Filesystem (reference)
Last tested 2026-10-22
Score 93/100 · Last tested 2026-10-22 · Version tested 2.0.0 · Package @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem · Repo modelcontextprotocol/servers
Summary: Filesystem (reference) completed an MCP handshake without credentials and exposed 14 tools.
Test results
| Test | Result | Points | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| install | pass | 20 | npm install @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem (Node 20, Linux) succeeded in 2s. |
| handshake | pass | 30 | MCP initialize + tools/list over stdio succeeded with no credentials; 14 tools listed in 11.0s. |
| maintenance | pass | 25 | Repo pushed 2 days before test; 91,469 GitHub stars. |
| docs | pass | 15 | README over 3,000 chars; install instructions present; mcpServers config example present. Automated check of the package's own README (README shipped in npm package). |
| license | partial | 3 | License not machine-detected as OSI (SEE LICENSE IN LICENSE). |
Local-model readiness
Schema context cost: ~1,666 tokens for 14 tools (8,057 bytes) · about 20% of an 8k context. Method: tiktoken cl100k_base over compact JSON of name+description+inputSchema (approximate).
Small-model friendly (schema heuristic, not a model result): high.
| Model | Quantization | Runs | Task completed | Correct tool | Avg rounds |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| qwen2.5-3b-instruct-q4km | Q4_K_M GGUF (bartowski/Qwen2.5-3B-Instruct-GGUF), CPU-only | 3 | 100% | 100% | 2 |
| qwen2.5-1.5b-instruct-q4km | Q4_K_M GGUF (bartowski/Qwen2.5-1.5B-Instruct-GGUF), CPU-only | 3 | 100% | 100% | 2 |
Functional tasks (3/3 passed, tested 2026-10-22)
| Task | Tool | Result | Evidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| write file | write_file | pass | [{"type":"text","text":"Successfully wrote to /tmp/mcp-fs-test/probe-1792649724837.txt"}] |
| read file | read_file | pass | [{"type":"text","text":"testedmcp-s7ymzkop71"}] |
| list directory | list_directory | pass | [{"type":"text","text":"[FILE] probe-1792649209369.txt\n[FILE] probe-1792649228111.txt\n[FILE] probe-1792649281516.txt\n[FILE] probe-1792649289994.txt\n[FILE] p |
Not tested
We did not test behavior with real credentials, security, or performance under load. These are planned; see methodology.
Tools listed
read_file, read_text_file, read_media_file, read_multiple_files, write_file, edit_file, create_directory, list_directory, list_directory_with_sizes, directory_tree, move_file, search_files, get_file_info, list_allowed_directories
Config used in our test
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem-reference": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
"/tmp"
]
}
}
}FAQ
Is Filesystem (reference) deprecated?
No. @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem was not deprecated or archived when we last tested it on 2026-10-22.
What replaces Filesystem (reference)?
Nothing; Filesystem (reference) is not deprecated as of 2026-10-22.
Does Filesystem (reference) need an API key?
No. It completed an MCP handshake with no credentials and listed 14 tools.
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