What is the key difference between Chisel and Filesystem Context MCP Server?

Chisel belongs to the File Systems category with local stdio execution, while Filesystem Context MCP Server belongs to the File Systems category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Chisel or Filesystem Context MCP Server in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Chisel and Filesystem Context MCP Server free or paid?

Chisel operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required). Filesystem Context MCP Server operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Chisel lists 6 tools with 3 views and 17 GitHub stars. Filesystem Context MCP Server lists 13 tools with 3 views and 22 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Chisel and Filesystem Context MCP Server together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Chisel vs Filesystem Context MCP Server

In-depth architectural comparison of the Chisel and Filesystem Context MCP Server MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Chisel

File Systems · Local stdio

Quality: 51/100 (Good) | Auth: API Key required

Filesystem Context MCP Server

File Systems · Local stdio

Quality: 63/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Chisel if you need specialized File Systems tools running via a local process. Choose Filesystem Context MCP Server if your workspace requires File Systems integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Chisel when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the File Systems domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: patch_apply, append, write_file.

Explore Chisel Details

Choose Filesystem Context MCP Server when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the File Systems domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: list_roots, list, find_files.

Explore Filesystem Context MCP Server Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Chisel ckanthony File Systems	Filesystem Context MCP Server j0hanz File Systems
Summary	Reduce context usage on file use. Send only unified diffs instead of full files (up to 20-100× fewer tokens), and read large files with targeted grep/sed instead of full reads (up to 500×). Kernel-enforced path confinement hard-locks the agent to a configured root: no accidental reads or writes outside scope. Standalone for your file access or embed in any MCP server (Rust, Node.js, Python via WASM).	Read-only MCP server for secure filesystem exploration, searching, and analysis with symlink protection.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Chisel Tools (6)

patch_apply

Apply a unified diff atomically; accepts raw or ````diff` fenced patches — **primary edit tool; sends only changed lines, not the full file

append

Append content to an existing file

write_file

Write (create or overwrite) a file; creates parent dirs automatically

create_directory

Create a directory tree (`mkdir -p` semantics)

move_file

Move or rename a file within root

shell_exec

Run a whitelisted command — `grep sed awk find cat head tail wc sort uniq cut tr diff file stat ls du rg

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Chisel Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "ckanthony-chisel": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "ckanthony-chisel"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Filesystem Context MCP Server Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "j0hanz-filesystem-context-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@j0hanz/filesystem-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Chisel is categorized under File Systems and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Filesystem Context MCP Server belongs to File Systems using local stdio subprocess. Select Chisel when you need capabilities focused on file systems and Filesystem Context MCP Server when you require tools for file systems.

More alternatives to Chisel More alternatives to Filesystem Context MCP Server File Systems category hub