#1010th of 18 in MCP servers for developers

desktopcommandermcp

MCP server giving AI clients terminal, process and file editing tools

Stars: 10k
License: MIT
Last commit: Oct 2026
Last release: Sep 2026
Language: TypeScript

Missed the latest GitHub check; these facts may be older.

Overview

Desktop Commander is a TypeScript MCP server that lets clients such as Claude Desktop, Cursor, Codex and Claude Code run terminal commands, manage long-running processes and edit files. It adds search and replace editing, in-memory code execution (Python, Node.js, R), and read/write support for Excel, PDF and DOCX files. A remote mode connects ChatGPT and Claude web to commands running on your machine.

Who it is for: Developers who want Claude, Cursor or Codex to run commands and edit local files

Strengths

Installs with one npx command or JSON entry in many MCP clients
Interactive process control for SSH sessions, databases and dev servers, with paginated output
Reads and edits Excel, PDF and DOCX files, not only plain text
Local tool-call history and audit logs stored on your machine

Weaknesses

Not a sandbox: commands run with your user permissions, blocklist is only a guardrail
Docker isolation is optional and needs separate setup with folder mounts
Remote mode depends on browser OAuth and the hosted mcp.desktopcommander.app service
Most install paths pull @latest, so versions change on client restart

What it needs

no GPU
Docker
Needs Node.js, Docker (optional)

Also in MCP servers for developers

See all 18

Also in MCP servers for developers
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1	gitnexusCode knowledge graph exposed to coding agents through MCP tools Live demo ↗ (opens in a new tab)47.9k starscustom license	89 out of 100
2	codegraphLocal code knowledge graph served to coding agents over MCP74.1k starsMIT	81 out of 100
3	chrome-devtools-mcpMCP server that lets coding agents drive and debug a live Chrome53.6k starsApache-2.0	70 out of 100
#4	codebase-memory-mcpLocal MCP server that indexes a codebase into a queryable code knowledge graph46.6k starsMIT	70 out of 100
#5	serenaMCP server giving coding agents symbol-level code search, editing and refactoring30.3k starscustom license	70 out of 100

How to choose

Check what it can change (push, delete, run) and how that is scoped.
Prefer servers that run locally over ones that send your code to a third party.
Look at how many tool calls a task takes; chatty servers burn context.

Health

Releases: Not checked
Top contributor: Not checked
Security advisories: Not checked
Package advisories: Not checked
OpenSSF Scorecard: Not checked

Not read for this project yet: each refresh reads the facts of a few projects. Bots and coding-agent accounts are left out of the commit counts. Not part of the score: how we check.

License in plain words

MIT Permissive

Use it at work: Yes
Change it and rebrand it: Yes
Sell it or host it for others: Yes

Your part: Keep the copyright and license notice in copies you ship.

A plain summary, not legal advice. Read the license on GitHub ↗ (opens in a new tab)

#10 of 18 in MCP servers for developers on Archestack, as of 15 Oct 2026.

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