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MCP Multi Edit

Batch exact text replacements across one or more local files with atomic edits, rollback, previews, backups, and structured errors.

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Install MCP Multi Edit

Pick your client, then add it in one click or paste the config.

STDIONode.js
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-multi-edit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@essentialai/mcp-multi-edit"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config, merge this into mcpServers, then fully quit and reopen Claude Desktop.

Automated check passed— started and listed 2 tools correctly (4d ago).

Overview

The mcp-multi-edit MCP server batches exact find-and-replace edits for local files through two MCP tools. Use `multi_edit` for several ordered changes in one file or `multi_edit_files` for coordinated changes across files with rollback if any operation fails. It supports dry runs, backups, path validation, conflict detection, and structured retry guidance. Reach for it when repeated edits or cross-file refactors would otherwise require many individual tool calls.

Use cases

  • Rename a variable across one file
  • Apply ordered replacements to a source file
  • Refactor related symbols across multiple files
  • Preview a batch edit before writing changes

Key features

  • Atomic single-file and multi-file edits
  • Dry-run change previews
  • Automatic .bak backups
  • Exact-match conflict detection
  • Absolute-path and symlink validation
  • Structured retryable errors

Tools2

What MCP Multi Edit lets your agent do. Expand a tool for its parameters.

Verified live~497 tokens of context

Security & health

What it can reach and how reliably it runs — from our own checks, not the maintainer’s claims.

ActiveLast checked Today

Recent health check succeeded.

10/10 checks healthy over the last 51d

What it can do

From the 2 tools this server returned when we ran it.

Writes files · 1Read-only tools · 1
Network at startup3 connections
Files written at startupNone
Install scriptsNone
npm provenanceNot published
Package age256 days
Maintainers1

Observed 2026-10-23 in an isolated sandbox. A description of reach, not a security audit.

Supply-chain signal

No high-severity advisories surfaced by our automated scan.

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Scanned 5d ago via OSV.dev · @essentialai/mcp-multi-edit (npm)

Adoption & maintenance

Factual signals from GitHub, npm, and our automated checks — not a rating.

npm downloads204Package downloads in the last 30 days.
Last commit8mo agoMost recent push to the default branch.
Availability100%Our rolling endpoint + install checks that succeeded.
Install checkPassedOur sandbox started it and listed its tools.
Tools exposed2Callable tools this server registers over MCP.
Directory activity2 viewsConfig copies, upvotes, and views on AllMCPs.

How MCP Multi Edit works

What mcp-multi-edit does

The mcp-multi-edit MCP server gives Claude Code and Claude Desktop tools for applying exact text replacements to local project files. It is designed for changes such as renaming a symbol, updating repeated logging calls, or modifying related declarations and references across a codebase.

The server exposes two operations. multi_edit applies an ordered list of replacements to one file. multi_edit_files groups edits for several files into one operation. Both use literal string matching rather than describing a language-aware refactor system, so the requested text must be present in the target files.

Edits are atomic. A failed operation does not leave a partial result, and a failure during a multi-file operation restores files changed earlier in that operation. The server can also create .bak files before edits and return a preview without writing changes.

How it works

Each request supplies absolute file paths and one or more edit objects. An edit identifies old_string, new_string, and an optional replace_all flag. Without that flag, the default behavior replaces one match; setting it replaces every matching occurrence. For a single file, edits run in the order provided, so a later edit can work with the result of an earlier one.

multi_edit_files accepts a list of files, with each file carrying its own ordered edit list. Its transaction covers the whole request: if one file cannot be processed, previously modified files are rolled back. The dry_run option on either tool reports the proposed changes without committing them.

Validation includes absolute-path enforcement, path and symlink checks, file existence checks, and input-schema validation. The server reports machine-readable error codes, including match failures, ambiguous matches, missing files, permission problems, and backup failures. Retryable responses include recovery hints for adjusting a request.

Setup and configuration

The mcp-multi-edit MCP server requires Node.js 20 or later. It runs over the stdio MCP transport and can be launched with the published npm package using npx.

For Claude Code, add an MCP server entry to a project-level .mcp.json, with npx as the command and -y @essentialai/mcp-multi-edit as its arguments. Claude Code also supports the equivalent claude mcp add --transport stdio command. Restart the client after registering the server. The repository recommends adding its editing guidance to CLAUDE.md so Claude prefers the batch tools for multi-edit tasks.

Claude Desktop uses the same command and args values in its MCP configuration file. On macOS, the documented location is ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. No environment variables are listed as required.

Tools and capabilities

The mcp-multi-edit MCP server provides:

  • multi_edit for multiple sequential replacements in one absolute-path file.
  • multi_edit_files for atomic coordinated replacements across multiple files.
  • dry_run previews on both tools.
  • Optional .bak creation, enabled by default for multi_edit edits and configurable with backup: false.
  • Exact-match conflict detection when a requested string appears in multiple locations.
  • Structured errors with retryability and recovery hints.
  • Path validation, symlink resolution, and existence checks.

Limitations and notes

The tools operate on exact text strings and require absolute paths. A missing file or insufficient permission is non-retryable, while invalid input, missing matches, and ambiguous matches are reported as retryable conditions.

The repository documents support for Claude Code and Claude Desktop and does not describe other MCP clients. Commercial use is not covered by the stated free-use terms: the project uses the PolyForm Noncommercial License 1.0.0 and directs commercial users to contact the project for licensing.

Read the full README View source on GitHub

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Frequently Asked Questions about MCP Multi Edit

mcp-multi-edit is an MCP server that connects Claude Code and Claude Desktop to local project files for batched exact text replacements. Its main tools are `multi_edit` for ordered edits in one file and `multi_edit_files` for atomic edits across multiple files, with dry runs, backups, validation, and rollback support.

Install it by registering `npx -y @essentialai/mcp-multi-edit` as a stdio MCP server in Claude Code or Claude Desktop. Claude Code can use a project `.mcp.json` or the `claude mcp add --transport stdio` command. Node.js 20 or later is required, and the client should be restarted afterward.

Yes, mcp-multi-edit works with Claude Desktop through its MCP configuration file. Add an entry using `npx` with `-y @essentialai/mcp-multi-edit` as the arguments, then restart Claude Desktop. On macOS, the documented configuration path is `~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json`.

mcp-multi-edit restores files already changed in the same `multi_edit_files` operation when a later file fails. This keeps the multi-file request atomic rather than leaving a partial cross-file change. The tool also reports structured errors that distinguish retryable input or matching problems from missing files and permission failures.

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