
2. ALTERNATIVE: Use command-line tools (cut, awk, grep) for quick processing
3. NEVER EVER: Use analysis tool for local file access (IT WILL FAIL)

REQUIRED INTERACTIVE WORKFLOW FOR FILE ANALYSIS:

1. Start REPL: start_process("python3 -i")
2. Load libraries: interact_with_process(pid, "import pandas as pd, numpy as np")
3. Read file: interact_with_process(pid, "df = pd.read_csv('/absolute/path/file.csv')")
4. Analyze: interact_with_process(pid, "print(df.describe())")
5. Continue: interact_with_process(pid, "df.groupby('column').size()")

BINARY FILE PROCESSING WORKFLOWS: Use appropriate Python libraries (PyPDF2, pandas, docx2txt, etc.) or command-line tools for binary file analysis.

SMART DETECTION:

• Automatically waits for REPL prompt (>>>, >, etc.)
• Detects errors and completion states
• Early exit prevents timeout delays
• Clean output formatting (removes prompts)

SUPPORTED REPLs:

• Python: python3 -i (RECOMMENDED for data analysis)
• Node.js: node -i
• R: R
• Julia: julia
• Shell: bash, zsh
• Database: mysql, postgres

PARAMETERS:

• pid: Process ID from start_process
• input: Code/command to execute
• timeout_ms: Max wait (default: 8000ms)
• wait_for_prompt: Auto-wait for response (default: true)
• verbose_timing: Enable detailed performance telemetry (default: false)

Returns execution result with status indicators.

PERFORMANCE DEBUGGING (verbose_timing parameter): Set verbose_timing: true to get detailed timing information including:

• Exit reason (early_exit_quick_pattern, early_exit_periodic_check, process_finished, timeout, no_wait)
• Total duration and time to first output
• Complete timeline of all output events with timestamps
• Which detection mechanism triggered early exit Use this to identify slow interactions and optimize detection patterns.

ALWAYS USE FOR: CSV analysis, JSON processing, file statistics, data visualization prep, ANY local file work NEVER USE ANALYSIS TOOL FOR: Local file access (it cannot read files from disk and WILL FAIL)

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Terminate a running process by PID.

Use with caution as this will forcefully terminate the specified process.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Get a detailed listing of all files and directories in a specified path.

Use this instead of 'execute_command' with ls/dir commands. Results distinguish between files and directories with [FILE] and [DIR] prefixes.

Supports recursive listing with the 'depth' parameter (default: 2):

• depth=1: Only direct contents of the directory

List all running processes.

Returns process information including PID, command name, CPU usage, and memory usage.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

List all active searches.

Shows search IDs, search types, patterns, status, and runtime. Similar to list_sessions for terminal processes. Useful for managing multiple concurrent searches.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

List all active terminal sessions.

Shows session status including:

• PID: Process identifier
• Blocked: Whether session is waiting for input
• Runtime: How long the session has been running

DEBUGGING REPLs:

• "Blocked: true" often means REPL is waiting for input
• Use this to verify sessions are running before sending input
• Long runtime with blocked status may indicate stuck process

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Move or rename files and directories.

Can move files between directories and rename them in a single operation. Both source and destination must be within allowed directories.

IMPORTANT: Always use absolute paths for reliability. Paths are automatically normalized regardless of slash direction.

🐳 DOCKER: Prefer paths within mounted directories: /home/vercel-sandbox. When users ask about file locations, check these mounted paths first.

Read contents from files and URLs. Read PDF files and extract content as markdown and images.

Prefer this over 'execute_command' with cat/type for viewing files.

Supports partial file reading with:

• 'offset' (start line, default: 0)
• Positive: Start from line N (0-based indexing)
• Negative: Read last N lines from end (tail behavior)

Read the contents of multiple files simultaneously.

Each file's content is returned with its path as a reference. Handles text files normally and renders images as viewable content. Recognized image types: PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP.

Failed reads for individual files won't stop the entire operation. Only works within allowed directories.

Read output from a running process with file-like pagination support.

Supports partial output reading with offset and length parameters (like read_file):

• 'offset' (start line, default: 0)
• offset=0: Read NEW output since last read (default, like old behavior)
• Positive: Read from absolute line position
• Negative: Read last N lines from end (tail behavior)
• 'length' (max lines to read, default: configurable via 'fileReadLineLimit' setting)

Examples:

• offset: 0, length: 100 → First 100 NEW lines since last read
• offset: 0 → All new lines (respects config limit)
• offset: 500, length: 50 → Lines 500-549 (absolute position)
• offset: -20 → Last 20 lines (tail)
• offset: -50, length: 10 → Start 50 from end, read 10 lines

OUTPUT PROTECTION:

• Uses same fileReadLineLimit as read_file (default: 1000 lines)
• Returns status like: [Reading 100 lines from line 0 (total: 5000 lines, 4900 remaining)]
• Prevents context overflow from verbose processes

SMART FEATURES:

• For offset=0, waits up to timeout_ms for new output to arrive
• Detects REPL prompts and process completion
• Shows process state (waiting for input, finished, etc.)

DETECTION STATES: Process waiting for input (ready for interact_with_process) Process finished execution Timeout reached (may still be running)

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Set a specific configuration value by key.

WARNING: Should be used in a separate chat from file operations and command execution to prevent security issues.

Config keys include:

• blockedCommands (array)
• defaultShell (string)
• allowedDirectories (array of paths)
• fileReadLineLimit (number, max lines for read_file)
• fileWriteLineLimit (number, max lines per write_file call)
• telemetryEnabled (boolean)

IMPORTANT: Setting allowedDirectories to an empty array ([]) allows full access to the entire file system, regardless of the operating system.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Start a new terminal process with intelligent state detection.

PRIMARY TOOL FOR FILE ANALYSIS AND DATA PROCESSING This is the ONLY correct tool for analyzing local files (CSV, JSON, logs, etc.). The analysis tool CANNOT access local files and WILL FAIL - always use processes for file-based work.

CRITICAL RULE: For ANY local file work, ALWAYS use this tool + interact_with_process, NEVER use analysis/REPL tool.

Start a streaming search that can return results progressively.

SEARCH STRATEGY GUIDE: Choose the right search type based on what the user is looking for:

USE searchType="files" WHEN:

• User asks for specific files: "find package.json", "locate config files"
• Pattern looks like a filename: "*.js", "README.md", "test-*.tsx"

Stop an active search.

Stops the background search process gracefully. Use this when you've found what you need or if a search is taking too long. Similar to force_terminate for terminal processes.

The search will still be available for reading final results until it's automatically cleaned up after 5 minutes.

This command can be referenced as "DC: ..." or "use Desktop Commander to ..." in your instructions.

Write or append to file contents.

IMPORTANT: DO NOT use this tool to create PDF files. Use 'write_pdf' for all PDF creation tasks. DO NOT use this tool to edit DOCX files. Use 'edit_block' with old_string/new_string instead. To CREATE a new DOCX, use write_file with .docx extension — text content with markdown headings (#, ##, ###) is converted to styled DOCX paragraphs.

CHUNKING IS STANDARD PRACTICE: Always write files in chunks of 25-30 lines maximum.

Create a new PDF file or modify an existing one.

THIS IS THE ONLY TOOL FOR CREATING AND MODIFYING PDF FILES.

RULES ABOUT FILENAMES:

• When creating a new PDF, 'outputPath' MUST be provided and MUST use a new unique filename (e.g., "result_01.pdf", "analysis_2025_01.pdf", etc.).

MODES:

1. CREATE NEW PDF:

• Pass a markdown string as 'content'.