Desktop Commander

A terminal, file search and surgical file edits for your assistant.

Started in our test
★ 10.1K GitHub stars
394.7K downloads a week
Last commit 26 Oct 2026

At a glance

Desktop Commander turns a chat assistant into something closer to a coding agent: it can run shell commands, keep long-running processes going, search across folders and edit files by replacing exact blocks of text instead of rewriting whole files.

It runs with your user account, so it can do anything you can do in a terminal. That is the point, and also the reason to add it to a client you watch rather than one that runs unattended.

Made by: Eduard Ruzga (wonderwhy-er) and contributors
Licence: MIT
Latest version: 0.3.1 (22 Oct 2026)
npm package: @wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander
GitHub stars: 10.1K
Downloads: 394.7K a week
Last commit: 26 Oct 2026
Tools: 25
Runs on: Your computer

Our check: We ran this exact config on 26 Oct 2026: it started and answered with 25 tools.

What's in the pod: its tools

We found 25 tools when we started it on 26 Oct 2026. 13 only read. The rest can change things, so keep your app's "ask before each tool call" setting on for them.

Runs commands3 tools · Can start programs or run code.

Tool	What it is for
`interact_with_process`	Types input into a running program, such as a Python or database prompt, and returns its reply.
`kill_process`	Ends a process on your computer by its process id.
`start_process`	Starts a terminal command and notices when it is waiting for input.

Changes things9 tools · Can create, edit, send or delete.

Tool	What it is for
`create_directory`	Makes a folder, including any missing parent folders.
`edit_block`	Swaps an exact piece of text in a file for new text, or updates a range of cells in an Excel sheet.
`force_terminate`	Stops a terminal session that has hung or is no longer needed.
`give_feedback_to_desktop_commander`	Opens the project's feedback form in your browser.
`move_file`	Moves or renames a file or folder.
`set_config_value`	Changes one setting, such as the allowed folders or the default shell.
`stop_search`	Cancels a running search.
`write_file`	Writes or appends to a file, in chunks of 50 lines by default, including Excel data.
`write_pdf`	Builds a PDF from Markdown, or adds and removes pages in an existing one.

Only reads13 tools · Looks things up and changes nothing.

Tool	What it is for
`get_config`	Shows the current settings: allowed folders, blocked commands, shell and line limits.
`get_file_info`	Reports a file's size, dates and permissions, plus sheet names for Excel files.
`get_more_search_results`	Pages through the results of a search that is still running.
`get_recent_tool_calls`	Lists the last tool calls with their inputs and outputs, useful after a chat is cut off.
`get_usage_stats`	Shows how often you have used each tool.
`list_directory`	Lists the files and folders under a path, two levels deep by default.
`list_processes`	Lists what is running on the computer, with memory and CPU use.
`list_searches`	Shows which searches are still running.
`list_sessions`	Lists the terminal sessions it has open.
`read_file`	Reads a text file, Excel workbook, PDF or web address, a chunk of lines or pages at a time.
`read_multiple_files`	Reads several files in one go.
`read_process_output`	Collects the latest output from a command that is still running.
`start_search`	Searches file names or file contents across a folder and streams back matches.

Grouped and described by us. The README on GitHub lists the inputs each tool takes.

Set it up

Pick your app for the exact snippet and where it goes.

Where it goes: claude_desktop_config.json (Settings → Developer → Edit Config)

Claude Desktop

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

Where it goes: Your terminal, in the project folder

Claude Code

claude mcp add-json desktop-commander '{"command":"npx","args":["-y","@wonderwhy-er/desktop-commander@latest"]}'

Where it goes: ~/.cursor/mcp.json, or .cursor/mcp.json in a project

Cursor

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

Where it goes: .vscode/mcp.json in your project

VS Code

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

Where it goes: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json

Windsurf

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

New to this? See the setup guides for Claude Code, Cursor, Claude Desktop and ChatGPT.

Settings

Names are exactly as the project spells them. Required ones are marked.

Setting	What it does
`allowedDirectories`Config	Folders the file tools may use. An empty list means the whole disk. Terminal commands are not limited by it.`["/Users/you/projects"]`
`blockedCommands`Config	Shell commands it refuses to run.`["rm", "sudo"]`
`defaultShell`Config	The shell used for commands.`/bin/zsh`
`fileReadLineLimit`Config	Most lines returned by one read. Defaults to 1000.
`fileWriteLineLimit`Config	Most lines written in one call. Defaults to 50, which nudges the model into small, recoverable edits.`1000`
`telemetryEnabled`Config	Set to false to stop the pseudonymous usage data it sends. No file contents or paths are included either way.`false`

What it can touch

It can read

Files and folders on your computer, inside allowedDirectories for file tools
Running processes and their output
Web pages, Excel files and PDFs you point it at

It can change

Writes, edits, moves and creates files and folders
Runs any terminal command your user account can run
Can kill processes

Safer setup: Run the Docker version for real isolation. The project says folder limits and blocked commands can be bypassed, for example through symlinks or command substitution.

Before you start

Node.js 18 or newer
Nothing else: no account or key

If it does not work

The agent changes its own settings to get around a limit: Change settings in a separate chat from the one where you work, then check them with get_config.
Writes stop part way through a file: That is fileWriteLineLimit at work. Let it continue in chunks, or raise the limit with set_config_value.
Claude Desktop will not start after removing it: Restore the config backup the uninstaller made, or fix the JSON in claude_desktop_config.json by hand.

Peas in a pod: similar servers

How Desktop Commander lines up against other developer tools servers on the shelf.

Server	Tools	Runs on	Licence	Stars
Desktop Commander	25	Your computer	MIT	10.1K
Serena	3	Your computer	–	30.7K
Context7	2	Your computer or hosted	MIT	63.7K
GitHub	46	Hosted	–	34K
MCP Inspector	–	Your computer	–	11.2K