File Time Search MCP Server

Local setup required. This server has to be cloned and prepared on your machine before you register it in Claude Code.
1

Set the server up locally

Run this once to clone and prepare the server before adding it to Claude Code.

Run in terminal
npm install
2

Register it in Claude Code

After the local setup is done, run this command to point Claude Code at the built server.

Run in terminal
claude mcp add -e "ALLOW_ROOTS=${ALLOW_ROOTS}" file-time-search -- node "<FULL_PATH_TO_FILE_SEARCH_MCP>/dist/index.js"

Replace <FULL_PATH_TO_FILE_SEARCH_MCP>/dist/index.js with the actual folder you prepared in step 1.

Required:ALLOW_ROOTS+ 1 optional
README.md

Search files based on modification or creation time with glob patterns.

File Time Search MCP Server

An MCP server that provides file searching capabilities based on modification or creation time.

Features

  • Search files by modified or created time.
  • Filter by time range (from, to).
  • Glob pattern matching.
  • Pagination support.
  • Secure root path restriction (ALLOW_ROOTS).

Installation

npm install

Usage with npx

You can run this server directly using npx:

export ALLOW_ROOTS=/path/to/search
npx file-search-mcp

Usage

Environment Variables

  • ALLOW_ROOTS: Comma-separated list of allowed root directories (Required).
  • DEFAULT_ROOT: Default root directory if not specified in request (Optional).

Running via Stdio

export ALLOW_ROOTS=/path/to/search
npm run start:stdio

Development

# Run in dev mode (stdio)
export ALLOW_ROOTS=$(pwd)
npm run dev:stdio

# Run tests
npm test

Documentation

See docs/README.md for detailed documentation.

AI Agent Configuration (Claude Desktop)

To use this tool with Claude Desktop, you need to configure the claude_desktop_config.json file.

1. Build the Project

First, ensure the project is built:

npm run build

2. Edit Configuration

Open or create the configuration file:

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

Add the following configuration (replace paths with your actual paths):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "file-search": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "D:/1.playground_ai/file_search_mcp/dist/stdio.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALLOW_ROOTS": "D:/1.playground_ai/file_search_mcp",
        "DEFAULT_ROOT": "D:/1.playground_ai/file_search_mcp"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: ALLOW_ROOTS is required. It defines the directories the AI is allowed to search. You can specify multiple paths separated by commas (or semicolons on Windows).

3. Usage Examples

Once configured and Claude Desktop is restarted, you can ask questions like:

  • "Find all markdown files modified in the last 24 hours."
  • "Search for files created between 2024-01-01 and 2024-02-01 in the src folder."
  • "List the top 10 most recently modified files."

VS Code Copilot Configuration

To use this tool with GitHub Copilot in VS Code, add the following to your VS Code settings.json:

1. Build the Project

Ensure the project is built:

npm run build

2. Edit VS Code Settings

Open your VS Code settings.json and add the github.copilot.mcpServers configuration:

{
  "github.copilot.mcpServers": {
    "file-search": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": [
        "D:/1.playground_ai/file_search_mcp/dist/stdio.js"
      ],
      "env": {
        "ALLOW_ROOTS": "D:/1.playground_ai/file_search_mcp",
        "DEFAULT_ROOT": "D:/1.playground_ai/file_search_mcp"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Replace the paths with your actual absolute paths. ALLOW_ROOTS is required.

Tip: In VS Code, you can use ${workspaceFolder} to dynamically set the current workspace path:

"env": {
  "ALLOW_ROOTS": "${workspaceFolder}",
  "DEFAULT_ROOT": "${workspaceFolder}"
}

Tools (1)

search_filesSearch for files within allowed directories based on time range and glob patterns.

Environment Variables

ALLOW_ROOTSrequiredComma-separated list of allowed root directories
DEFAULT_ROOTDefault root directory if not specified in request

Configuration

claude_desktop_config.json
{"mcpServers": {"file-search": {"command": "node", "args": ["/path/to/dist/stdio.js"], "env": {"ALLOW_ROOTS": "/path/to/search", "DEFAULT_ROOT": "/path/to/search"}}}}

Try it

Find all markdown files modified in the last 24 hours.
Search for files created between 2024-01-01 and 2024-02-01 in the src folder.
List the top 10 most recently modified files in my project directory.
Find all log files created this week.

Frequently Asked Questions

What are the key features of File Time Search?

Search files by modified or created time. Filter by specific time ranges. Support for glob pattern matching. Pagination for large file lists. Secure root path restriction.

What can I use File Time Search for?

Quickly locating recently edited source code files. Auditing files created within a specific project timeframe. Cleaning up temporary files generated within a specific date range. Finding specific documentation files modified during a development sprint.

How do I install File Time Search?

Install File Time Search by running: npm install

What MCP clients work with File Time Search?

File Time Search works with any MCP-compatible client including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, and other editors with MCP support.

Turn this server into reusable context

Keep File Time Search docs, env vars, and workflow notes in Conare so your agent carries them across sessions.

Need the old visual installer? Open Conare IDE.
Open Conare