The fast-filesystem-mcp server provides advanced filesystem operations for Claude Desktop with optimized performance and large file handling capabilities.
File Operations: Read, write, copy, move, and delete files with chunking support, streaming for large files, automatic backups, and verification. Support for simultaneous reading of multiple files and sequential operations.
Advanced Editing: Precise line-based editing (fast_edit_file), safe block editing (fast_edit_block, fast_edit_blocks), multiple block operations (fast_edit_multiple_blocks), and smart editing with risk detection (fast_safe_edit). Includes search/replace with regex support.
Directory Management: List, create, and manage directories with pagination, filtering, and tree structure viewing. Directory synchronization with multiple modes (mirror, update, merge) and exclusion patterns.
Search Capabilities: Search files by name or content with regex support, context lines, and advanced code searching (ripgrep style).
Archive Management: Compress files into various formats (zip, tar, tar.gz, tar.bz2) and extract archives with selective file extraction.
Batch Operations: Execute multiple file operations in sequence with comprehensive error handling and backup capabilities.
System Operations: Check disk usage, find large files, and list allowed directories.
Safety Features: Built-in automatic backups, error recovery, retry logic, and verification for reliable operations across all functions.
Quick Start
Add to your Claude Desktop config.
Basic setup
With backup files enabled
Backup Configuration
Control backup file creation behavior.
CREATE_BACKUP_FILES=false(default): Disables backup file creation to reduce clutterCREATE_BACKUP_FILES=true: Creates backup files before modifications
Note: Backup files are created with timestamps (e.g., file.txt.backup.1755485284402) to prevent data loss during edits.
Debug and Logging Configuration
The MCP server uses a safe logging system that prevents JSON-RPC communication errors.
DEBUG_MCP=trueorMCP_DEBUG=true: Enable debug logging to stderrMCP_LOG_FILE=/path/to/log.txt: Write logs to file instead of stderrMCP_SILENT_ERRORS=trueorSILENT_ERRORS=true: Suppress error messages in responses
Note: Debug output is automatically suppressed by default to prevent JSON parsing errors in Claude Desktop.
Related MCP server: Filesystem MCP Server
New Version Update
To update to the latest version, follow these steps.
Uninstall previous version
npm uninstall -g fast-filesystem-mcpClean cache and dependencies
npm cache clean --force pnpm store pruneInstall latest version
npm install -g fast-filesystem-mcpVerify installation
npm list -g fast-filesystem-mcp fast-filesystem-mcp --version
Features
Core File Operations
Fast File Reading/Writing: Optimized for Claude Desktop with chunking support
Sequential Reading: Read large files completely with continuation token support
Large File Handling: Stream-based writing for files of any size
Directory Operations: Comprehensive directory listing, creation, and management
File Search: Name and content-based file searching with filtering
Advanced Capabilities
Pagination Support: Handle large directories efficiently
Chunked Reading: Read large files in manageable chunks
Streaming Writes: Memory-efficient writing for large files
Backup & Recovery: Automatic backup creation and error recovery
Retry Logic: Built-in retry mechanism for reliable operations
Performance Optimizations
Claude-Optimized: Response sizes and formats optimized for Claude
Memory Efficient: Streaming operations prevent memory overflow
Smart Exclusions: Automatically excludes system files and directories
Progress Tracking: Real-time progress monitoring for large operations
Available Tools
File Operations
Tool | Description |
| Read files with chunking support |
| Read multiple files simultaneously with sequential reading support |
| Write or modify files |
| Stream-based writing for large files |
| Get detailed file information |
Complex File Management
Tool | Description |
| Copy files and directories with advanced options |
| Move/rename files and directories safely |
| Delete files and directories with protection |
| Execute multiple file operations in sequence |
Archive Management
Tool | Description |
| Create compressed archives (tar, tar.gz, tar.bz2) |
| Extract compressed archives with options |
Directory Synchronization
Tool | Description |
| Advanced directory synchronization with multiple modes |
Advanced Editing Tools
Tool | Description |
| Precise line-based file editing with multiple modes |
| Safe block editing with exact string matching |
| Batch block editing for multiple precise changes |
| Edit multiple sections in a single operation |
| Extract specific lines or ranges from files |
Directory Operations
Tool | Description |
| List directory contents with pagination |
| Create directories recursively |
| Get directory tree structure |
Search Operations
Tool | Description |
| Search files by name or content |
| Advanced code search with ripgrep integration |
| Find large files in directories |
System Operations
Tool | Description |
| Check disk usage information |
| List allowed directories |
Editing Tools
Precise File Editing
The fast-filesystem MCP now includes powerful editing tools for source code and text files.
fast_edit_file - Single Block Editing
Supports multiple editing modes.
replace: Replace text or entire lines
replace_range: Replace multiple lines at once
insert_before: Insert content before specified line
insert_after: Insert content after specified line
delete_line: Delete specific lines
fast_edit_multiple_blocks - Batch Editing
Edit multiple parts of a file in a single operation.
fast_extract_lines - Line Extraction
Extract specific lines by number, range, or pattern.
fast_search_and_replace - Advanced Replace
Powerful search and replace with regex support.
Editing Features
Automatic Backup: Creates backups before modifications
Error Recovery: Restores from backup on failure
Line-based Operations: Precise control over specific lines
Pattern Matching: Regular expression support
Batch Operations: Multiple edits in single transaction
Context Extraction: Extract lines with surrounding context
Large File Writing
fast_large_write_fileStreaming: Writes files in chunks to prevent memory issues
Backup: Automatically creates backups before overwriting
Verification: Verifies file integrity after writing
Retry Logic: Automatic retry on failure with exponential backoff
Progress Tracking: Real-time monitoring of write progress
License
Apache 2.0
Copyright 2025 efforthye
Licensed under the Apache License, Version 2.0 (the "License"); you may not use this file except in compliance with the License. You may obtain a copy of the License at
Unless required by applicable law or agreed to in writing, software distributed under the License is distributed on an "AS IS" BASIS, WITHOUT WARRANTIES OR CONDITIONS OF ANY KIND, either express or implied. See the License for the specific language governing permissions and limitations under the License.