Desktop Commander MCP
An MCP server that lets an agent work on your computer: terminal and long-running processes, file search and edits, Excel, PDF and DOCX
- 10,163 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Broad access
Why this level
- Runs arbitrary shell commands on your machine
- Reads, edits and deletes files outside the project
Install
- Works in
Manual install
npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest setupConfigures Claude Desktop; restart the app afterwards.
Access and checks
How we reviewBroad accessThe tool can change data, run commands or handle secrets.
- Runs arbitrary shell commands on your machine
- Reads, edits and deletes files outside the project
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Desktop Commander gives the agent a terminal with streaming output, background runs and process control, including interactive ones like SSH and database shells. File tools read and write files, search content with ripgrep and make targeted code replacements. It also handles Excel, PDF and DOCX, and can run Python, Node.js and R code in memory without saving files. Tool calls are logged locally, and settings let you define allowed directories and blocked commands.
Who it is for. For Claude Desktop and other chat client users who want the model to work with files and the terminal on their machine.
Good fit when
- You want Claude Desktop to access the terminal and files
- You need to analyze CSV or Excel without extra tools
- You need to run long commands and watch their output
Not a fit when
- An agent like Claude Code or Codex already has its own terminal and file tools
- The machine holds data the model must not access
Example request
Open sales.xlsx in Documents, sum revenue by month and save the result to a new sheetMCP
- Transport
- stdio, http
- Authentication
- not required
Limitations
Safeguards are not a sandbox: directory limits do not stop terminal commands from reaching other files, and the authors suggest Docker for full isolation. Optional telemetry exists and is turned off with the telemetryEnabled setting. Running via npx with @latest auto-updates the server, which is convenient but changes code without your involvement.
How to disable. Run npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest remove, or claude mcp remove desktop-commander, or delete the entry from the client config.
FAQ
Can I restrict folder access?
Yes, via allowedDirectories, but the README warns that terminal commands bypass this limit.
Are my commands sent to a server?
Call history is stored locally. Remote mode for web clients goes through a cloud service that, per the authors, does not retain arguments or results.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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README in short
The README lists capabilities: terminal and processes, file operations, Excel, PDF and DOCX, in-memory code execution, a local call log and safety measures. It documents six install options for Claude Desktop, including npx, a script, Smithery, manual config, a clone and Docker, with auto-update notes. It gives commands for Claude Code, Codex and other clients, a remote mode for ChatGPT and Claude on the web, and a separate desktop app. MIT licensed.