Desktop Commander MCP Server

Work with code and text, run processes, and automate tasks, going far beyond other AI editors - while using host client subscriptions instead of API token costs. Its 25 documented tools cover process, file, config, directory. It runs locally over stdio via the published package.

People connecting coding agent tools to Claude, Cursor, VS Code, or another MCP client. The project is written in TypeScript.

VERIFIED ACTIVE

LAST COMMIT 2026-08-21 · ★ 9,387 · #2 OF 194 MAINTAINED CODING AGENT · VERIFIED 2026-08-25

MIT · TypeScript servers · how we verify → /methodology

01 · Install Desktop Commander

Claude Code

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

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

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

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license MIT - declared in the repository

npm package @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander - published under the repo owner's npm scope (@wonderwhy-er)

registry namespace io.github.wonderwhy-er is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Desktop Commander can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can start programs with smart detection of when they're ready for input, send commands to running programs and get responses, read output from running processes, and list all active terminal sessions.

Capability map

Tools grouped from the project's README - what Desktop Commander lets an agent do.

read & search

7 tools - e.g. List all active terminal sessions; List all running processes with detailed information; Read multiple files simultaneously

list_sessions · list_processes · read_multiple_files · get_more_search_results · list_searches · get_usage_stats…

Process

4 tools - e.g. Start programs with smart detection of when they're ready for input; Send commands to running programs and get responses; Read output from running processes

start_process · interact_with_process · read_process_output · kill_process

File

4 tools - e.g. Read contents from local filesystem, URLs, Excel files (.xlsx, .xls, .xlsm), and PDFs with line/page-based pagination; Write file contents with options for rewrite or append mode. Supports Excel files…

read_file · write_file · move_file · get_file_info

Config

2 tools - e.g. Get the complete server configuration as JSON (includes blockedCommands, defaultShell, allowedDirectories, fileReadLineLimit, fileWriteLineLimit, telemetryEnabl; Set a specific configuration value by key.…

get_config · set_config_value

Directory

2 tools - e.g. Create a new directory or ensure it exists; Get detailed recursive listing of files and directories (supports depth parameter, default depth=2)

create_directory · list_directory

run & execute

2 tools - e.g. Start streaming search for files by name or content patterns (searches text files and Excel content); Stop an active search gracefully

start_search · stop_search

Force

1 tool - e.g. Force terminate a running terminal session

force_terminate

create & write

1 tool - e.g. Create new PDF files from markdown or modify existing PDFs (insert/delete pages). Supports HTML/CSS styling and SVG graphics

write_pdf

Limitations (from the README)

> For comprehensive security information and vulnerability reporting: See SECURITY.md 1. Known security limitations: Directory restrictions and command blocking can be bypassed through various methods including symlinks, command substitution, and absolute paths or code execution

Latest releases

v0.2.44 · 2026-07-09

Multi-minute tool-call hangs under parallel load - fixed - under heavy parallel file I/O, tool calls (even in-memory ones like list_processes) could stall ~4 minutes then recover. Stats persistence is now non-blocking…

v0.2.43 · 2026-06-26

edit_block stays responsive on large files - fuzzy matching now runs in a worker thread, so fuzzy searches on big files no longer block the event loop. #500 · Terminal output won't run away with memory - per-session…

v0.2.42 · 2026-06-05

Image reads fixed - on some clients the model wasn't actually seeing the image when reading an image file; it does now. #488 · Windows: terminal command quoting fixed - some types of commands had their quotes mangled…

In the wild · how people use Desktop Commander

Public posts that name a concrete use case. Linked source posts - not MCPhq reviews, ratings, or endorsements.

04 · Who maintains Desktop Commander

Desktop Commander is maintained by wonderwhy-er. It's the only MCP server we track from this author; the repo dates to Dec 2024.

05 · Facts

repository
github.com/wonderwhy-er/desktopcommandermcp
category
coding agent - ranked #2 of 194 actively-maintained coding agent servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence
3 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-07-09)
registry
io.github.wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander (active, first published 2025-09-12 · 30 versions)
packages
npm:@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander

06 · Desktop Commander FAQ

Is Desktop Commander still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-08-21 and it shipped 3 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Desktop Commander do?

With this server connected, an agent can start programs with smart detection of when they're ready for input, send commands to running programs and get responses, read output from running processes, and list all active terminal sessions.

How do I install Desktop Commander?

Run `npx -y @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander`. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Desktop Commander run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Desktop Commander

Alternatives to Desktop Commander

Maintained coding agent servers if Desktop Commander isn't the fit.

  1. Serena A powerful toolkit for coding, providing semantic retrieval and editing capabilities. ★ 28,461 · 2026-08-20
  2. Ouroboros Pins an acceptance spec; the verify command and expected output never enter the success contract. ★ 5,649 · 2026-08-25
  3. Socraticode MCP server for local codebase indexing, semantic search, and code dependency graphs. ★ 3,274 · 2026-08-24
  4. Magic Cloud Self-hosted low-code platform (Docker); its MCP endpoint runs on your own instance, not via npx. ★ 1,180 · 2026-08-24
  5. LLM Sandbox Securely run LLM-generated code in isolated containers across 7 languages and 3 container backends. ★ 1,111 · 2026-08-23
  6. Bernstein (sipyourdrink-ltd) Deterministic orchestrator for CLI coding agents. Byte-identical replay, 40+ adapters, air-gap. ★ 981 · 2026-08-25

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Desktop Commander doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

  1. Context7 → documentation companion documentation · ★ 61,171
  2. GitLab MCP → documentation companion documentation · ★ 1,918
  3. Storybook MCP Addon → developer tools companion developer tools · ★ 268
  4. Xcode Build MCP → developer tools companion developer tools · ★ 6,274
  5. Server Filesystem → filesystem companion filesystem · ★ 38,704
  6. X402 List MCP → filesystem companion filesystem · ★ 58

head to head · Serena vs Desktop Commander · LLM Sandbox vs Desktop Commander · Ouroboros vs Desktop Commander

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