Everything Search MCP Server

1# Everything Search MCP Server
2 
3[![smithery badge](https://smithery.ai/badge/mcp-server-everything-search)](https://smithery.ai/server/mcp-server-everything-search)
4 
5An MCP server that provides fast file searching capabilities across Windows, macOS, and Linux. On Windows, it uses the [Everything](https://www.voidtools.com/) SDK. On macOS, it uses the built-in `mdfind` command. On Linux, it uses the `locate`/`plocate` command.
6 
7## Tools
8 
9### search
10 
11Search for files and folders across your system. The search capabilities and syntax support vary by platform:
12 
13- Windows: Full Everything SDK features (see syntax guide below)
14- macOS: Basic filename and content search using Spotlight database
15- Linux: Basic filename search using locate database
16 
17Parameters:
18 
19- `query` (required): Search query string. See platform-specific notes below.
20- `max_results` (optional): Maximum number of results to return (default: 100, max: 1000)
21- `match_path` (optional): Match against full path instead of filename only (default: false)
22- `match_case` (optional): Enable case-sensitive search (default: false)
23- `match_whole_word` (optional): Match whole words only (default: false)
24- `match_regex` (optional): Enable regex search (default: false)
25- `sort_by` (optional): Sort order for results (default: 1). Available options:
26 
27```
28  - 1: Sort by filename (A to Z)
29  - 2: Sort by filename (Z to A)
30  - 3: Sort by path (A to Z)
31  - 4: Sort by path (Z to A)
32  - 5: Sort by size (smallest first)
33  - 6: Sort by size (largest first)
34  - 7: Sort by extension (A to Z)
35  - 8: Sort by extension (Z to A)
36  - 11: Sort by creation date (oldest first)
37  - 12: Sort by creation date (newest first)
38  - 13: Sort by modification date (oldest first)
39  - 14: Sort by modification date (newest first)
40```
41 
42Examples:
43 
44```json
45{
46  "query": "*.py",
47  "max_results": 50,
48  "sort_by": 6
49}
50```
51 
52```json
53{
54  "query": "ext:py datemodified:today",
55  "max_results": 10
56}
57```
58 
59Response includes:
60 
61- File/folder path
62- File size in bytes
63- Last modified date
64 
65### Search Syntax Guide
66 
67For detailed information about the search syntax supported on each platform (Windows, macOS, and Linux), please see [SEARCH_SYNTAX.md](SEARCH_SYNTAX.md).
68 
69## Prerequisites
70 
71### Windows
72 
731. [Everything](https://www.voidtools.com/) search utility:
74   - Download and install from https://www.voidtools.com/
75   - **Make sure the Everything service is running**
762. Everything SDK:
77   - Download from https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/sdk/
78   - Extract the SDK files to a location on your system
79 
80### Linux
81 
821. Install and initialize the `locate` or `plocate` command:
83   - Ubuntu/Debian: `sudo apt-get install plocate` or `sudo apt-get install mlocate`
84   - Fedora: `sudo dnf install mlocate`
852. After installation, update the database:
86   - For plocate: `sudo updatedb`
87   - For mlocate: `sudo /etc/cron.daily/mlocate`
88 
89### macOS
90 
91No additional setup required. The server uses the built-in `mdfind` command.
92 
93## Installation
94 
95### Installing via Smithery
96 
97To install Everything Search for Claude Desktop automatically via [Smithery](https://smithery.ai/server/mcp-server-everything-search):
98 
99```bash
100npx -y @smithery/cli install mcp-server-everything-search --client claude
101```
102 
103### Using uv (recommended)
104 
105When using [`uv`](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/) no specific installation is needed. We will
106use [`uvx`](https://docs.astral.sh/uv/guides/tools/) to directly run _mcp-server-everything-search_.
107 
108### Using PIP
109 
110Alternatively you can install `mcp-server-everything-search` via pip:
111 
112```
113pip install mcp-server-everything-search
114```
115 
116After installation, you can run it as a script using:
117 
118```
119python -m mcp_server_everything_search
120```
121 
122## Configuration
123 
124### Windows
125 
126The server requires the Everything SDK DLL to be available:
127 
128Environment variable:
129 
130```
131EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH=path\to\Everything-SDK\dll\Everything64.dll
132```
133 
134### Linux and macOS
135 
136No additional configuration required.
137 
138### Usage with Claude Desktop
139 
140Add one of these configurations to your `claude_desktop_config.json` based on your platform:
141 
142<details>
143<summary>Windows (using uvx)</summary>
144 
145```json
146"mcpServers": {
147  "everything-search": {
148    "command": "uvx",
149    "args": ["mcp-server-everything-search"],
150    "env": {
151      "EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH": "path/to/Everything-SDK/dll/Everything64.dll"
152    }
153  }
154}
155```
156 
157</details>
158 
159<details>
160<summary>Windows (using pip installation)</summary>
161 
162```json
163"mcpServers": {
164  "everything-search": {
165    "command": "python",
166    "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_everything_search"],
167    "env": {
168      "EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH": "path/to/Everything-SDK/dll/Everything64.dll"
169    }
170  }
171}
172```
173 
174</details>
175 
176<details>
177<summary>Linux and macOS</summary>
178 
179```json
180"mcpServers": {
181  "everything-search": {
182    "command": "uvx",
183    "args": ["mcp-server-everything-search"]
184  }
185}
186```
187 
188Or if using pip installation:
189 
190```json
191"mcpServers": {
192  "everything-search": {
193    "command": "python",
194    "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_everything_search"]
195  }
196}
197```
198 
199</details>
200 
201## Debugging
202 
203You can use the MCP inspector to debug the server. For uvx installations:
204 
205```
206npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx mcp-server-everything-search
207```
208 
209Or if you've installed the package in a specific directory or are developing on it:
210 
211```
212git clone https://github.com/mamertofabian/mcp-everything-search.git
213cd mcp-everything-search/src/mcp_server_everything_search
214npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run mcp-server-everything-search
215```
216 
217To view server logs:
218 
219Linux/macOS:
220 
221```bash
222tail -f ~/.config/Claude/logs/mcp*.log
223```
224 
225Windows (PowerShell):
226 
227```powershell
228Get-Content -Path "$env:APPDATA\Claude\logs\mcp*.log" -Tail 20 -Wait
229```
230 
231## Development
232 
233If you are doing local development, there are two ways to test your changes:
234 
2351. Run the MCP inspector to test your changes. See [Debugging](#debugging) for run instructions.
236 
2372. Test using the Claude desktop app. Add the following to your `claude_desktop_config.json`:
238 
239```json
240"everything-search": {
241  "command": "uv",
242  "args": [
243    "--directory",
244    "/path/to/mcp-everything-search/src/mcp_server_everything_search",
245    "run",
246    "mcp-server-everything-search"
247  ],
248  "env": {
249    "EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH": "path/to/Everything-SDK/dll/Everything64.dll"
250  }
251}
252```
253 
254## License
255 
256This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.
257 
258## Disclaimer
259 
260This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by voidtools (the creators of Everything search utility). This is an independent project that utilizes the publicly available Everything SDK.
261