Edit-MCP: Model Context Protocol Server for Microsoft Edit

Edit-MCP is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that integrates with Microsoft's Edit tool to provide advanced file editing capabilities to AI systems. It follows a hybrid architecture that combines direct file system operations for performance with Microsoft Edit integration for complex editing tasks.

Overview

The Edit-MCP server acts as a sophisticated coordinator between AI systems and file editing operations. It exposes a standardized MCP interface that allows AI models to:

• Read and write files

• Search and replace text

• Format code

• Perform complex editing operations

• Coordinate multi-file edits

• And more...

Architecture

Edit-MCP follows a hybrid architecture with the following components:

1. Core MCP Server

• Handles MCP protocol communication

• Routes operations to appropriate subsystems

• Manages file state and metadata

• Coordinates between multiple Edit instances

• Provides caching and optimization

2. File System Manager

• Performs direct file operations for simple tasks

• Handles basic CRUD operations

• Provides text search and simple find/replace

• Manages file metadata operations

• Supports batch operations across multiple files

3. Edit Instance Manager

• Manages Microsoft Edit processes for complex operations

• Handles complex editing scenarios

• Coordinates multi-file operations

• Manages Edit's TUI interactions programmatically

4. Operation Router

• Decides which subsystem handles each operation

• Routes simple operations to File System Manager

• Routes complex operations to Edit Instance Manager

• Coordinates hybrid operations between both subsystems

Installation

Prerequisites

• Node.js 16 or higher

• Microsoft Edit installed and available in your PATH

Install from Source

Usage

Starting the Server

You can start the Edit-MCP server using either stdio or HTTP transport:

Command Line Options

Configuration

You can configure Edit-MCP using a JSON configuration file:

Available Tools

Edit-MCP provides the following tools:

File System Tools

• read_file: Read the contents of a file

• write_file: Write content to a file

• list_files: List files in a directory

• find_in_file: Find occurrences of a pattern in a file

Edit Tools

• format_code: Format code in a file

• complex_find_replace: Perform advanced find and replace operations

• interactive_edit_session: Start an interactive editing session

Hybrid Tools

• smart_refactor: Intelligently refactor code across multiple files

• backup_and_edit: Create backups of files before editing them

HTTP Transport

Edit-MCP now supports HTTP transport in addition to stdio, allowing remote access and REST API endpoints.

Starting with HTTP Transport

REST API Endpoints

Health Check

JSON-RPC Endpoint

REST API Endpoints

• GET /api/tools - List available tools

• POST /api/tools/:toolName - Call a specific tool

• GET /api/files/:path - Read file content

• PUT /api/files/:path - Write file content

• GET /api/list/:directory - List files in directory

• POST /api/search - Search for patterns in files

• POST /api/format - Format code

• POST /api/refactor - Refactor symbols across files

• GET /api/docs - API documentation

Authentication

Enable API key authentication by setting authEnabled: true in your config:

Include the API key in requests:

• Header: X-API-Key: your-secure-api-key

• Query parameter: ?apiKey=your-secure-api-key

CORS Configuration

Configure allowed origins in your config file:

Rate Limiting

Configure rate limiting to prevent abuse:

Development

Building the Project

Running in Development Mode

License

MIT

Acknowledgements

• Microsoft for the Edit tool

• The Model Context Protocol community