Mcp File Tools

What is Mcp File Tools?

Mcp File Tools is an MCP server for file operations with non-UTF-8 encoding support. It auto-detects and converts 24 encodings (Cyrillic, Windows-125x, ISO-8859, KOI8, UTF-16, GBK/GB18030) so AI assistants can read and write legacy files without corrupting data. It is designed for developers working with Delphi/Pascal projects, legacy VB6 apps, old PHP/HTML sites, and config files with non-UTF-8 text.

How to use Mcp File Tools?

Install via the Claude Code plugin (/plugin marketplace add dimitar-grigorov/mcp-file-tools and /plugin install mcp-file-tools) or download the binary manually and register it with allowed directories. Once installed, simply ask Claude to perform file operations, such as "List all .pas files in this directory" or "Read config.ini and detect its encoding." The server is automatically scoped to the workspace when using the plugin; manual installs require specifying directories in the args array.

Key features of Mcp File Tools

• 21 file operation tools including read, write, edit, copy, move, delete, search, grep, and encoding conversion
• Auto-detection and conversion of 24 encodings (Unicode, Cyrillic, Western/Central European, Greek, Turkish, and others)
• Automatic encoding detection with confidence score
• Recursive directory tree view using 85% fewer tokens than JSON
• Security: all operations restricted to explicitly allowed directories only
• Automatic update checks and notification via tool responses

Use cases of Mcp File Tools

• Reading and editing legacy Delphi/Pascal source files with non-UTF-8 encoding (e.g., CP1251, KOI8-R)
• Converting entire project directories between encodings (e.g., Windows-1251 to UTF-8)
• Searching and grepping across legacy codebases that use mixed encodings
• Managing line endings and BOM markers across cross-platform projects
• Browsing and manipulating files in restricted directories without exposing the full filesystem

FAQ from Mcp File Tools

What encodings are supported?

The server supports 22 encodings including Unicode (UTF-8, UTF-16 LE/BE), Cyrillic (Windows-1251, KOI8-R, KOI8-U, CP866, ISO-8859-5), Western/Central European, Greek, Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic, Baltic, Vietnamese, and Thai encodings.

How do I install Mcp File Tools?

The easiest way is via the Claude Code plugin: run /plugin marketplace add dimitar-grigorov/mcp-file-tools then /plugin install mcp-file-tools. For manual installation, download the binary for your platform and register it with claude mcp add --scope user file-tools -- <path-to-binary> <allowed-directories>.

How do I configure allowed directories?

With the plugin, the server is automatically scoped to the current workspace. For manual installs, list directories as arguments to the binary, e.g., ["/path/to/project", "/another/directory"]. The args array in the MCP configuration specifies which directories the server can access.

How do I update Mcp File Tools?

The server checks for updates automatically and notifies you in tool responses. To update, close all Claude Code sessions, then re-download the binary from the GitHub releases page. To disable update checks, set the environment variable MCP_NO_UPDATE_CHECK=1.

Is Mcp File Tools safe to use with plain text files?

Yes, but note that the server is designed for non-UTF-8 files. For UTF-8 files, it works as a standard file tool. All operations are restricted to allowed directories, and destructive operations like delete and move require explicit permission (unless auto-approved).