Claude Desktop Commander MCP Server

MCP server stack for Claude that gives it terminal control

Local serverstdio

What is the Claude Desktop Commander MCP Server?

MCP server stack for Claude that gives it terminal control

What the server does

Short version. Two key things. Terminal commands and diff based file editing.

  • Execute terminal commands with output streaming
  • Command timeout and background execution support
  • Process management (list and kill processes)
  • Session management for long-running commands
  • Full filesystem operations:
  • Read/write files

More MCP options

Compare MCP servers by category, or browse hosted MCP servers if you prefer an endpoint over a local process.

Maintainer setup documentation.

Recorded tools

Check the linked publisher documentation and your connected client's tool list. Names and availability can vary with the server version and account permissions.

ToolWhat it does
execute_commandRun commands with configurable timeout
read_outputGet output from long-running commands
force_terminateStop running command sessions
list_sessionsView active command sessions
list_processesView system processes
kill_processTerminate processes by PID
move_fileMove/rename files
search_filesPattern-based file search
get_file_infoFile metadata
edit_blockApply surgical text replacements (best for changes <20% of file size)
write_fileComplete file rewrites (best for large changes >20% or when edit_block fails)

Example prompts to try

  • “Use Claude Desktop Commander MCP to execute command.”
  • “Use Claude Desktop Commander MCP to read output.”
  • “Use Claude Desktop Commander MCP to force terminate.”

Frequently asked questions

You can install via Smithery, the `npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander setup` command, manually editing `claude_desktop_config.json`, or by cloning the repository and running `npm run setup`. The setup command installs dependencies, builds the server, and configures Claude's desktop app.