Fast Filesystem MCP

Quick Start

Add to your Claude Desktop config.

• Basic setup

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fast-filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "fast-filesystem-mcp"]
    }
  }
}

• With backup files enabled

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "fast-filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "fast-filesystem-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "CREATE_BACKUP_FILES": "true"
      }
    }
  }
}

Backup Configuration

Control backup file creation behavior.

• CREATE_BACKUP_FILES=false (default): Disables backup file creation to reduce clutter
• CREATE_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=true or MCP_DEBUG=true: Enable debug logging to stderr
• MCP_LOG_FILE=/path/to/log.txt: Write logs to file instead of stderr
• MCP_SILENT_ERRORS=true or SILENT_ERRORS=true: Suppress error messages in responses

Note: Debug output is automatically suppressed by default to prevent JSON parsing errors in Claude Desktop.

New Version Update

To update to the latest version, follow these steps.

1. Uninstall previous version

   npm uninstall -g fast-filesystem-mcp
   

2. Clean cache and dependencies

   npm cache clean --force
   pnpm store prune
   

3. Install latest version

   npm install -g fast-filesystem-mcp
   

4. Verify 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
fast_read_file	Read files with chunking support
fast_read_multiple_files	Read multiple files simultaneously with sequential reading support
fast_write_file	Write or modify files
fast_large_write_file	Stream-based writing for large files
fast_get_file_info	Get detailed file information

Complex File Management

Tool	Description
fast_copy_file	Copy files and directories with advanced options
fast_move_file	Move/rename files and directories safely
fast_delete_file	Delete files and directories with protection
fast_batch_file_operations	Execute multiple file operations in sequence

Archive Management

Tool	Description
fast_compress_files	Create compressed archives (tar, tar.gz, tar.bz2)
fast_extract_archive	Extract compressed archives with options

Directory Synchronization

Tool	Description
fast_sync_directories	Advanced directory synchronization with multiple modes

Advanced Editing Tools

Tool	Description
fast_edit_file	Precise line-based file editing with multiple modes
fast_edit_block	Safe block editing with exact string matching
fast_edit_blocks	Batch block editing for multiple precise changes
fast_edit_multiple_blocks	Edit multiple sections in a single operation
fast_extract_lines	Extract specific lines or ranges from files

Directory Operations

Tool	Description
fast_list_directory	List directory contents with pagination
fast_create_directory	Create directories recursively
fast_get_directory_tree	Get directory tree structure

Search Operations

Tool	Description
fast_search_files	Search files by name or content
fast_search_code	Advanced code search with ripgrep integration
fast_find_large_files	Find large files in directories

System Operations

Tool	Description
fast_get_disk_usage	Check disk usage information
fast_list_allowed_directories	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

{
  "tool": "fast_edit_file",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "/path/to/file.js",
    "mode": "replace",
    "line_number": 10,
    "new_text": "const newVariable = 'updated value';",
    "backup": true
  }
}

fast_edit_multiple_blocks - Batch Editing

Edit multiple parts of a file in a single operation.

{
  "tool": "fast_edit_multiple_blocks", 
  "arguments": {
    "path": "/path/to/file.js",
    "edits": [
      {
        "mode": "replace",
        "old_text": "oldFunction()",
        "new_text": "newFunction()"
      },
      {
        "mode": "insert_after",
        "line_number": 5,
        "new_text": "// Added comment"
      }
    ],
    "backup": true
  }
}

fast_extract_lines - Line Extraction

Extract specific lines by number, range, or pattern.

{
  "tool": "fast_extract_lines",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "/path/to/file.js",
    "pattern": "function.*",
    "context_lines": 2
  }
}

fast_search_and_replace - Advanced Replace

Powerful search and replace with regex support.

{
  "tool": "fast_search_and_replace",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "/path/to/file.js", 
    "search_pattern": "console\\.log\\(.*\\)",
    "replace_text": "logger.info($1)",
    "use_regex": true,
    "max_replacements": 10,
    "backup": true
  }
}

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_file
  • Streaming: 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.

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Repository

https://github.com/efforthye/fast-filesystem-mcp