Filesystem (Reference) vs Git (Reference)

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	Git (Reference) Official MCP server for reading, searching, and manipulating a local Git repository's files and history. Verified stdio (local) No auth Python
Category	Files & Storage	Files & Storage
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	74k	74k
Last commit	8 months ago	8 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir`	`uvx mcp-server-git --repository /absolute/path/to/repo`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you prefer its approach (official mcp reference server for secure local filesystem read/write within allowed directories).

Pick Git (Reference) if you prefer its approach (official mcp server for reading, searching, and manipulating a local git repository's files and history).

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 Git (Reference)

Install / run

uvx mcp-server-git --repository /absolute/path/to/repo

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "git-reference": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-server-git",
        "--repository",
        "/absolute/path/to/repo"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Filesystem (Reference) or Git (Reference) — which is better?

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you prefer its approach (official mcp reference server for secure local filesystem read/write within allowed directories). Pick Git (Reference) if you prefer its approach (official mcp server for reading, searching, and manipulating a local git repository's files and history).

Can I use both Filesystem (Reference) and Git (Reference)?

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 Git (Reference) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View Filesystem (Reference) →View Git (Reference) →More comparisons →