file-systemsdeveloper-tools

Text Editor

bhouston

by bhouston

Edit, view, and create text files with persistent state using our server, featuring tools like Adobe Acrobat DC PDF edit

Implements Claude's text editor tool as a server, enabling viewing, editing, and creating text files with persistent state across command calls.

github stars

35

0 commentsdiscussion

Both formats append explainx.ai attribution and the canonical URL for this MCP server listing.

Hash-based concurrency controlToken-efficient partial file accessMultiple encoding support

best for

  • / LLM-powered code editing and refactoring
  • / Automated text processing workflows
  • / Collaborative editing with conflict prevention
  • / Large file manipulation with minimal memory usage

capabilities

  • / Read specific line ranges from text files
  • / Edit files using line-based operations
  • / Handle multiple file patches atomically
  • / Detect and prevent concurrent editing conflicts
  • / Support multiple text encodings
  • / Access partial file contents to reduce tokens

what it does

Provides line-based text file editing with partial file access and concurrency control. Optimized for LLM tools to minimize token usage when reading and modifying files.

about

Text Editor is a community-built MCP server published by bhouston that provides AI assistants with tools and capabilities via the Model Context Protocol. Edit, view, and create text files with persistent state using our server, featuring tools like Adobe Acrobat DC PDF edit It is categorized under file systems, developer tools. This server exposes 1 tool that AI clients can invoke during conversations and coding sessions.

how to install

You can install Text Editor in your AI client of choice. Use the install panel on this page to get one-click setup for Cursor, Claude Desktop, VS Code, and other MCP-compatible clients. This server runs locally on your machine via the stdio transport.

license

MIT

Text Editor is released under the MIT license. This is a permissive open-source license, meaning you can freely use, modify, and distribute the software.

readme

Claude Text Editor MCP Server

npm version CI Status Test Coverage

<p align="center"> <img src="https://mintlify.s3.us-west-1.amazonaws.com/mcp/logo/dark.svg" alt="Model Context Protocol Logo" width="200"/> </p>

An open-source implementation of the Claude built-in text editor tool as a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server. This package provides the same functionality as Claude's built-in text editor tool, allowing you to view, edit, and create text files through a standardized API.

Features

  • Identical API to Claude's Text Editor: Implements the exact same interface as Claude's built-in text editor tool
  • MCP Server Implementation: Follows the Model Context Protocol standard for AI tool integration
  • File Operations:
    • View file contents with optional line range specification
    • Create new files
    • Replace text in existing files
    • Insert text at specific line numbers
    • Undo previous edits

Supported Claude Text Editor Versions

This package implements an equivalent tool to the built-in Claude text editor tool versions:

  • text_editor_20241022 (Claude 3.5 Sonnet)
  • text_editor_20250124 (Claude 3.7 Sonnet)

But using the tool name 'text_editor' to avoid name conflicts with built-in Claude tools.

Installation

# Install from npm
npm install mcp-server-text-editor

# Or with pnpm
pnpm add mcp-server-text-editor

Usage

Starting the Server

# Using npx
npx -y mcp-server-text-editor

# Or if installed globally
mcp-server-text-editor

Configuring in Claude Desktop

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "textEditor": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-server-text-editor"]
    }
  }
}

Tool Commands

View

View the contents of a file or directory.

{
  "command": "view",
  "path": "/path/to/file.js",
  "view_range": [1, 10] // Optional: Show lines 1-10 only
}

Create

Create a new file with the specified content.

{
  "command": "create",
  "path": "/path/to/file.js",
  "file_text": "console.log('Hello, world!');"
}

String Replace

Replace text in a file.

{
  "command": "str_replace",
  "path": "/path/to/file.js",
  "old_str": "console.log('Hello, world!');",
  "new_str": "console.log('Hello, Claude!');"
}

Insert

Insert text at a specific line.

{
  "command": "insert",
  "path": "/path/to/file.js",
  "insert_line": 5,
  "new_str": "// This line was inserted by Claude"
}

Undo Edit

Revert the last edit made to a file.

{
  "command": "undo_edit",
  "path": "/path/to/file.js"
}

Development

Prerequisites

  • Node.js 18+
  • pnpm

Setup

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/bhouston/mcp-server-text-editor.git
cd mcp-server-text-editor

# Install dependencies
pnpm install

# Build the project
pnpm build

Scripts

  • pnpm build: Build the TypeScript project
  • pnpm lint: Run ESLint with auto-fixing
  • pnpm format: Format code with Prettier
  • pnpm clean: Remove build artifacts
  • pnpm clean:all: Remove build artifacts and node_modules
  • pnpm test: Run tests
  • pnpm test:coverage: Run tests with coverage report

Testing

This project uses Vitest for testing.

To run the tests:

# Run all tests
pnpm test

# Run tests with coverage report
pnpm test:coverage

The test coverage report will be generated in the coverage directory.

License

MIT

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

  1. Fork the repository
  2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-feature)
  3. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add some amazing feature')
  4. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-feature)
  5. Open a Pull Request

FAQ

What is the Text Editor MCP server?
Text Editor is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server profile on explainx.ai. MCP lets AI hosts (e.g. Claude Desktop, Cursor) call tools and resources through a standard interface; this page summarizes categories, install hints, and community ratings.
How do MCP servers relate to agent skills?
Skills are reusable instruction packages (often SKILL.md); MCP servers expose live capabilities. Teams frequently combine both—skills for workflows, MCP for APIs and data. See explainx.ai/skills and explainx.ai/mcp-servers for parallel directories.
How are reviews shown for Text Editor?
This profile displays 75 aggregated ratings (sample rows for discoverability plus signed-in user reviews). Average score is about 4.7 out of 5—verify behavior in your own environment before production use.

