MCP Start App
A comprehensive local file management and system operations server that provides advanced file editing, VSCode-like search capabilities, code formatting and validation, backup management, and safe system command execution with security safeguards.
README
MCP Start App
A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for advanced local file management and system operations.
Features
šļø File Operations
- Read/Write Files: Full support for text file operations with encoding handling
- List Directories: Browse filesystem with size information and hidden file support
- File Information: Detailed metadata including permissions, timestamps, and size
- Path Validation: Robust path handling with security checks
āļø Advanced File Editing
- Line-based Editing: Edit, insert, or delete specific lines in files
- Find & Replace: Text replacement with regex support across multiple files
- Diff Viewing: Compare current files with backups
- Edit History: Track all file modifications with detailed logs
š Advanced Search Capabilities
- VSCode-like Search: Advanced search across multiple files with context
- File Type Filtering: Search by extension groups (code, web, config, etc.)
- Pattern Matching: Support for wildcards and regex
- Context Display: Show surrounding lines for search results
- File Name Search: Find files by name patterns
- Search Statistics: Analyze file distribution and sizes
š» System Operations
- Command Execution: Safe execution of system commands
- System Information: Hardware and software details
- Process Management: View running processes
- File Finding: Advanced file discovery with patterns
š§ Code Tools
- Syntax Validation: Check syntax for Python, JavaScript, JSON, etc.
- Code Formatting: Format code using standard formatters (Black, Prettier)
- Language Detection: Auto-detect programming languages
š Backup & History
- Automatic Backups: Files are backed up before modifications
- Edit Tracking: Complete history of all file operations
- Restoration: Easy restore from backups
- History Analysis: Statistics and insights on editing patterns
š”ļø Security & Safety
- Path Validation: Prevents directory traversal attacks
- File Size Limits: Configurable limits to prevent memory issues
- Command Filtering: Restricted dangerous command execution
- Backup System: Automatic backup before destructive operations
Quick Start
1. Installation
# Clone or navigate to the project
cd /Users/{{USERNAME}}/Documents/mcp-start-app
# Run the installation script (sets up venv and installs everything)
./scripts/install.sh
2. Activation
# Activate the virtual environment
source venv/bin/activate
# Run the server
mcp-start-app
3. Alternative Run Methods
# Using the run script (auto-activates venv)
./scripts/run_server.py
# Direct Python execution
source venv/bin/activate
python -m mcp_start_app.main
Configuration
Claude Desktop Configuration
Add to your Claude Desktop config file:
{
"mcpServers": {
"mcp-start-app": {
"command": "/Users/{{USERNAME}}/Documents/mcp-start-app/scripts/run_server.py",
"args": []
}
}
}
Available Tools
Basic File Operations
list_files(directory, show_hidden)- List directory contentsread_file(file_path)- Read text file contentswrite_file(file_path, content)- Write content to fileget_file_lines(file_path, start_line, end_line)- Get specific linesget_file_info(file_path)- Get detailed file information
Advanced File Editing
edit_file_lines(file_path, start_line, new_content, end_line)- Edit specific linesinsert_lines(file_path, line_number, content)- Insert new linesdelete_lines(file_path, start_line, end_line)- Delete linesreplace_in_file(file_path, search_pattern, replace_with, use_regex)- Find & replaceget_file_diff(file_path, backup_file)- Show file differencesget_edit_history(limit, file_path)- View edit history
Advanced Search Tools
search_adv(search_term, search_path, case_sensitive, whole_word, use_regex, include_patterns, exclude_patterns, file_types, max_results, context_lines, show_hidden)- Advanced multi-file searchreplace_adv(search_term, replace_with, search_path, case_sensitive, whole_word, use_regex, include_patterns, exclude_patterns, file_types, dry_run, backup)- Advanced multi-file replacesearch_files_by_name(filename_pattern, search_path, case_sensitive, exact_match, show_hidden, exclude_patterns)- Search files by namesearch_in_files(search_pattern, directory, file_pattern, use_regex)- Simple text searchget_search_stats(search_path)- Get directory statistics
System Tools
run_command(command)- Execute system commands (with safety restrictions)get_system_info()- Get comprehensive system informationfind_files(pattern, directory, max_results)- Find files by patternget_running_processes()- View running processes
Code Tools
validate_syntax(file_path)- Check code syntaxformat_code(file_path, language)- Format code files
Data Tools
get_local_data(query)- Local data queries
Project Structure
mcp-start-app/
āāā š venv/ # Virtual environment
āāā š src/mcp_local/ # Main package
ā āāā š core/ # Core utilities & config
ā āāā š services/ # Business logic layer
ā āāā š tools/ # MCP tool implementations
ā ā āāā file_operations.py # Basic file tools
ā ā āāā file_editing.py # Advanced editing tools
ā ā āāā search_tools.py # Search and replace tools
ā ā āāā system_tools.py # System operation tools
ā ā āāā code_tools.py # Code formatting and validation
ā āāā main.py # Entry point
ā āāā server.py # Server configuration
āāā š tests/ # Test suite
āāā š scripts/ # Installation & run scripts
āāā requirements.txt # Dependencies
āāā pyproject.toml # Python packaging
āāā README.md # This file
Development
Running Tests
source venv/bin/activate
pytest # Run all tests
pytest --cov # Run with coverage
Code Quality
source venv/bin/activate
black src/ tests/ # Format code
isort src/ tests/ # Sort imports
flake8 src/ tests/ # Lint code
mypy src/ # Type checking
License
This project is licensed under the MIT License.
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