Hosting

Local

Transport

stdio

Endpoint

Local process; no hosted endpoint documented

Authentication

No remote authentication; access is restricted to configured allowed directories and may be updated through MCP Roots when supported by the client.

Requirements

• Node.js/npm and a compatible MCP client
• One or more explicit allowed filesystem directories
• MCP Roots support is recommended for dynamic directory access; command-line paths are the fallback

Setup steps

1. Configure the client to run npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem with the exact directories the server may access as arguments.
2. For clients using Windows process launch, the official README documents invoking npx through cmd /c.
3. For Docker, mount only intended directories under /projects and pass /projects as an allowed directory; a read-only bind mount can further restrict access.
4. Reconnect and call list_allowed_directories to confirm the access boundary before using file-writing tools.

Current official README/source list 14 active tools. Access is constrained by allowed directories; deprecated read_file is not counted as an active tool.

• read_text_file

  Read a complete text file, or only its head/tail lines.

  01
• read_media_file

  Return file content as base64/MCP image, audio, or resource content.

  02
• read_multiple_files

  Read several files; an individual failure does not stop other reads.

  03
• write_file

  Create or overwrite a file; destructive because it replaces existing content.

  04
• edit_file

  Apply text edits to a file; repeated application may be unsafe.

  05
• create_directory

  Create a directory within the allowed paths.

  06
• list_directory

  List directory entries.

  07
• list_directory_with_sizes

  List directory entries with sizes.

  08
• directory_tree

  Return a recursive directory tree.

  09
• move_file

  Move a file or directory within allowed paths.

  10
• search_files

  Search for files by pattern.

  11
• get_file_info

  Return metadata for a file.

  12
• list_allowed_directories

  Show the directories currently allowed to the server.

  13
• directory_size

  Calculate directory size.

  14

• All file access is restricted to configured allowed directories, but a mistake in allowed paths grants the server access to those files.
• write_file overwrites existing files; edit_file and move_file can mutate/delete data.
• At least one allowed directory is required.
• The directory Roots sent by a client can replace the command-line allowlist when Roots are supported; validate allowed directories after connection.
• The official README classifies the project as an MCP reference implementation; publisher attribution is the MCP maintainers, not Anthropic alone.

• The discovery listing attributes Filesystem to Anthropic. The current package metadata names Model Context Protocol, a Series of LF Projects, LLC as author; publisher attribution is corrected to the current maintainer organization.

• official tool reference

  Official maintainer README and source document filesystem tools and directory allow-list restrictions; deprecated read_file is not included in the active inventory.

• official documentation

  Official maintainer README and source document filesystem tools and directory allow-list restrictions; deprecated read_file is not included in the active inventory.

Documentation checked 2026-10-28T12:35:00.000Z. Connection has not been runtime tested.