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Desktop Commander

by Eduard Ruzga

v0.2.46

MIT

Repository Docs npm

Developer Tools

terminalfileslocalautomation

Summary

Give a desktop AI client real terminal and filesystem access — run commands and edit files across your machine.

Features

Run terminal commands with streaming output
Surgical file edits rather than whole-file rewrites
Search across a filesystem by name and content

Installation

Set up this MCP server in your favorite AI agent — copy a ready-made configuration below.

Any MCP-compatible agent

Most agents (Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, VS Code, and more) read a standard mcpServers configuration.

Open your agent's MCP configuration file.
Merge the snippet below into it.
Restart the agent — the "Desktop Commander" tools will be available.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-commander": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

Add the server with a single CLI command.

claude mcp add desktop-commander -- npx -y @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander

Claude Desktop

Add the server to claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "desktop-commander": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Cursor

{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": [
    "-y",
    "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander"
  ]
}

Windsurf

{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": [
    "-y",
    "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander"
  ]
}

VS Code

{
  "command": "npx",
  "args": [
    "-y",
    "@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander"
  ]
}

Description

Desktop Commander turns a chat client such as Claude Desktop into something closer to a coding agent, by giving it terminal execution and file editing on your local machine.

What it adds

Terminal execution with streaming output and long-running process management, so a build or test run can be started and monitored
Surgical file edits. It applies targeted replacements rather than rewriting whole files, which is faster and far less likely to lose content in a large file.
Filesystem search by filename and by content across directories
Process management for listing and terminating processes
Configurable boundaries limiting which directories and commands are permitted

Why people install it

It closes the gap between a chat interface and a real development environment without requiring a separate agentic tool. For non-developers it is often the first time a chat assistant can actually do something on their computer rather than describe it.

Sensible caution

This grants broad access to your machine. Configure the allowed directories and blocked commands before use rather than after — the defaults are permissive by design.

Runs with npx @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander.

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