npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest setup

npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest setup --debug

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP/refs/heads/main/install.sh | bash

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-commander": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest"
      ]
    }
  }
}

git clone https://github.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP.git
cd DesktopCommanderMCP
npm run setup

bash • `blockedCommands`: Array of shell commands that cannot be executed• `defaultShell`: Shell to use for commands (e.g., bash, zsh, powershell)• `allowedDirectories`: Array of filesystem paths the server can access for file operations (⚠️ terminal commands can still access files outside these directories)• `fileReadLineLimit`: Maximum lines to read at once (default: 1000)• `fileWriteLineLimit`: Maximum lines to write at once (default: 50)• `telemetryEnabled`: Enable/disable telemetry (boolean) |
| **Terminal** | `start_process` | Start programs with smart detection of when they're ready for input |
| | `interact_with_process` | Send commands to running programs and get responses |
| | `read_process_output` | Read output from running processes |
| | `force_terminate` | Force terminate a running terminal session |
| | `list_sessions` | List all active terminal sessions |
| | `list_processes` | List all running processes with detailed information |
| | `kill_process` | Terminate a running process by PID |
| **Filesystem** | `read_file` | Read contents from local filesystem or URLs with line-based pagination (supports positive/negative offset and length parameters) |
| | `read_multiple_files` | Read multiple files simultaneously |
| | `write_file` | Write file contents with options for rewrite or append mode (uses configurable line limits) |
| | `create_directory` | Create a new directory or ensure it exists |
| | `list_directory` | Get detailed recursive listing of files and directories (supports depth parameter, default depth=2) |
| | `move_file` | Move or rename files and directories |
| | `start_search` | Start streaming search for files by name or content patterns (unified ripgrep-based search) |
| | `get_more_search_results` | Get paginated results from active search with offset support |
| | `stop_search` | Stop an active search gracefully |
| | `list_searches` | List all active search sessions |
| | `get_file_info` | Retrieve detailed metadata about a file or directory |
| **Text Editing** | `edit_block` | Apply targeted text replacements with enhanced prompting for smaller edits (includes character-level diff feedback) |
| **Analytics** | `get_usage_stats` | Get usage statistics for your own insight |
| | `get_recent_tool_calls` | Get recent tool call history with arguments and outputs for debugging and context recovery |
| | `give_feedback_to_desktop_commander` | Open feedback form in browser to provide feedback to Desktop Commander Team |

### Quick Examples

**Data Analysis:**

**Remote Access:**

**Development:**

### Tool Usage Examples

Search/Replace Block Format:

Example:

### Enhanced Edit Block Features

The `edit_block` tool includes several enhancements for better reliability:

1. **Improved Prompting**: Tool descriptions now emphasize making multiple small, focused edits rather than one large change
2. **Fuzzy Search Fallback**: When exact matches fail, it performs fuzzy search and provides detailed feedback
3. **Character-level Diffs**: Shows exactly what's different using `{-removed-}{+added+}` format
4. **Multiple Occurrence Support**: Can replace multiple instances with `expected_replacements` parameter
5. **Comprehensive Logging**: All fuzzy searches are logged for analysis and debugging

When a search fails, you'll see detailed information about the closest match found, including similarity percentage, execution time, and character differences. All these details are automatically logged for later analysis using the fuzzy search log tools.

### Docker Support

### 🐳 Isolated Environment Usage

Desktop Commander can be run in Docker containers for **complete isolation from your host system**, providing **zero risk to your computer**. This is perfect for testing, development, or when you want complete sandboxing.

### Installation Instructions

1. **Install Docker for Windows/Mac**
   - Download and install Docker Desktop from [docker.com](https://www.docker.com/products/docker-desktop/)

2. **Get Desktop Commander Docker Configuration**
   - Visit: https://hub.docker.com/mcp/server/desktop-commander/manual
   - **Option A:** Use the provided terminal command for automated setup
   - **Option B:** Click "Standalone" to get the config JSON and add it manually to your Claude Desktop config
 ![docker-config.png](screenshots/docker-config.png)

3. **Mount Your Machine Folders (Coming Soon)**
   - Instructions on how to mount your local directories into the Docker container will be provided soon
   - This will allow you to work with your files while maintaining complete isolation

### Benefits of Docker Usage
- **Complete isolation** from your host system
- **Consistent environment** across different machines
- **Easy cleanup** - just remove the container when done
- **Perfect for testing** new features or configurations

## URL Support
- `read_file` can now fetch content from both local files and URLs
- Example: `read_file` with `isUrl: true` parameter to read from web resources
- Handles both text and image content from remote sources
- Images (local or from URLs) are displayed visually in Claude's interface, not as text
- Claude can see and analyze the actual image content
- Default 30-second timeout for URL requests

## Fuzzy Search Log Analysis (npm scripts)

The fuzzy search logging system includes convenient npm scripts for analyzing logs outside of the MCP environment:

For detailed documentation on these scripts, see [scripts/README.md](scripts/README.md).

