Everything Search

What is Everything Search about?

Everything Search provides a unified MCP server that enables rapid file and folder searches on Windows, macOS, and Linux. It abstracts the underlying platform‑specific search utilities—Everything SDK, Spotlight (mdfind), and locate/plocate—into a single, consistent API.

How to use Everything Search?

1. Install
   • Via Smithery (recommended for Claude Desktop):

     npx -y @smithery/cli install mcp-server-everything-search --client claude
     

   • Using uv (recommended Python tool):

     uvx mcp-server-everything-search
     

   • Via pip:

     pip install mcp-server-everything-search
     python -m mcp_server_everything_search
     

2. Configure (only required on Windows)
   • Set the environment variable EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH to the location of Everything64.dll.
3. Run the server with the chosen launcher (uvx, python –m, or the Smithery‑installed executable). The server then listens for MCP calls.

Key Features

• Cross‑platform support: Windows (full Everything SDK), macOS (Spotlight), Linux (locate/plocate).
• Rich query parameters: query, max_results, match_path, match_case, match_whole_word, match_regex, sort_by.
• Multiple sort options: filename, path, size, extension, creation/modification date (both ascending and descending).
• Simple JSON request/response containing path, size, and last‑modified date.
• No extra setup on macOS/Linux; only Windows needs the Everything SDK DLL.

Use Cases

• Desktop applications needing instant file lookup across the entire OS.
• Automation scripts that must locate files by name, extension, or date without writing platform‑specific code.
• Development tools (e.g., IDE extensions) that require fast project‑wide searches.
• System administrators searching for logs, configuration files, or binaries across heterogeneous environments.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to install Anything on macOS? A: No additional installation; the server uses the built‑in mdfind command.

Q: What database does Linux use? A: It relies on the system’s locate or plocate database; ensure it is installed and the database is up‑to‑date (sudo updatedb).

Q: How many results can I request? A: Default is 100, with a hard maximum of 1000 results.

Q: Can I perform regex searches? A: Yes, enable match_regex in the request payload (supported where the underlying tool allows it).

Q: Is the server compatible with Claude Desktop? A: Absolutely – add the provided configuration snippet to claude_desktop_config.json and the server will be discovered automatically.

Everything Search MCP Server

An MCP server that provides fast file searching capabilities across Windows, macOS, and Linux. On Windows, it uses the Everything SDK. On macOS, it uses the built-in mdfind command. On Linux, it uses the locate/plocate command.

Tools

search

Search for files and folders across your system. The search capabilities and syntax support vary by platform:

• Windows: Full Everything SDK features (see syntax guide below)
• macOS: Basic filename and content search using Spotlight database
• Linux: Basic filename search using locate database

Parameters:

• query (required): Search query string. See platform-specific notes below.
• max_results (optional): Maximum number of results to return (default: 100, max: 1000)
• match_path (optional): Match against full path instead of filename only (default: false)
• match_case (optional): Enable case-sensitive search (default: false)
• match_whole_word (optional): Match whole words only (default: false)
• match_regex (optional): Enable regex search (default: false)
• sort_by (optional): Sort order for results (default: 1). Available options:

  - 1: Sort by filename (A to Z)
  - 2: Sort by filename (Z to A)
  - 3: Sort by path (A to Z)
  - 4: Sort by path (Z to A)
  - 5: Sort by size (smallest first)
  - 6: Sort by size (largest first)
  - 7: Sort by extension (A to Z)
  - 8: Sort by extension (Z to A)
  - 11: Sort by creation date (oldest first)
  - 12: Sort by creation date (newest first)
  - 13: Sort by modification date (oldest first)
  - 14: Sort by modification date (newest first)

Examples:

{
  "query": "*.py",
  "max_results": 50,
  "sort_by": 6
}

{
  "query": "ext:py datemodified:today",
  "max_results": 10
}

Response includes:

• File/folder path
• File size in bytes
• Last modified date

Search Syntax Guide

For detailed information about the search syntax supported on each platform (Windows, macOS, and Linux), please see SEARCH_SYNTAX.md.

Prerequisites

Windows

1. Everything search utility:
   • Download and install from https://www.voidtools.com/
   • Make sure the Everything service is running
2. Everything SDK:
   • Download from https://www.voidtools.com/support/everything/sdk/
   • Extract the SDK files to a location on your system

Linux

1. Install and initialize the locate or plocate command:
   • Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt-get install plocate or sudo apt-get install mlocate
   • Fedora: sudo dnf install mlocate
2. After installation, update the database:
   • For plocate: sudo updatedb
   • For mlocate: sudo /etc/cron.daily/mlocate

macOS

No additional setup required. The server uses the built-in mdfind command.

Installation

Installing via Smithery

To install Everything Search for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install mcp-server-everything-search --client claude

Using uv (recommended)

When using uv no specific installation is needed. We will use uvx to directly run mcp-server-everything-search.

Using PIP

Alternatively you can install mcp-server-everything-search via pip:

pip install mcp-server-everything-search

After installation, you can run it as a script using:

python -m mcp_server_everything_search

Configuration

Windows

The server requires the Everything SDK DLL to be available:

Environment variable:

EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH=path\to\Everything-SDK\dll\Everything64.dll

Linux and macOS

No additional configuration required.

Usage with Claude Desktop

Add one of these configurations to your claude_desktop_config.json based on your platform:

"mcpServers": {
  "everything-search": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["mcp-server-everything-search"],
    "env": {
      "EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH": "path/to/Everything-SDK/dll/Everything64.dll"
    }
  }
}

"mcpServers": {
  "everything-search": {
    "command": "python",
    "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_everything_search"],
    "env": {
      "EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH": "path/to/Everything-SDK/dll/Everything64.dll"
    }
  }
}

"mcpServers": {
  "everything-search": {
    "command": "uvx",
    "args": ["mcp-server-everything-search"]
  }
}

Or if using pip installation:

"mcpServers": {
  "everything-search": {
    "command": "python",
    "args": ["-m", "mcp_server_everything_search"]
  }
}

Debugging

You can use the MCP inspector to debug the server. For uvx installations:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx mcp-server-everything-search

Or if you've installed the package in a specific directory or are developing on it:

git clone https://github.com/mamertofabian/mcp-everything-search.git
cd mcp-everything-search/src/mcp_server_everything_search
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uv run mcp-server-everything-search

To view server logs:

Linux/macOS:

tail -f ~/.config/Claude/logs/mcp*.log

Windows (PowerShell):

Get-Content -Path "$env:APPDATA\Claude\logs\mcp*.log" -Tail 20 -Wait

Development

If you are doing local development, there are two ways to test your changes:

1. Run the MCP inspector to test your changes. See Debugging for run instructions.

2. Test using the Claude desktop app. Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json:

"everything-search": {
  "command": "uv",
  "args": [
    "--directory",
    "/path/to/mcp-everything-search/src/mcp_server_everything_search",
    "run",
    "mcp-server-everything-search"
  ],
  "env": {
    "EVERYTHING_SDK_PATH": "path/to/Everything-SDK/dll/Everything64.dll"
  }
}

License

This MCP server is licensed under the MIT License. This means you are free to use, modify, and distribute the software, subject to the terms and conditions of the MIT License. For more details, please see the LICENSE file in the project repository.

Disclaimer

This project is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by voidtools (the creators of Everything search utility). This is an independent project that utilizes the publicly available Everything SDK.