MCP Everything Search

What mamertofabian/mcp-everything-search MCP server does

mamertofabian/mcp-everything-search MCP server lets an MCP client search for files and folders on the host system. Results include each item's path, size in bytes, and last modified date. The implementation uses a platform-specific local search facility rather than a hosted search service.

Windows searches use the Everything SDK, macOS searches use the built-in Spotlight mdfind command, and Linux searches use the locate or plocate command. Search syntax therefore differs by operating system. Windows supports the full Everything SDK feature set, while the README describes macOS and Linux support as basic filename and content search or basic filename search, respectively.

This fits workflows where an agent needs to locate source files, documents, folders, or other local paths. It does not describe file creation, modification, deletion, or content editing capabilities.

How it works

The MCP client sends a search request containing a required query and optional search controls. The server runs the corresponding local search backend and returns matching paths with metadata. By default, a request returns up to 100 results; the configured maximum can be raised to 1,000.

Available controls include matching against the full path instead of only the filename, case-sensitive matching, whole-word matching, regular-expression matching, and result ordering. Sort choices cover filename, path, size, extension, creation date, and modification date, with ascending and descending variants where documented.

On Windows, Everything must be installed and its service must be running. The SDK DLL must also be available to the server. Linux requires an initialized locate database. macOS needs no additional search utility setup because the server calls mdfind.

Setup and configuration

The documented package is mcp-server-everything-search. With uv, it can be run directly through uvx:

uvx mcp-server-everything-search

The package can also be installed with pip and started as a Python module:

pip install mcp-server-everything-search
python -m mcp_server_everything_search

Windows configuration requires EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH, set to the installed Everything SDK DLL, such as Everything64.dll. The README states that Linux and macOS need no additional configuration. Linux users must install either locate or plocate and update its database with the appropriate system command.

The README provides Claude Desktop configurations using either uvx or the Python module. The Windows configuration passes EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH; the Linux and macOS examples do not define environment variables.

Tools and capabilities

The mamertofabian/mcp-everything-search MCP server provides a search operation with these inputs:

• query: required search text.
• max_results: result limit, defaulting to 100 and capped at 1,000.
• match_path: search the complete path rather than just the filename.
• match_case: enable case-sensitive matching.
• match_whole_word: restrict matches to whole words.
• match_regex: enable regular-expression matching.
• sort_by: choose the documented filename, path, size, extension, creation-date, or modification-date order.

The repository's tool section calls the operation search, while the listing exposes query among the MCP tool fields. Platform-specific query syntax is documented separately in the project's search syntax guide.

Limitations and notes

Search behavior depends on the indexing or database service available on the host. Windows requires the external Everything application, its running service, and the SDK DLL. Linux results depend on the locate database being installed and current. macOS and Linux do not provide the same query feature coverage described for Everything on Windows.

The project is MIT-licensed and states that it is independent from, and not endorsed or sponsored by, voidtools, the creator of Everything. The provided material documents local search only; it does not establish remote access, authentication, file mutation, or cross-machine search features.