## Fuzzy Search Logs

Desktop Commander includes comprehensive logging for fuzzy search operations in the `edit_block` tool. When an exact match isn't found, the system performs a fuzzy search and logs detailed information for analysis.

### What Gets Logged

Every fuzzy search operation logs:
- **Search and found text**: The text you're looking for vs. what was found
- **Similarity score**: How close the match is (0-100%)
- **Execution time**: How long the search took
- **Character differences**: Detailed diff showing exactly what's different
- **File metadata**: Extension, search/found text lengths
- **Character codes**: Specific character codes causing differences

### Log Location

Logs are automatically saved to:
- **macOS/Linux**: `~/.claude-server-commander-logs/fuzzy-search.log`
- **Windows**: `%USERPROFILE%\.claude-server-commander-logs\fuzzy-search.log`

### What You'll Learn

The fuzzy search logs help you understand:
1. **Why exact matches fail**: Common issues like whitespace differences, line endings, or character encoding
2. **Performance patterns**: How search complexity affects execution time
3. **File type issues**: Which file extensions commonly have matching problems
4. **Character encoding problems**: Specific character codes that cause diffs

## Audit Logging

Desktop Commander now includes comprehensive logging for all tool calls:

### What Gets Logged
- Every tool call is logged with timestamp, tool name, and arguments (sanitized for privacy)
- Logs are rotated automatically when they reach 10MB in size

### Log Location
Logs are saved to:
- **macOS/Linux**: `~/.claude-server-commander/claude_tool_call.log`
- **Windows**: `%USERPROFILE%\.claude-server-commander\claude_tool_call.log`

This audit trail helps with debugging, security monitoring, and understanding how Claude is interacting with your system.

## Handling Long-Running Commands

For commands that may take a while:

## Configuration Management

### ⚠️ Important Security Warnings

> **For comprehensive security information and vulnerability reporting**: See [SECURITY.md](SECURITY.md)

1. **Known security limitations**: Directory restrictions and command blocking can be bypassed through various methods including symlinks, command substitution, and absolute paths or code execution

2. **Always change configuration in a separate chat window** from where you're doing your actual work. Claude may sometimes attempt to modify configuration settings (like `allowedDirectories`) if it encounters filesystem access restrictions.

3. **The `allowedDirectories` setting currently only restricts filesystem operations**, not terminal commands. Terminal commands can still access files outside allowed directories.

4. **For production security**: Use the [Docker installation](#option-6-docker-installation-🐳-⭐-auto-updates-no-nodejs-required) which provides complete isolation from your host system.

### Configuration Tools

You can manage server configuration using the provided tools:

The configuration is saved to `config.json` in the server's working directory and persists between server restarts.

#### Understanding fileWriteLineLimit

The `fileWriteLineLimit` setting controls how many lines can be written in a single `write_file` operation (default: 50 lines). This limit exists for several important reasons:

**Why the limit exists:**
- **AIs are wasteful with tokens**: Instead of doing two small edits in a file, AIs may decide to rewrite the whole thing. We're trying to force AIs to do things in smaller changes as it saves time and tokens
- **Claude UX message limits**: There are limits within one message and hitting "Continue" does not really work. What we're trying here is to make AI work in smaller chunks so when you hit that limit, multiple chunks have succeeded and that work is not lost - it just needs to restart from the last chunk

**Setting the limit:**

**Maximum value**: You can set it to thousands if you want - there's no technical restriction.

**Best practices**:
- Keep the default (50) to encourage efficient AI behavior and avoid token waste
- The system automatically suggests chunking when limits are exceeded
- Smaller chunks mean less work lost when Claude hits message limits

### Best Practices

1. **Create a dedicated chat for configuration changes**: Make all your config changes in one chat, then start a new chat for your actual work.

