FileSystem MCP Server

Overview

The FileSystem MCP Server is a lightweight, local service designed to bridge the gap between AI assistants and the file system of Visual Studio 2022 projects. By exposing a curated set of directories and file types, it gives AI agents the ability to list folder contents, read source files, and validate access rights without exposing the entire workspace. This selective exposure is crucial for developers who want to keep sensitive or irrelevant files out of the AI’s purview while still enabling powerful code‑analysis and generation tasks.

At its core, the server offers three fundamental capabilities: directory traversal, file reading, and directory validation. These functions are wrapped in MCP tools that can be invoked by an AI client, allowing the assistant to ask “What files are in this folder?” or “Show me the contents of ” and receive a structured response. The server is intentionally minimalistic, focusing on the essentials needed for most code‑workspace interactions while remaining secure by restricting operations to explicitly listed directories and file extensions.

Developers benefit from the server’s hybrid configuration model. For quick debugging, a simple can be dropped into the project folder and launched directly from Visual Studio 2022 with no command‑line arguments. For production or CI environments, the same configuration can be passed via MCP client arguments, enabling seamless integration into automated workflows. The server also handles cross‑platform path separators automatically, so the same configuration works on Windows, macOS, or Linux without modification.

Real‑world use cases include: AI‑powered code reviews where the assistant reads only the relevant source files; auto‑completion and snippet generation that pulls context from the current project directory; debugging assistance that lists log files or configuration files on demand; and documentation generation where the AI scans markdown or YAML files within a specified folder. Because the server limits access to approved directories and extensions, it mitigates accidental exposure of sensitive data while still providing the breadth needed for meaningful AI interactions.

Overall, the FileSystem MCP Server delivers a secure, developer‑friendly bridge between local project files and AI assistants. Its straightforward configuration, tight security model, and tight integration with Visual Studio 2022 make it an ideal choice for teams looking to augment their development workflow with intelligent tooling without compromising on safety or simplicity.