Code Backup MCP server for AI agents

The MCP Backup Server provides specialized backup and restoration capabilities for AI agents and code editing tools, creating instant, targeted backups with agent context. It's designed for quick safety checkpoints during risky edits or folder restructuring while preserving the thought process behind changes.

Installation Options

Installing via Smithery

For an automatic installation with Claude Desktop:

npx -y @smithery/cli install @hexitex/MCP-Backup-Server --client claude

Manual Installation

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build TypeScript files
npm run build

# Start the backup server
npm start

Configuration

Environment Variables

BACKUP_DIR: Directory for backups (default: ./.code_backups)
EMERGENCY_BACKUP_DIR: Directory for emergency backups (default: ./.code_emergency_backups)
MAX_VERSIONS: Maximum number of versions to keep (default: 10)

Editor Configuration

Windsurf MCP Config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "backup": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["./dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "BACKUP_DIR": "./.code_backups",
        "EMERGENCY_BACKUP_DIR": "./.code_emergency_backups",
        "MAX_VERSIONS": "20"
      }
    }
  }
}

Cursor Configuration

Create a .cursor/mcp.json file with similar configuration to the Windsurf example.

Available Tools

File Operations

backup_create: Create a backup with context
backup_list: List available backups
backup_restore: Restore with safety backup

Folder Operations

backup_folder_create: Backup with pattern filtering
backup_folder_list: List folder backups
backup_folder_restore: Restore folder structure

Management Tools

backup_list_all: List all backups
mcp_cancel: Cancel operations

When to Use Backups

Create backups only when truly needed:

Before Refactoring: When changing important code
Before Removing Folders: When reorganizing project structure
Multiple Related Changes: When updating several connected files
Resuming Major Work: When continuing significant changes
Before Restores: Create safety backup before restoring

Usage Examples

Simple Commands for Human Users

# Back up an important file
"Back up my core file before refactoring"

# Back up a folder before changes
"Create backup of the API folder before restructuring"

# Find previous backups
"Show me my recent backups"

# Restore a previous version
"Restore my core file from this morning"

Agent Examples

Quick Backups

// Before project changes
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_folder_create",
  "parameters": {
    "folder_path": "./src",
    "include_pattern": "*.{js,ts}",
    "exclude_pattern": "{node_modules,dist,test}/**",
    "agent_context": "Start auth changes"
  }
}

// Before core fix
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_create",
  "parameters": {
    "file_path": "./src/core.js",
    "agent_context": "Fix validation"
  }
}

Resume Session

// View recent work
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_list_all",
  "parameters": {
    "include_pattern": "src/**/*.js"
  }
}

// Get last version
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_restore",
  "parameters": {
    "file_path": "./src/core.js",
    "timestamp": "20250310-055950-000",
    "create_emergency_backup": true
  }
}

Core Changes

// Critical update
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_create",
  "parameters": {
    "file_path": "./src/core.js",
    "agent_context": "Add validation"
  }
}

// Module update
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_folder_create",
  "parameters": {
    "folder_path": "./src/api",
    "include_pattern": "*.js",
    "exclude_pattern": "test/**",
    "agent_context": "Refactor modules"
  }
}

Restore Points

// Check versions
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_list",
  "parameters": {
    "file_path": "./src/core.js"
  }
}

// File restore
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_restore",
  "parameters": {
    "file_path": "./src/core.js",
    "timestamp": "20250310-055950-000",
    "create_emergency_backup": true
  }
}

// Folder restore
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_folder_restore",
  "parameters": {
    "folder_path": "./src/api",
    "timestamp": "20250310-055950-000",
    "create_emergency_backup": true
  }
}

Management Operations

// List recent
{
  "name": "mcp0_backup_list_all",
  "parameters": {
    "include_pattern": "src/**/*.js"
  }
}

// Stop backup
{
  "name": "mcp0_mcp_cancel",
  "parameters": {
    "operationId": "backup_1234"
  }
}

How to install this MCP server

For Claude Code

To add this MCP server to Claude Code, run this command in your terminal:

claude mcp add-json "backup" '{"command":"node","args":["./dist/index.js"],"env":{"BACKUP_DIR":"./.code_backups","EMERGENCY_BACKUP_DIR":"./.code_emergency_backups","MAX_VERSIONS":"20"}}'

See the official Claude Code MCP documentation for more details.

For Cursor

There are two ways to add an MCP server to Cursor. The most common way is to add the server globally in the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file so that it is available in all of your projects.

If you only need the server in a single project, you can add it to the project instead by creating or adding it to the .cursor/mcp.json file.

Adding an MCP server to Cursor globally

To add a global MCP server go to Cursor Settings > Tools & Integrations and click "New MCP Server".

When you click that button the ~/.cursor/mcp.json file will be opened and you can add your server like this:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "backup": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "./dist/index.js"
            ],
            "env": {
                "BACKUP_DIR": "./.code_backups",
                "EMERGENCY_BACKUP_DIR": "./.code_emergency_backups",
                "MAX_VERSIONS": "20"
            }
        }
    }
}

Adding an MCP server to a project

To add an MCP server to a project you can create a new .cursor/mcp.json file or add it to the existing one. This will look exactly the same as the global MCP server example above.

How to use the MCP server

Once the server is installed, you might need to head back to Settings > MCP and click the refresh button.

The Cursor agent will then be able to see the available tools the added MCP server has available and will call them when it needs to.

You can also explicitly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.

For Claude Desktop

To add this MCP server to Claude Desktop:

1. Find your configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

2. Add this to your configuration file:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "backup": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": [
                "./dist/index.js"
            ],
            "env": {
                "BACKUP_DIR": "./.code_backups",
                "EMERGENCY_BACKUP_DIR": "./.code_emergency_backups",
                "MAX_VERSIONS": "20"
            }
        }
    }
}

3. Restart Claude Desktop for the changes to take effect