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MCP File Tools

v1.5.9•File Systems•stable

MCP server for file operations with non-UTF-8/Unicode encoding: Cyrillic, CP1251, CP1252, ISO-8859, KOI8 auto-detection

claudecp1251cp1252cyrillicdelphi
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What is MCP File Tools?

MCP File Tools is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp server for file operations with non-utf-8/unicode encoding: cyrillic, cp1251, cp1252, iso-8859, koi8 auto-detection

MCP server for file operations with non-UTF-8/Unicode encoding: Cyrillic, CP1251, CP1252, ISO-8859, KOI8 auto-detection

This server falls under the File Systems category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.

Features

  • MCP server for file operations with non-UTF-8/Unicode encodi

Use Cases

Handle files with Cyrillic and non-UTF-8 encodings.
Process legacy file formats with automatic character detection.
dimitar-grigorov

Maintainer

LicenseGPL 3.0
Languagego
Versionv1.5.9
UpdatedMay 14, 2026
Statushealthy
Maintenanceactive

Works with

ClaudeOpenAIwindowsmacoslinux
View SourceBrowse All Servers

Installation

Manual Installation

npx mcp-file-tools

Configuration

Configuration Details

Config File

claude_desktop_config.json

Performance

Response Metrics

Response Time< 200ms
ThroughputMedium

Resource Usage

Memory UsageLow
CPU UsageLow

How to Set Up and Use MCP File Tools

MCP File Tools is a Go-based MCP server that provides 21 file-operation tools with automatic detection and conversion of 22 character encodings, including Cyrillic (Windows-1251, KOI8-R, CP866), Western European (Windows-1252, ISO-8859-1), Central European, Greek, Turkish, Hebrew, Arabic, Baltic, Vietnamese, Thai, and UTF-16. It solves the common problem of AI assistants garbling legacy file content by transparently decoding files to UTF-8 before exposing them and re-encoding when writing back. Developers working with Delphi/Pascal projects, old PHP/HTML sites, VB6 code, or any non-UTF-8 codebase will find it essential for keeping characters like Cyrillic readable in Claude conversations.

Prerequisites

  • A pre-built binary for your platform (Windows x64, Linux x64, or macOS ARM64) downloaded from the GitHub releases page, OR Go 1.23+ for go install
  • An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, VS Code, or Cursor
  • Read/write access to the directories you want the server to work with
1

Download the binary for your platform

Download the correct pre-built binary from the GitHub releases page and place it in a directory on your PATH. On macOS ARM64 the steps are shown below; adjust the URL for Windows (windows_amd64.exe) or Linux (linux_amd64).

mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
curl -L "https://github.com/dimitar-grigorov/mcp-file-tools/releases/latest/download/mcp-file-tools_darwin_arm64" \
  -o ~/.local/bin/mcp-file-tools
chmod +x ~/.local/bin/mcp-file-tools
2

Install via Go (alternative)

If you have Go 1.23+ installed you can build and install the binary directly with go install.

go install github.com/dimitar-grigorov/mcp-file-tools/cmd/mcp-file-tools@latest
3

Register with Claude Code

Add the server to Claude Code with the allowed directories passed as arguments. The server enforces that all file operations stay within these directories.

claude mcp add --scope user file-tools -- ~/.local/bin/mcp-file-tools ~/Projects ~/Documents
4

Configure Claude Desktop

For Claude Desktop, edit claude_desktop_config.json and point to the binary. The args array lists the directories the server is allowed to access — add as many as you need.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "file-tools": {
      "command": "/Users/YOUR_NAME/.local/bin/mcp-file-tools",
      "args": ["/Users/YOUR_NAME/Projects", "/Users/YOUR_NAME/Documents"]
    }
  }
}
5

Verify the server is working

Ask Claude to list the supported encodings or detect the encoding of a known legacy file. A successful response confirms the server is connected.

MCP File Tools Examples

Client configuration (macOS)

Claude Desktop config using the downloaded binary with two allowed directories.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "file-tools": {
      "command": "/Users/YOUR_NAME/.local/bin/mcp-file-tools",
      "args": ["/Users/YOUR_NAME/Projects", "/Users/YOUR_NAME/Documents"]
    }
  }
}

Prompts to try

Example prompts that leverage the encoding-aware file tools.

- "Read the file config.ini from my Delphi project — it uses Windows-1251 encoding"
- "Detect the encoding of /Projects/legacy/settings.cfg"
- "Convert the file /Projects/old_site/index.php from Windows-1252 to UTF-8"
- "Search all .pas files in /Projects for the Cyrillic text 'Настройки'"
- "List what encodings this server supports"

Troubleshooting MCP File Tools

Permission denied when running the binary on macOS or Linux

Run 'chmod +x ~/.local/bin/mcp-file-tools' to make the binary executable. On macOS you may also need to approve it in System Settings → Privacy & Security after the first launch attempt.

Server refuses to read a file outside the allowed directories

The server enforces strict directory sandboxing. Add the required parent directory path as an additional argument in the 'args' array of your config and restart the client.

Encoding detection returns wrong charset for a file

Use the detect_encoding tool first to see the confidence score. If confidence is low, manually specify the encoding when calling read_text_file or convert_encoding, rather than relying on auto-detection.

Frequently Asked Questions about MCP File Tools

What is MCP File Tools?

MCP File Tools is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp server for file operations with non-utf-8/unicode encoding: cyrillic, cp1251, cp1252, iso-8859, koi8 auto-detection It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.

How do I install MCP File Tools?

Follow the installation instructions on the MCP File Tools GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.

Which AI clients work with MCP File Tools?

MCP File Tools works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.

Is MCP File Tools free to use?

Yes, MCP File Tools is open source and available under the GPL 3.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.

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Quick Config Preview

{ "mcpServers": { "mcp-file-tools": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-file-tools"] } } }

Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json

Read the full setup guide →

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