Filesystem MCP Server: Give Claude Desktop File Access

The Filesystem server is one of the official MCP reference servers. It gives an MCP client tools to read files, list and create directories, move and rename files, and search by name or content, but only inside the allowed directories you specify.

Install in Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop starts MCP servers from a JSON config. Open Settings, go to the Developer tab and click Edit Config, or edit the file directly:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/Users/username/Desktop",
        "/Users/username/Downloads"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace the paths with absolute paths you want Claude to reach, then restart Claude Desktop. You need Node.js installed for npx. Claude asks for approval before each action.

Install in Claude Code

claude mcp add filesystem -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /path/to/dir

Claude Code already has native file tools for your project, so add this only when you need a tightly scoped directory outside the project. See the MCP guide for scopes.

Use cases

• Let Claude Desktop organize a Downloads folder or rename batches of files.
• Summarize or search notes stored as Markdown in one folder.
• Draft documents directly into a working directory.

Pros

• Simple, official, free.
• Explicit allow-list of directories.
• Works in any MCP client, not just Claude.

Cons

• Redundant inside Claude Code.
• Write access means mistakes touch real files; keep backups or use a dedicated folder.
• Requires Node.js on the machine.