Advanced filesystem operations for Claude Desktop with large file handling capabilities, streaming writes, and features optimized for Claude for efficient file management.

Installation

NPX

npx -y fast-filesystem-mcp

Global Installation via NPM

npm install -g fast-filesystem-mcp

Configuration

Basic Claude Desktop Setup

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

Claude Desktop with Backup

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

Available Tools

Tool	Description
fast_read_file	Read files with chunking support
fast_read_multiple_files	Simultaneously read multiple files with sequential reading support
fast_write_file	Write or modify files
fast_large_write_file	Streaming write for large files
fast_get_file_info	Get detailed file information
fast_copy_file	Copy files and directories with advanced options
fast_move_file	Safe move/rename files and directories
fast_delete_file	Delete files and directories with protection
fast_batch_file_operations	Perform multiple file operations sequentially
fast_compress_files	Create compressed archives (tar, tar.gz, tar.bz2)
fast_extract_archive	Extract compressed archives with options
fast_sync_directories	Advanced directory synchronization with multiple modes
fast_edit_file	Precise file editing by lines with multiple modes
fast_edit_block	Safe block editing with exact line matching
fast_edit_blocks	Batch block editing for multiple precise changes

Features

• Fast file read/write with chunking support
• Sequential reading for large files with continuation tokens
• Streaming write for files of any size
• Complex directory operations and management
• File search by name and content with filtering
• Pagination support for large directories
• Memory-efficient streaming operations
• Automatic backup creation and error recovery
• Built-in retry mechanism for reliable operations
• Response sizes and formats optimized for Claude

Environment Variables

Optional

• CREATE_BACKUP_FILES - Controls backup file creation behavior (default: false)
• DEBUG_MCP - Enable debug logging to stderr
• MCP_DEBUG - Alternative flag to enable debug logging to stderr
• MCP_LOG_FILE - Write logs to file instead of stderr
• MCP_SILENT_ERRORS - Suppress error messages in responses
• SILENT_ERRORS - Alternative flag to suppress error messages in responses

Usage Examples

Read a large file in chunks to analyze its content

Search for specific code patterns across multiple files

Edit specific lines in a source code file with automatic backup

Compress a directory into a tar.gz archive

Synchronize two directories with different synchronization modes

Notes

Backup files are created with timestamps to prevent data loss. Debug output is automatically suppressed by default to prevent JSON parsing errors in Claude Desktop. The server includes retry logic and error recovery mechanisms for reliable operations.