Desktop Commander MCP

Search, update, manage files and run terminal commands with AI

Work with code and text, run processes, and automate tasks, going far beyond other AI editors - without API token costs.

Table of Contents

• Features
• How to install
• Getting Started
• Usage
• Handling Long-Running Commands
• Work in Progress and TODOs
• Sponsors and Supporters
• Website
• Media
• Testimonials
• Frequently Asked Questions
• Contributing
• License

All of your AI development tools in one place. Desktop Commander puts all dev tools in one chat. Execute long-running terminal commands on your computer and manage processes through Model Context Protocol (MCP). Built on top of MCP Filesystem Server to provide additional search and replace file editing capabilities.

Features

• Enhanced terminal commands with interactive process control
• Execute code in memory (Python, Node.js, R) without saving files
• Instant data analysis - just ask to analyze CSV/JSON files
• Interact with running processes (SSH, databases, development servers)
• Execute terminal commands with output streaming
• Command timeout and background execution support
• Process management (list and kill processes)
• Session management for long-running commands
• Server configuration management:
  • Get/set configuration values
  • Update multiple settings at once
  • Dynamic configuration changes without server restart
• Full filesystem operations:
  • Read/write files
  • Create/list directories
  • Move files/directories
  • Search files
  • Get file metadata
  • Negative offset file reading: Read from end of files using negative offset values (like Unix tail)
• Code editing capabilities:
  • Surgical text replacements for small changes
  • Full file rewrites for major changes
  • Multiple file support
  • Pattern-based replacements
  • vscode-ripgrep based recursive code or text search in folders
• Comprehensive audit logging:
  • All tool calls are automatically logged
  • Log rotation with 10MB size limit
  • Detailed timestamps and arguments

How to install

Desktop Commander offers multiple installation methods to fit different user needs and technical requirements.

📋 Update & Uninstall Information: Before choosing an installation option, note that only Options 1, 2, 3, and 6 have automatic updates. Options 4 and 5 require manual updates. See the sections below for update and uninstall instructions for each option.

Option 1: Install through npx ⭐ Auto-Updates Requires Node.js

Just run this in terminal:

npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest setup

For debugging mode (allows Node.js inspector connection):

npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest setup --debug

Restart Claude if running.

✅ Auto-Updates: Yes - automatically updates when you restart Claude
🔄 Manual Update: Run the setup command again
🗑️ Uninstall: Run npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest remove

Option 2: Using bash script installer (macOS) ⭐ Auto-Updates Installs Node.js if needed

For macOS users, you can use our automated bash installer which will check your Node.js version, install it if needed, and automatically configure Desktop Commander:

curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP/refs/heads/main/install.sh | bash

This script handles all dependencies and configuration automatically for a seamless setup experience.

✅ Auto-Updates: Yes - requires manual updates
🔄 Manual Update: Re-run the bash installer command above
🗑️ Uninstall: Run npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest remove

Option 3: Installing via Smithery ⭐ Auto-Updates Requires Node.js

To install Desktop Commander for Claude Desktop via Smithery:

1. Visit the Smithery page: https://smithery.ai/server/@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander
2. Login to Smithery if you haven't already
3. Select your client (Claude Desktop) on the right side
4. Install with the provided key that appears after selecting your client
5. Restart Claude Desktop

The old command-line installation method is no longer supported. Please use the web interface above for the most reliable installation experience.

✅ Auto-Updates: Yes - automatically updates when you restart Claude
🔄 Manual Update: Visit the Smithery page and reinstall

Option 4: Add to claude_desktop_config manually ⭐ Auto-Updates Requires Node.js

Add this entry to your claude_desktop_config.json:

• On Mac: ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• On Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• On Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

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

Restart Claude if running.

✅ Auto-Updates: Yes - automatically updates when you restart Claude
🔄 Manual Update: Run the setup command again
🗑️ Uninstall: Run npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest remove or remove the "desktop-commander" entry from your claude_desktop_config.json file

### Option 5: Checkout locally ❌ Manual Updates Requires Node.js ❌ Manual Updates Requires Node.js

1. Clone and build:

git clone https://github.com/wonderwhy-er/DesktopCommanderMCP.git
cd DesktopCommanderMCP
npm run setup

Restart Claude if running.

The setup command will:

• Install dependencies
• Build the server
• Configure Claude's desktop app
• Add MCP servers to Claude's config if needed

❌ Auto-Updates: No - requires manual git updates
🔄 Manual Update: cd DesktopCommanderMCP && git pull && npm run setup
🗑️ Uninstall: Run npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest remove or remove the cloned directory and remove MCP server entry from Claude config

Option 6: Docker Installation 🐳 ⭐ Auto-Updates No Node.js Required

Perfect for users who want complete or partial isolation or don't have Node.js installed. Desktop Commander runs in a sandboxed Docker container with a persistent work environment.

Prerequisites

• Docker Desktop installed and running
• Claude Desktop app installed

Important: Make sure Docker Desktop is fully started before running the installer.

Automated Installation (Recommended)

macOS/Linux:

bash