2. **Be careful with empty `allowedDirectories`**: Setting this to an empty array (`[]`) grants access to your entire filesystem for file operations.

3. **Use specific paths**: Instead of using broad paths like `/`, specify exact directories you want to access.

4. **Always verify configuration after changes**: Use `get_config({})` to confirm your changes were applied correctly.

## Command Line Options

Desktop Commander supports several command line options for customizing behavior:

### Disable Onboarding

By default, Desktop Commander shows helpful onboarding prompts to new users (those with fewer than 10 tool calls). You can disable this behavior:

**When onboarding is automatically disabled:**
- When the MCP client name is set to "desktop-commander"
- When using the `--no-onboarding` flag
- After users have used onboarding prompts or made 10+ tool calls

**Debug information:**
The server will log when onboarding is disabled: `"Onboarding disabled via --no-onboarding flag"`

## Using Different Shells

You can specify which shell to use for command execution:

This allows you to use shell-specific features or maintain consistent environments across commands.

1. `execute_command` returns after timeout with initial output
2. Command continues in background
3. Use `read_output` with PID to get new output
4. Use `force_terminate` to stop if needed

## Debugging

If you need to debug the server, you can install it in debug mode:

This will:
1. Configure Claude to use a separate "desktop-commander" server
2. Enable Node.js inspector protocol with `--inspect-brk=9229` flag
3. Pause execution at the start until a debugger connects
4. Enable additional debugging environment variables

To connect a debugger:
- In Chrome, visit `chrome://inspect` and look for the Node.js instance
- In VS Code, use the "Attach to Node Process" debug configuration
- Other IDEs/tools may have similar "attach" options for Node.js debugging

Important debugging notes:
- The server will pause on startup until a debugger connects (due to the `--inspect-brk` flag)
- If you don't see activity during debugging, ensure you're connected to the correct Node.js process
- Multiple Node processes may be running; connect to the one on port 9229
- The debug server is identified as "desktop-commander-debug" in Claude's MCP server list

Troubleshooting:
- If Claude times out while trying to use the debug server, your debugger might not be properly connected
- When properly connected, the process will continue execution after hitting the first breakpoint
- You can add additional breakpoints in your IDE once connected

## Model Context Protocol Integration

This project extends the MCP Filesystem Server to enable:
- Local server support in Claude Desktop
- Full system command execution
- Process management
- File operations
- Code editing with search/replace blocks

Created as part of exploring Claude MCPs: https://youtube.com/live/TlbjFDbl5Us

## DONE
- **20-05-2025 v0.1.40 Release** - Added audit logging for all tool calls, improved line-based file operations, enhanced edit_block with better prompting for smaller edits, added explicit telemetry opt-out prompting 
- **05-05-2025 Fuzzy Search Logging** - Added comprehensive logging system for fuzzy search operations with detailed analysis tools, character-level diffs, and performance metrics to help debug edit_block failures
- **29-04-2025 Telemetry Opt Out through configuration** - There is now setting to disable telemetry in config, ask in chat
- **23-04-2025 Enhanced edit functionality** - Improved format, added fuzzy search and multi-occurrence replacements, should fail less and use edit block more often
- **16-04-2025 Better configurations** - Improved settings for allowed paths, commands and shell environments
- **14-04-2025 Windows environment fixes** - Resolved issues specific to Windows platforms
- **14-04-2025 Linux improvements** - Enhanced compatibility with various Linux distributions
- **12-04-2025 Better allowed directories and blocked commands** - Improved security and path validation for file read/write and terminal command restrictions.
Terminal still can access files ignoring allowed directories.
- **11-04-2025 Shell configuration** - Added ability to configure preferred shell for command execution
- **07-04-2025 Added URL support** - `read_file` command can now fetch content from URLs
- **28-03-2025 Fixed "Watching /" JSON error** - Implemented custom stdio transport to handle non-JSON messages and prevent server crashes
- **25-03-2025 Better code search** ([merged](https://github.com/wonderwhy-er/ClaudeServerCommander/pull/17)) - Enhanced code exploration with context-aware results

## Roadmap

The following features are currently being explored:

- **Support for WSL** - Windows Subsystem for Linux integration
- **Support for SSH** - Remote server command execution
- **Better file support for formats like CSV/PDF**
- **Terminal sandboxing for Mac/Linux/Windows for better security**
- **File reading modes** - For example, allow reading HTML as plain text or markdown
- **Interactive shell support** - ssh, node/python repl
- **Improve large file reading and writing**

## Support Desktop Commander

### ❤️ Supporters Hall of Fame

Generous supporters are featured here. Thank you for helping make this project possible!

