Best file MCP servers
We tested 10 file servers: 5 are ranked, 2 failed the handshake and are listed after them, and 3 aren't ranked: no passing tool call and under 50 GitHub stars; no passing tool call; no public repo. Short answer: docling.rs MCP (100/100). This list includes paid and keyed servers; servers that need a key are labelled, and we have not tested any of them with real credentials.
Last tested 2026-11-10
How we test: methodology. Context cost: lowest context cost MCP servers. Not tested by us: security, output quality, and behaviour with real credentials.
3 servers tie at 100/100. Ties are broken in a fixed order: more passing real tool calls, then name A to Z. Order here: docling.rs MCP (3 passing real calls); Desktop Commander (2 passing real calls); Excel (2 passing real calls).
Ranked by test score, then the Failed group
| Server | Score | Status | Tools | Token cost (estimate) | Functional tasks | GitHub stars |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
docling.rs MCPdocling-rs-mcp | 100 | Working | 3 | approx. 864 tokens, cl100k estimate | Not measured | 121 |
Desktop Commander@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander | 100 | Working | 25 | approx. 8498 tokens, cl100k estimate | write file: pass (write_file) read file: pass (read_file) list directory: pass (list_directory) | 10,280 |
Excelexcel-mcp-server | 100 | Working | 46 | approx. 12589 tokens, cl100k estimate | write file: not run (-) | 4,289 |
Filesystem (reference)@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem | 93 | Working | 14 | approx. 1662 tokens, cl100k estimate | write file: pass (write_file) read file: pass (read_file) list directory: pass (list_directory) | 91,469 |
Text Editormcp-text-editor | 90 | Working | 6 | approx. 1217 tokens, cl100k estimate | write file: not run (-) | — |
PDF (MCP)@modelcontextprotocol/server-pdf Failed group: listed after the ranked rows, not ranked by score | 70 | Failed | Not measured | pending | Not measured | 3,071 |
Filesystem (cyanheads)@cyanheads/filesystem-mcp-server Failed group: listed after the ranked rows, not ranked by score | 45 | Failed | Not measured | pending | Not measured | 54 |
Tested, not ranked
- Files.com MCP (official) (
files-com-mcp): no passing tool call and under 50 GitHub stars. - Pandoc (
mcp-pandoc): no passing tool call; no public repo. - Office Word (
mcp-server-office): no passing tool call; no public repo.
Listings with no passing tool call and under 50 GitHub stars aren't ranked here unless a check against the vendor's own docs confirmed them. They stay in the full directory.
Ranked by score, then more passing real tool calls, then name. The 2 Failed rows (labelled Failed group) are listed after the ranked rows and not ranked by score. Failed = did not complete the MCP handshake without credentials or a backing service.
Small-model runs for Filesystem (reference) (directional, 3 runs each): qwen2.5:3b-instruct-q4_K_M completed 100% of tasks; qwen2.5:1.5b-instruct-q4_K_M completed 100% of tasks. MCP with local models.
Related list: free filesystem MCP servers.
FAQ
What is the best file MCP server?
In our tests through 2026-11-10, docling.rs MCP (docling-rs-mcp) ranked first with 100/100 and 3 tools listed. Ranking: score, then more passing real tool calls, then name. Failed servers are listed after the ranked ones.
Which file MCP server uses the least context?
docling.rs MCP lists 3 tools at approx. 864 tokens, cl100k estimate, the lowest token-cost estimate among maintained servers here.
Which file MCP servers are deprecated?
None of the 10 we tested, as of 2026-11-10.
Why are only 5 of the 10 tested file servers ranked?
We tested 10 file servers: 5 are ranked, 2 failed the handshake and are listed after them, and 3 aren't ranked: no passing tool call and under 50 GitHub stars; no passing tool call; no public repo. Not ranked: Files.com MCP (official) (no passing tool call and under 50 GitHub stars); Pandoc (no passing tool call; no public repo); Office Word (no passing tool call; no public repo).