Summary
Local files an assistant can actually work in, inside a boundary you set.
Two things make it usable rather than merely readable: search that looks inside files, and a find-and-replace edit that changes one part of a file instead of rewriting the whole thing.
What it is
A filesystem server for local files, limited to the directories allowed when it starts. It covers the full set of file and directory operations, including search across file contents rather than filenames alone.
What you get
- Files read one at a time, or several in a single operation
- Files written, copied, moved, renamed and deleted, with recursive delete available for directories
- Targeted edits by find and replace, with regex and all-occurrences as options — an update rather than a rewrite
- Directories listed in detail, created, and traversed as a hierarchy
- Files found recursively by name pattern, and by their contents when the name is not the part you remember
- File metadata read on its own, and the allowed directory list readable so the boundary is never a guess
Requirements
A Go binary registered with your client. The directories it may touch are set when it starts, and it will report that list back on request — everything outside it is out of reach.
Setup effort
One command — go install github.com/mark3labs/mcp-filesystem-server@latest