  Why your support matters
  Your support allows us to:
  
    Continue active development and maintenance
    Add new features and integrations
    Improve compatibility across platforms
    Provide better documentation and examples
    Build a stronger community around the project
  

## Website

Visit our official website at [https://desktopcommander.app/](https://desktopcommander.app/) for the latest information, documentation, and updates.

## Media

Learn more about this project through these resources:

### Article
[Claude with MCPs replaced Cursor & Windsurf. How did that happen?](https://wonderwhy-er.medium.com/claude-with-mcps-replaced-cursor-windsurf-how-did-that-happen-c1d1e2795e96) - A detailed exploration of how Claude with Model Context Protocol capabilities is changing developer workflows.

### Video
[Claude Desktop Commander Video Tutorial](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8) - Watch how to set up and use the Commander effectively.

### Publication at AnalyticsIndiaMag
[![analyticsindiamag.png](testemonials%2Fanalyticsindiamag.png)
This Developer Ditched Windsurf, Cursor Using Claude with MCPs](https://analyticsindiamag.com/ai-features/this-developer-ditched-windsurf-cursor-using-claude-with-mcps/)

### Community
Join our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/kQ27sNnZr7) to get help, share feedback, and connect with other users.

## Testimonials

[![It's a life saver! I paid Claude + Cursor currently which I always feel it's kind of duplicated. This solves the problem ultimately. I am so happy. Thanks so much. Plus today Claude has added the web search support. With this MCP + Internet search, it writes the code with the latest updates. It's so good when Cursor doesn't work sometimes or all the fast requests are used.](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wonderwhy-er/ClaudeComputerCommander/main/testemonials/img.png) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8&lc=UgyyBt6_ShdDX_rIOad4AaABAg
](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8&lc=UgyyBt6_ShdDX_rIOad4AaABAg
)

[![This is the first comment I've ever left on a youtube video, THANK YOU! I've been struggling to update an old Flutter app in Cursor from an old pre null-safety version to a current version and implemented null-safety using Claude 3.7. I got most of the way but had critical BLE errors that I spent days trying to resolve with no luck. I tried Augment Code but it didn't get it either. I implemented your MCP in Claude desktop and was able to compare the old and new codebase fully, accounting for the updates in the code, and fix the issues in a couple of hours. A word of advice to people trying this, be sure to stage changes and commit when appropriate to be able to undo unwanted changes. Amazing!](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wonderwhy-er/ClaudeComputerCommander/main/testemonials/img_1.png)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8&lc=UgztdHvDMqTb9jiqnf54AaABAg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8&lc=UgztdHvDMqTb9jiqnf54AaABAg
)

[![Great! I just used Windsurf, bought license a week ago, for upgrading old fullstack socket project and it works many times good or ok but also many times runs away in cascade and have to revert all changes losing hundereds of cascade tokens. In just a week down to less than 100 tokens and do not want to buy only 300 tokens for 10$. This Claude MCP ,bought claude Pro finally needed but wanted very good reason to also have next to ChatGPT, and now can code as much as I want not worrying about token cost.
Also this is much more than code editing it is much more thank you for great video!](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wonderwhy-er/ClaudeComputerCommander/main/testemonials/img_2.png)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8&lc=UgyQFTmYLJ4VBwIlmql4AaABAg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8&lc=UgyQFTmYLJ4VBwIlmql4AaABAg)

[![it is a great tool, thank you, I like using it, as it gives claude an ability to do surgical edits, making it more like a human developer.](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wonderwhy-er/ClaudeComputerCommander/main/testemonials/img_3.png)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8&lc=Ugy4-exy166_Ma7TH-h4AaABAg](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ly3bed99Dy8&lc=Ugy4-exy166_Ma7TH-h4AaABAg)

[![You sir are my hero. You've pretty much summed up and described my experiences of late, much better than I could have. Cursor and Windsurf both had me frustrated to the point where I was almost yelling at my computer screen. Out of whimsy, I thought to myself why not just ask Claude directly, and haven't looked back since.
Claude first to keep my sanity in check, then if necessary, engage with other IDEs, frameworks, etc. I thought I was the only one, glad to see I'm not lol.
33
1](https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wonderwhy-er/ClaudeComputerCommander/main/testemonials/img_4.png)
https://medium.com/@pharmx/you-sir-are-my-hero-62cff5836a3e](https://medium.com/@pharmx/you-sir-are-my-hero-62cff5836a3e)

If you find this project useful, please consider giving it a ⭐ star on GitHub! This helps others discover the project and encourages further development.

