MCP Text Editor Server

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"
      ]
    }
  }
}

or with docker:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "text-editor": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
          "run",
          "-i",
          "--rm",
          "--mount",
          "type=bind,src=/some/path/src,dst=/some/path/dst",
          "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

Install Python 3.11+

pyenv install 3.11.6
pyenv local 3.11.6

Install uv (recommended) or pip

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

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

Install Python 3.13+

pyenv install 3.13.0
pyenv local 3.13.0

Docker Installation

docker build --network=host -t mcp/text-editor .

Install uv (recommended) or pip

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

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

Start the server with docker:

docker run -i --rm --mount "type=bind,src=/some/path/src,dst=/some/path/dst" mcp/text-editor

with inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector docker run -i --rm --mount "type=bind,src=/some/path/src,dst=/some/path/dst" 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.

Single Range Request:

{
  "file_path": "path/to/file.txt",
  "line_start": 1,
  "line_end": 10,
  "encoding": "utf-8"  // Optional, defaults to utf-8
}

Multiple Ranges Request:

{
  "files": [
    {
      "file_path": "file1.txt",
      "ranges": [
        {"start": 1, "end": 10},
        {"start": 20, "end": 30}
      ],
      "encoding": "shift_jis"  // Optional, defaults to utf-8
    },
    {
      "file_path": "file2.txt",
      "ranges": [
        {"start": 5, "end": 15}
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Parameters:

file_path: Path to the text file
line_start/start: Line number to start from (1-based)
line_end/end: Line number to end at (inclusive, null for end of file)
encoding: File encoding (default: "utf-8"). Specify the encoding of the text file (e.g., "shift_jis", "latin1")

Single Range Response:

{
  "contents": "File contents",
  "line_start": 1,
  "line_end": 10,
  "hash": "sha256-hash-of-contents",
  "file_lines": 50,
  "file_size": 1024
}

Multiple Ranges Response:

{
  "file1.txt": [
    {
      "content": "Lines 1-10 content",
      "start": 1,
      "end": 10,
      "hash": "sha256-hash-1",
      "total_lines": 50,
      "content_size": 512
    },
    {
      "content": "Lines 20-30 content",
      "start": 20,
      "end": 30,
      "hash": "sha256-hash-2",
      "total_lines": 50,
      "content_size": 512
    }
  ],
  "file2.txt": [
    {
      "content": "Lines 5-15 content",
      "start": 5,
      "end": 15,
      "hash": "sha256-hash-3",
      "total_lines": 30,
      "content_size": 256
    }
  ]
}

patch_text_file_contents

Apply patches to text files with robust error handling and conflict detection. Supports editing multiple files in a single operation.

Request Format:

{
  "files": [
    {
      "file_path": "file1.txt",
      "hash": "sha256-hash-from-get-contents",
      "encoding": "utf-8",  // Optional, defaults to utf-8
      "patches": [
        {
          "start": 5,
          "end": 8,
          "range_hash": "sha256-hash-of-content-being-replaced",
          "contents": "New content for lines 5-8\n"
        },
        {
          "start": 15,
          "end": null,  // null means end of file
          "range_hash": "sha256-hash-of-content-being-replaced",
          "contents": "Content to append\n"
        }
      ]
    }
  ]
}

Important Notes:

Always get the current hash and range_hash using get_text_file_contents before editing
Patches are applied from bottom to top to handle line number shifts correctly
Patches must not overlap within the same file
Line numbers are 1-based
end: null can be used to append content to the end of file
File encoding must match the encoding used in get_text_file_contents

Success Response:

{
  "file1.txt": {
    "result": "ok",
    "hash": "sha256-hash-of-new-contents"
  }
}

Error Response with Hints:

{
  "file1.txt": {
    "result": "error",
    "reason": "Content hash mismatch",
    "suggestion": "get",  // Suggests using get_text_file_contents
    "hint": "Please run get_text_file_contents first to get current content and hashes"
  }
}

"result": "error",
"reason": "Content hash mismatch - file was modified",
"hash": "current-hash",
"content": "Current file content"

} }


### Common Usage Pattern

1. Get current content and hash:

```python
contents = await get_text_file_contents({
    "files": [
        {
            "file_path": "file.txt",
            "ranges": [{"start": 1, "end": null}]  # Read entire file
        }
    ]
})

Edit file content:

result = await edit_text_file_contents({
    "files": [
        {
            "path": "file.txt",
            "hash": contents["file.txt"][0]["hash"],
            "encoding": "utf-8",  # Optional, defaults to "utf-8"
            "patches": [
                {
                    "line_start": 5,
                    "line_end": 8,
                    "contents": "New content\n"
                }
            ]
        }
    ]
})

Handle conflicts:

if result["file.txt"]["result"] == "error":
    if "hash mismatch" in result["file.txt"]["reason"]:
        # File was modified by another process
        # Get new content and retry
        pass

Error Handling

The server handles various error cases:

File not found
Permission errors
Hash mismatches (concurrent edit detection)
Invalid patch ranges
Overlapping patches
Encoding errors (when file cannot be decoded with specified encoding)
Line number out of bounds

Security Considerations

File Path Validation: The server validates all file paths to prevent directory traversal attacks
Access Control: Proper file system permissions should be set to restrict access to authorized directories
Hash Validation: All file modifications are validated using SHA-256 hashes to prevent race conditions
Input Sanitization: All user inputs are properly sanitized and validated
Error Handling: Sensitive information is not exposed in error messages

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

Permission Denied
- Check file and directory permissions
- Ensure the server process has necessary read/write access
Hash Mismatch and Range Hash Errors
- The file was modified by another process
- Content being replaced has changed
- Run get_text_file_contents to get fresh hashes
Encoding Issues
- Verify file encoding matches the specified encoding
- Use utf-8 for new files
- Check for BOM markers in files
Connection Issues
- Verify the server is running and accessible
- Check network configuration and firewall settings
Performance Issues
- Consider using smaller line ranges for large files
- Monitor system resources (memory, disk space)
- Use appropriate encoding for file type

Development

Setup

Clone the repository
Create and activate a Python virtual environment
Install development dependencies: uv pip install -e ".[dev]"
Run tests: make all

Code Quality Tools

Ruff for linting
Black for code formatting
isort for import sorting
mypy for type checking
pytest-cov for test coverage

Testing

Tests are located in the tests directory and can be run with pytest:

# Run all tests
pytest

# Run tests with coverage report
pytest --cov=mcp_text_editor --cov-report=term-missing

# Run specific test file
pytest tests/test_text_editor.py -v

Current test coverage: 90%

Project Structure

mcp-text-editor/
├── mcp_text_editor/
│   ├── __init__.py
│   ├── __main__.py      # Entry point
│   ├── models.py        # Data models
│   ├── server.py        # MCP Server implementation
│   ├── service.py       # Core service logic
│   └── text_editor.py   # Text editor functionality
├── tests/               # Test files
└── pyproject.toml       # Project configuration

License

MIT

Contributing

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes
Run tests and code quality checks
Submit a pull request

Type Hints

This project uses Python type hints throughout the codebase. Please ensure any contributions maintain this.

Error Handling

All error cases should be handled appropriately and return meaningful error messages. The server should never crash due to invalid input or file operations.

Testing

New features should include appropriate tests. Try to maintain or improve the current test coverage.

Code Style

All code should be formatted with Black and pass Ruff linting. Import sorting should be handled by isort.

License

lwsinclair/mcp-text-editor

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