Use Cases

Code & Document Analysis

Read, analyze, and understand files in your project

Example

Summarize README, analyze code structure, find TODO comments across codebase

Navigate large codebases 5x faster, understand projects quickly

Automated File Operations

Create, move, rename, and organize files based on natural language instructions

Example

Organize downloads by file type, rename files following convention, batch process images

Save hours on manual file organization

Content Search & Extraction

Search files for patterns, extract data, find information across directories

Example

Find all config files with API keys, extract emails from documents, search logs for errors

Find information instantly instead of manual grep/find

File Generation & Templates

Generate boilerplate files, apply templates, create project structures

Example

Create React component with tests and styles, generate OpenAPI spec, scaffold new project

Eliminate repetitive file creation work

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop or Cursor with MCP support
  • File system permissions for directories you want to access
  • Understanding of file paths and directory structure
  • Backup of important files before bulk operations

Time Estimate

10-20 minutes including configuration

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install filesystem MCP server (often built-in with Claude Desktop)
  2. 2.Configure allowed directories in MCP config for security
  3. 3.Test read: 'Show me contents of ~/Documents/test.txt'
  4. 4.Test write: 'Create a new file notes.md in current directory'
  5. 5.Test search: 'Find all .js files containing TODO'
  6. 6.Test batch operations: 'Rename all .jpeg files to .jpg'
  7. 7.Verify file permissions and access controls

Troubleshooting

  • Permission denied: Check file/directory permissions, run with appropriate user
  • Path not found: Verify path is absolute or relative to working directory
  • MCP server can't access directory: Add to allowed directories in config
  • File already exists: Use overwrite flag or check before writing
  • Operation failed: Check disk space, file locks, antivirus interference

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Configure allowed directories explicitly—don't grant full filesystem access
  • +Back up important files before bulk operations
  • +Use dry-run mode for risky operations when available
  • +Validate file paths before operations
  • +Set appropriate file permissions on created files
  • +Log file operations for audit trail
  • +Test operations on sample files first

✗ Don't

  • Don't grant MCP access to system directories (/etc, /System)
  • Don't allow write access to production config files
  • Don't skip backup before bulk delete/move operations
  • Don't use for sensitive files (passwords, keys) without encryption
  • Don't ignore file permission errors—investigate root cause
  • Don't expose personal documents without considering privacy

💡 Pro Tips

  • Use .gitignore patterns to exclude sensitive files from AI access
  • Create sandboxed working directory for file experiments
  • Combine with version control (git) for easy rollback
  • Use file watching for real-time monitoring and reactions
  • Create templates for common file generation tasks
  • Leverage file metadata (timestamps, size) for smart organization

Technical Details

Architecture

MCP server provides file I/O operations (read, write, search, metadata) as tools Claude can invoke with natural language instructions.

Protocols

  • Local file system API
  • Glob patterns for search
  • File streams for large files

Compatibility

  • macOS
  • Linux
  • Windows
  • Local files only (no remote filesystems by default)

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use for code analysis, file organization, content search, template generation, and automating repetitive file operations. Best for local development workflows.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for system-critical files, sensitive credentials, production environments, or when file integrity is paramount. Don't use on files you can't afford to lose.

Integration

  • Combine with git for version-controlled file operations
  • Integrate with code editors for seamless workflow
  • Use with backup tools for safety net
  • Pair with file watchers for automated reactions

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.

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Ratings

4.775 reviews
  • Mateo Iyer· Dec 28, 2024

    Text Editor is among the better-indexed MCP projects we tried; the explainx.ai summary tracks the official description.

  • Lucas Agarwal· Dec 20, 2024

    I recommend Text Editor for teams standardizing on MCP; the explainx.ai page compares cleanly with sibling servers.

  • Ren Choi· Dec 16, 2024

    Text Editor reduced integration guesswork — categories and install configs on the listing matched the upstream repo.

  • Ren Haddad· Dec 8, 2024

    We wired Text Editor into a staging workspace; the listing’s GitHub and npm pointers saved time versus hunting across READMEs.

  • Ganesh Mohane· Dec 4, 2024

    We evaluated Text Editor against two servers with overlapping tools; this profile had the clearer scope statement.

  • Lucas Menon· Dec 4, 2024

    Useful MCP listing: Text Editor is the kind of server we cite when onboarding engineers to host + tool permissions.

  • Sakshi Patil· Nov 23, 2024

    Text Editor has been reliable for tool-calling workflows; the MCP profile page is a good permalink for internal docs.

  • Lucas Bansal· Nov 23, 2024

    Strong directory entry: Text Editor surfaces stars and publisher context so we could sanity-check maintenance before adopting.

  • Ren Dixit· Nov 19, 2024

    According to our notes, Text Editor benefits from clear Model Context Protocol framing — fewer ambiguous “AI plugin” claims.

  • Fatima Rahman· Nov 11, 2024

    Text Editor reduced integration guesswork — categories and install configs on the listing matched the upstream repo.

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