MCP File Tools, developed by Dimitar Grigorov, is a Go-based server tool designed for precise file operations, particularly on text content that is not UTF-8 encoded. Distributed as source code from its GitHub repository, it connects to the local file system. This free MCP server for file management helps developers working with legacy systems or localized content, ensuring AI clients can interact with diverse text encodings effectively. It provides specific tools to read, write, edit, copy, delete, list, and search files, all while respecting original text encodings.

What does MCP File Tools connect to?

This tool connects to the local file system, operating as an MCP server. It specializes in file operations, particularly for handling text content that isn't UTF-8. It is categorized under File Management MCP Servers, making it suitable for direct interaction with system files and directories on the host machine where it runs.

Core features and tools

MCP File Tools exposes several callable tools for file system interaction. These include: read_text_file, read_multiple_files, write_file, edit_file, copy_file, delete_file, list_directory, tree, and search_files. A key feature is that all tools interacting with text content are encoding-aware, ensuring proper handling of various character sets.

Who is it for?

This program is for developers who work with legacy systems or localized content where text files often use non-UTF-8 encodings. This includes scenarios like Delphi/Pascal units with Cyrillic text (Windows-1251), VB6 forms (Windows-1252), older PHP/HTML (CP1251, ISO-8859-1), and INI or data files with unknown encodings. This is not the right fit if your workflow exclusively involves UTF-8 encoded text files.

How to get started

No credentials are required for local MCP servers connecting via stdio transport. Access relies on the host process trust boundary when configured this way.

Use cases

• Reading and editing files with various non-UTF-8 encodings, ensuring the AI model receives UTF-8 and writes back in the original encoding.
• Automating file operations (read, write, edit, copy, delete, list, search) on codebases or data files with mixed encodings.
• Providing AI agents with file system access that handles encoding detection and preservation, particularly for legacy modernization tasks.

MCP File Tools offers specialized capabilities for managing non-UTF-8 encoded files within an MCP environment. Its suite of encoding-aware file operations makes it a valuable asset for developers and AI agents dealing with diverse legacy content. It supports critical workflows for modernization and localized content handling.