Prepare the server locally
Run this once before adding it to Claude Code.
git clone https://github.com/codemaestroai/filesystem-mcp
cd filesystem-mcpThen follow the repository README for any remaining dependency or build steps.
Register it in Claude Code
claude mcp add filesystem-mcp-5075 -- npx github:codemaestroai/filesystem-mcp "<YOUR_PROJECT_PATH>"Replace any placeholder paths in the command with the real path on your machine.
Make your agent remember this setup
filesystem-mcp-5075's config, env vars, and the gotchas you hit — recalled in every future Claude Code, Cursor, and Codex session.
npx conare@latestFree · one command · indexes the sessions already on disk. Set up in the browser instead →
What it does
- Smart file reading limits to prevent token waste
- Directory listing caps for manageable output
- Depth-limited tree traversal for deep folder structures
- Automatic exclusion of large system folders like node_modules and .git
- Strict security by restricting access to explicitly allowed directories
Tools 4
read_fileReads the content of a file with smart limits to prevent excessive token usage.write_fileWrites content to a specified file path.list_directoryLists files and directories within a path with caps to manage large folder structures.search_filesSearches for files within allowed directories using optimized result filtering.Try it
Original README from codemaestroai/filesystem-mcp
Filesystem MCP
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides secure filesystem access to AI assistants in Code Maestro Desktop.
What it does
This MCP server allows AI assistants to:
- Read and write files
- Create and navigate directories
- Search for files
- Edit existing files with precision
- And more filesystem operations
All operations are restricted to the directories you explicitly allow.
Why This Fork?
We forked the original @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem to make it more efficient for AI assistants. The original package could return extremely large outputs that waste tokens and overwhelm language models.
Our improvements:
- Smart file reading limits - Prevents reading gigantic files in full
- Directory listing caps - Returns manageable results even in folders with thousands of files
- Depth-limited tree traversal - Avoids getting lost in deep folder structures
- Optimized search results - Returns relevant matches without flooding the output
- Skip large folders - Automatically bypasses
node_modules,.git, and similar directories
These changes ensure your AI assistant gets the information it needs without drowning in unnecessary data.
Quick Start
1. Open CM Desktop and click connectors
2. Click "Add" and paste the following JSON:
{
"mcpServers": {
"Code Maestro - Filesystem MCP": {
"transport": "stdio",
"enabled": true,
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"github:codemaestroai/filesystem-mcp",
"<YOUR_PROJECT_PATH>"
],
"env": {},
"url": null,
"headers": null
}
}
}
3. Replace <YOUR_PROJECT_PATH> with the actual path to your project directory
Example paths:
- Windows:
"C:\\Users\\YourName\\Projects\\my-project" - macOS/Linux:
"/home/username/projects/my-project"
You can specify multiple directories:
"args": [
"github:codemaestroai/filesystem-mcp",
"/path/to/project1",
"/path/to/project2"
]
Security
- The MCP server can ONLY access directories you explicitly specify
- All file operations are logged
- Attempts to access files outside allowed directories will be rejected
Note: This is a temporary solution. We're working on native file operation support in CM Desktop.