We welcome contributions from the community! Whether you've found a bug, have a feature request, or want to contribute code, here's how you can help:

- **Found a bug?** Open an issue at [github.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP/issues](https://github.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP/issues)
- **Have a feature idea?** Submit a feature request in the issues section
- **Want to contribute code?** Fork the repository, create a branch, and submit a pull request
- **Questions or discussions?** Start a discussion in the GitHub Discussions tab

All contributions, big or small, are greatly appreciated!

If you find this tool valuable for your workflow, please consider [supporting the project](https://www.buymeacoffee.com/wonderwhyer).

## Frequently Asked Questions

Here are answers to some common questions. For a more comprehensive FAQ, see our [detailed FAQ document](FAQ.md).

### What is Desktop Commander?
It's an MCP tool that enables Claude Desktop to access your file system and terminal, turning Claude into a versatile assistant for coding, automation, codebase exploration, and more.

### How is this different from Cursor/Windsurf?
Unlike IDE-focused tools, Claude Desktop Commander provides a solution-centric approach that works with your entire OS, not just within a coding environment. Claude reads files in full rather than chunking them, can work across multiple projects simultaneously, and executes changes in one go rather than requiring constant review.

### Do I need to pay for API credits?
No. This tool works with Claude Desktop's standard Pro subscription ($20/month), not with API calls, so you won't incur additional costs beyond the subscription fee.

### Does Desktop Commander automatically update?
Yes, when installed through npx or Smithery, Desktop Commander automatically updates to the latest version when you restart Claude. No manual update process is needed.

### What are the most common use cases?
- Exploring and understanding complex codebases
- Generating diagrams and documentation
- Automating tasks across your system
- Working with multiple projects simultaneously
- Making surgical code changes with precise control

### I'm having trouble installing or using the tool. Where can I get help?
Join our [Discord server](https://discord.gg/kQ27sNnZr7) for community support, check the [GitHub issues](https://github.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP/issues) for known problems, or review the [full FAQ](FAQ.md) for troubleshooting tips. You can also visit our [website FAQ section](https://desktopcommander.app#faq) for a more user-friendly experience. If you encounter a new issue, please consider [opening a GitHub issue](https://github.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP/issues/new) with details about your problem.

### How do I report security vulnerabilities?
Please create a [GitHub Issue](https://github.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP/issues) with detailed information about any security vulnerabilities you discover. See our [Security Policy](SECURITY.md) for complete guidelines on responsible disclosure.

## Data Collection & Privacy

Desktop Commander collects limited anonymous telemetry data to help improve the tool. No personal information, file contents, file paths, or command arguments are collected.

### Usage Analytics (Local Only)
- **Local usage statistics** are always collected and stored locally on your machine for functionality and the `get_usage_stats` tool
- Use the `get_usage_stats` tool to view your personal usage patterns, success rates, and performance metrics
- **This data is NOT sent anywhere** - it remains on your computer for your personal insights

### Feedback System
- Use the `give_feedback_to_desktop_commander` tool to provide feedback about Desktop Commander
- Opens a browser-based feedback form to send suggestions and feedback to the development team
- Only basic usage statistics (tool call count, days using, platform) are pre-filled to provide context but you can remove them

### External Telemetry Opt-Out
External telemetry (sent to analytics services) is enabled by default but can be disabled:

1. Open the chat and simply ask:
   **"Disable telemetry"**
2. The chatbot will update your settings automatically.

**Note:** This only disables external telemetry. Local usage analytics remain active for tool functionality but is not share externally

For complete details about data collection, please see our [Privacy Policy](https://legal.desktopcommander.app/privacy_desktop_commander_mcp).

## Verifications
[![Verified on MseeP](https://mseep.ai/badge.svg)](https://mseep.ai/app/25ff7a06-58bc-40b8-bd79-ebb715140f1a)

## License

MIT