Mcp Text Editor

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides line-oriented text file editing capabilities through a standardized API. Optimized for LLM tools with efficient partial file access to minimize token usage.

Quick Start for Claude.app Users

To use this editor with Claude.app, add the following configuration to your prompt:

code ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "text-editor": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-text-editor"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Overview

MCP Text Editor Server is designed to facilitate safe and efficient line-based text file operations in a client-server architecture. It implements the Model Context Protocol, ensuring reliable file editing with robust conflict detection and resolution. The line-oriented approach makes it ideal for applications requiring synchronized file access, such as collaborative editing tools, automated text processing systems, or any scenario where multiple processes need to modify text files safely. The partial file access capability is particularly valuable for LLM-based tools, as it helps reduce token consumption by loading only the necessary portions of files.

Key Benefits

• Line-based editing operations
• Token-efficient partial file access with line-range specifications
• Optimized for LLM tool integration
• Safe concurrent editing with hash-based validation
• Atomic multi-file operations
• Robust error handling with custom error types
• Comprehensive encoding support (utf-8, shift_jis, latin1, etc.)

Features

• Line-oriented text file editing and reading
• Smart partial file access to minimize token usage in LLM applications
• Get text file contents with line range specification
• Read multiple ranges from multiple files in a single operation
• Line-based patch application with correct handling of line number shifts
• Edit text file contents with conflict detection
• Flexible character encoding support (utf-8, shift_jis, latin1, etc.)
• Support for multiple file operations
• Proper handling of concurrent edits with hash-based validation
• Memory-efficient processing of large files

Requirements

• Python 3.11 or higher
• POSIX-compliant operating system (Linux, macOS, etc.) or Windows
• Sufficient disk space for text file operations
• File system permissions for read/write operations

1. Install Python 3.11+

pyenv install 3.11.6
pyenv local 3.11.6

2. Install uv (recommended) or pip

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

3. Create virtual environment and install dependencies

uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

Requirements

• Python 3.13+
• POSIX-compliant operating system (Linux, macOS, etc.) or Windows
• File system permissions for read/write operations

Installation

Run via uvx

uvx mcp-text-editor

Installing via Smithery

To install Text Editor Server for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install mcp-text-editor --client claude

Manual Installation

1. Install Python 3.13+

pyenv install 3.13.0
pyenv local 3.13.0

2. Install uv (recommended) or pip

curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh

3. Create virtual environment and install dependencies

uv venv
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate
uv pip install -e ".[dev]"

Usage

Start the server:

python -m mcp_text_editor

MCP Tools

The server provides several tools for text file manipulation:

get_text_file_contents

Get the contents of one or more text files with line range specification.

Request:

The tool accepts a files array. Each file contains one or more line ranges using start and end. File paths must be absolute.