Guide to Using the Desktop Commander MCP Server

The Desktop Commander MCP Server is a robust tool that consolidates your development operations into a single chat interface. Built on the MCP Filesystem Server, it enables users to search, edit, and manage files, execute terminal commands, and control processes directly from their desktops using the Model Context Protocol (MCP).

Core Capabilities of the Desktop Commander MCP Server

Terminal & Process Control: Execute terminal commands with live output streaming / Set timeouts and run commands in the background / Manage sessions for long-running tasks / List and kill running processes with detailed info
Configuration Management: Get or set server settings such as defaultShell (e.g., bash, zsh) / blockedCommands (e.g., rm, shutdown) / allowedDirectories for file access / telemetryEnabled / Apply changes without restarting the server
Filesystem Operations: Read and write files with line-based limits / Append or overwrite file content / Create and list directories / Move or rename files and folders / Get file and directory metadata / Search files by name (case-insensitive)
Code & Text Editing: Perform precise text replacements (e.g., change config values) / Rewrite entire files for major updates / Search and replace patterns across multiple files / Use vscode-ripgrep for fast recursive text/code search
Audit Logging: All actions are logged with timestamps and arguments / Logs auto-rotate at 10 MB to avoid clutter

Tutorial: Connecting Claude Desktop with the MCP Server

Step 1: Setting Up Dependencies

To run the Desktop Commander server, you need Node.js, which includes npx.

Download the latest version of Node.js from nodejs.org.
Run the installer and leave all settings as default to complete the installation.
Download Claude from claude.ai/download.

Step 2: Configuring the MCP Server

Next, configure Claude to connect to your MCP server. Open the claude_desktop_config.json file located in the Claude installation directory using any text editor. If the file doesn’t exist, create it manually. Enter the following code:

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

Step 3: Running the Server

Once the MCP configuration is complete, your server should appear in Claude. The Desktop Commander server offers a powerful interface with 18 tools for tasks like file management, terminal execution, process control, and more.

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