Filesystem (Reference) vs AWS Knowledge MCP

A side-by-side comparison of two Files & Storage servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Filesystem (Reference) Official MCP reference server for secure local filesystem read/write within allowed directories. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript	AWS Knowledge MCP Fully managed remote server for AWS docs, blogs, What's-New and Well-Architected guidance — no key. Verified HTTP (remote) No auth Hosted
Category	Files & Storage	AI, Data & Knowledge
Language	TypeScript	Hosted
Transport	stdio (local)	HTTP (remote)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	74k	7.0k
Last commit	5 months ago	5 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir`	`Add URL https://knowledge-mcp.global.api.aws as an HTTP MCP server`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Pick AWS Knowledge MCP if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install.

Add Filesystem (Reference)

Install / run

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "filesystem-reference": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem",
        "/absolute/path/to/dir"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Add AWS Knowledge MCP

Install / run

Add URL https://knowledge-mcp.global.api.aws as an HTTP MCP server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "aws-knowledge-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://knowledge-mcp.global.api.aws"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

FAQ

Filesystem (Reference) or AWS Knowledge MCP — which is better?

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine. Pick AWS Knowledge MCP if you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install.

Can I use both Filesystem (Reference) and AWS Knowledge MCP?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Filesystem (Reference) and AWS Knowledge MCP work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Filesystem (Reference) →View AWS Knowledge MCP →More comparisons →