Claude Text Editor
An open source implementation of the Claude built-in text editor tool versions: text\\_editor\\_20241022 (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) text\\_editor\\_20250124 (Claude 3.7 Sonnet)
What is Claude Text Editor?
Claude Text Editor is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to open source implementation of the claude built-in text editor tool versions: text\\_editor\\_20241022 (claude 3.5 sonnet) text\\_editor\\_20250124 (claude 3.7 sonnet)
An open source implementation of the Claude built-in text editor tool versions: text\\_editor\\_20241022 (Claude 3.5 Sonnet) text\\_editor\\_20250124 (Claude 3.7 Sonnet)
This server falls under the Developer Tools category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- text_editor
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
NPM
npx -y text-editorManual Installation
npx -y text-editorConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Claude Text Editor
The Claude Text Editor MCP Server is an open-source implementation of Claude's built-in text editor tool, exposing the same file editing interface (text_editor_20241022 for Claude 3.5 Sonnet and text_editor_20250124 for Claude 3.7 Sonnet) as a standalone MCP server. It provides five operations — view, create, string replace, insert, and undo edit — allowing any MCP-compatible client to edit files on the local filesystem using the same protocol Claude Desktop uses natively. Developers use it to add reliable file editing capabilities to custom AI pipelines or alternative MCP clients that do not have a built-in editor.
Prerequisites
- Node.js 18 or higher installed
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, or a custom MCP host
- No API keys or external accounts required — operates entirely on the local filesystem
Install the package
Install the mcp-server-text-editor package globally or use npx to run it without installation. The package name on npm is mcp-server-text-editor.
npm install -g mcp-server-text-editor
# or run directly without installing:
npx -y mcp-server-text-editorUnderstand the available tools
The server exposes five text editing operations: view (display file contents with optional line range), create (generate new files), str_replace (replace specific text within a file), insert (add text at a given line number), and undo_edit (revert the last modification).
Add the server to your MCP client configuration
Edit your Claude Desktop config file (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json on macOS) to register the text editor server.
{
"mcpServers": {
"textEditor": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-server-text-editor"]
}
}
}Restart your MCP client
Restart Claude Desktop or your MCP client to load the new server. The text editor tools will appear in the tool list and can be invoked by the AI during conversations.
Verify functionality
Ask the AI to view or edit a file on your system. It will use the view tool to inspect the file and str_replace to make targeted changes, exactly as Claude's built-in editor does.
Claude Text Editor Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration to use the text editor MCP server via npx — no global install required.
{
"mcpServers": {
"textEditor": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "mcp-server-text-editor"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that exercise each of the five text editor operations.
- "View the contents of /Users/me/project/src/index.ts"
- "Create a new file at /Users/me/notes/todo.md with a basic task list"
- "In /Users/me/project/config.json, replace 'localhost:3000' with 'api.example.com'"
- "Insert a comment at line 10 of /Users/me/project/src/app.py"
- "Undo the last edit you made to the file"Troubleshooting Claude Text Editor
npx fails to find or run the package
Ensure Node.js 18+ is installed (node --version). Try clearing the npx cache with npx clear-npx-cache or install globally with npm install -g mcp-server-text-editor and use the command mcp-server-text-editor instead.
The AI reports it cannot edit files or permission denied errors
The server edits files using the permissions of the user running the MCP client. Ensure the target files are readable and writable by your user account. Avoid pointing it at system files or directories owned by root.
str_replace fails saying the old string was not found
The str_replace operation requires an exact match including whitespace and newlines. Use the view tool first to see the exact current content of the file, then copy the string verbatim as the search target.
Frequently Asked Questions about Claude Text Editor
What is Claude Text Editor?
Claude Text Editor is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that open source implementation of the claude built-in text editor tool versions: text\\_editor\\_20241022 (claude 3.5 sonnet) text\\_editor\\_20250124 (claude 3.7 sonnet) It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Claude Text Editor?
Install via npm with the command: npx -y text-editor. Then add the server configuration to your AI client's JSON config file (e.g., claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json).
Which AI clients work with Claude Text Editor?
Claude Text Editor works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Claude Text Editor free to use?
Yes, Claude Text Editor is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Set Up Claude Text Editor in Your Editor
Choose your AI client for step-by-step setup instructions.
Quick Config Preview
Add this to your claude_desktop_config.json or .cursor/mcp.json
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