MCP Text Editor Server

What is MCP Text Editor Server?

MCP Text Editor Server is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides line-oriented text file editing through a standardized API. It is optimized for LLM tools with efficient partial file access to minimize token usage.

How to use MCP Text Editor Server?

Install Python 3.13+ and uv, then run via uvx mcp-text-editor or add to Claude Desktop’s claude_desktop_config.json. Start the server with python -m mcp_text_editor. Use the MCP tools get_text_file_contents and patch_text_file_contents to read and edit files with line ranges and hash-based conflict detection.

Key features of MCP Text Editor Server

• Line-oriented text file reading and editing
• Token-efficient partial file access with line-range specifications
• SHA-256 hash-based conflict detection for safe concurrent edits
• Atomic multi-file operations in single requests
• Flexible character encoding support (utf-8, shift_jis, latin1, etc.)
• Robust error handling with meaningful error messages

Use cases of MCP Text Editor Server

• Collaborative text editing where multiple processes modify files safely
• Automated text processing pipelines requiring synchronized file access
• LLM-based tools that need token-efficient reading and editing of large files
• Integrating line-based editing into MCP-compatible clients like Claude Desktop

FAQ from MCP Text Editor Server

What does MCP Text Editor Server do that basic file I/O cannot?

It provides line-oriented editing with hash-based conflict detection, partial file reads to reduce token usage, and multi-file atomic operations through a standardized MCP API.

What are the runtime requirements?

Python 3.13+ and a POSIX-compliant OS (Linux, macOS) or Windows, plus file system read/write permissions.

How does the server ensure safe concurrent editing?

All file modifications are validated using SHA-256 hashes. A hash mismatch indicates the file was modified by another process, and the server returns an error suggesting to fetch fresh content.

What encodings are supported?

The server supports utf-8, shift_jis, latin1, and others. If an encoding error occurs, verify that the specified encoding matches the file’s actual encoding.

Where does the data live?

All data resides on the local file system. The server does not store data in the cloud; it reads and writes files on the host machine.