Desktop Commander MCP

Search, update, manage files and run terminal commands with AI

Table of Contents

• Features

• Installation

• Usage

• Handling Long-Running Commands

• Work in Progress and TODOs

• Media links

• Testimonials

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Contributing

• License

Features

• Execute terminal commands with output streaming

• Command timeout and background execution support

• Process management (list and kill processes)

• Session management for long-running commands

• Server configuration management:

• Full filesystem operations:

Installation

Option 1: Install through npx

Option 2: Using bash script installer (macOS)

Option 3: Installing via Smithery

Option 4: Add to claude_desktop_config by hand

• On Mac: ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

• On Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Option 5: Checkout locally

1. Clone and build:

• Install dependencies

• Build the server

• Configure Claude's desktop app

• Add MCP servers to Claude's config if needed

Updating Desktop Commander

Usage

Available Tools

Tool Usage Examples

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

Handling Long-Running Commands

Configuration Management

Important Security Warnings

1. 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 during operation.

2. The `allowedDirectories` setting currently only restricts filesystem operations, not terminal commands. Terminal commands can still access files outside allowed directories. Full terminal sandboxing is on the roadmap.

Configuration Tools

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.

Using Different Shells

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

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Local server support in Claude Desktop

• Full system command execution

• Process management

• File operations

• Code editing with search/replace blocks

DONE

• 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) - Enhanced code exploration with context-aware results

Work in Progress and TODOs

• Support for WSL - Windows Subsystem for Linux integration

• Support for SSH - Remote server command execution

• Better file support like csv/pdf

• Terminal sandboxing for Mac/Linux/Windows for better security

• File reading modes - for example allow to read html as plain text or markdown

Website

Media

Article

Video

Publication at AnalyticsIndiaMag

Community

Testimonials

Contributing

• Found a bug? Open an issue at 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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is DesktopCommanderMCP?

How is this different from Cursor/Windsurf?

Do I need to pay for API credits?

Does Desktop Commander automatically update?

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?

Data Collection

• Operating system information

• Node.js and NPM versions

• Installation method and shell environment

• Error messages (if any occur during setup)

License

Desktop Commander MCP

Search, update, manage files and run terminal commands with AI

Table of Contents

• Features

• Installation

• Usage

• Handling Long-Running Commands

• Work in Progress and TODOs

• Media links

• Testimonials

• Frequently Asked Questions

• Contributing

• License

Features

• Execute terminal commands with output streaming

• Command timeout and background execution support

• Process management (list and kill processes)

• Session management for long-running commands

• Server configuration management:

• Full filesystem operations:

Installation

Option 1: Install through npx

Option 2: Using bash script installer (macOS)

Option 3: Installing via Smithery

Option 4: Add to claude_desktop_config by hand

• On Mac: ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

• On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

• On Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Option 5: Checkout locally

1. Clone and build:

• Install dependencies

• Build the server

• Configure Claude's desktop app

• Add MCP servers to Claude's config if needed

Updating Desktop Commander

Usage

Available Tools

Tool Usage Examples

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

Handling Long-Running Commands

Configuration Management

Important Security Warnings

1. 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 during operation.

2. The `allowedDirectories` setting currently only restricts filesystem operations, not terminal commands. Terminal commands can still access files outside allowed directories. Full terminal sandboxing is on the roadmap.

Configuration Tools

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.

Using Different Shells

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

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

• 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

• 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

• 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

• Local server support in Claude Desktop

• Full system command execution

• Process management

• File operations

• Code editing with search/replace blocks

DONE

• 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) - Enhanced code exploration with context-aware results

Work in Progress and TODOs

• Support for WSL - Windows Subsystem for Linux integration

• Support for SSH - Remote server command execution

• Better file support like csv/pdf

• Terminal sandboxing for Mac/Linux/Windows for better security

• File reading modes - for example allow to read html as plain text or markdown

Website

Media

Article

Video

Publication at AnalyticsIndiaMag

Community

Testimonials

Contributing

• Found a bug? Open an issue at 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

Frequently Asked Questions

What is DesktopCommanderMCP?

How is this different from Cursor/Windsurf?

Do I need to pay for API credits?

Does Desktop Commander automatically update?

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?

Data Collection

• Operating system information

• Node.js and NPM versions

• Installation method and shell environment

• Error messages (if any occur during setup)

License