Filesystem (Reference) vs PDF Reader 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	PDF Reader MCP Extract text, images, and metadata from local or URL PDFs as structured output, dir-confined. Verified stdio (local) No auth TypeScript
Category	Files & Storage	Files & Storage
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	None
GitHub stars	74k	200
Last commit	6 months ago	4 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /absolute/path/to/dir`	`npx -y @sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option.

Pick PDF Reader MCP if you prefer its approach (extract text, images, and metadata from local or url pdfs as structured output, dir-confined).

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 PDF Reader MCP

Install / run

npx -y @sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pdf-reader-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@sylphx/pdf-reader-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

FAQ

Filesystem (Reference) or PDF Reader MCP — which is better?

Pick Filesystem (Reference) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option. Pick PDF Reader MCP if you prefer its approach (extract text, images, and metadata from local or url pdfs as structured output, dir-confined).

Can I use both Filesystem (Reference) and PDF Reader 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 PDF Reader 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 PDF Reader MCP →More comparisons →