Everything Search MCP server

The Everything Search MCP Server provides fast file searching capabilities across Windows, macOS, and Linux operating systems. It leverages platform-specific search tools: the Everything SDK on Windows, the built-in mdfind command on macOS, and locate/plocate on Linux, making it a versatile solution for cross-platform file search.

Prerequisites

Windows

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

Linux

1. Install locate or plocate:
   • Ubuntu/Debian:

     sudo apt-get install plocate
     

     or

     sudo apt-get install mlocate
     

   • Fedora:

     sudo dnf install mlocate
     

2. 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

Via Smithery

To install automatically via Smithery:

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

Using uv (Recommended)

With uv you can directly run the server using uvx without specific installation.

Using pip

Install via pip:

pip install mcp-server-everything-search

Run it as a script:

python -m mcp_server_everything_search

Configuration

Windows

The server requires the Everything SDK DLL:

Set this environment variable:

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

Linux and macOS

No additional configuration required.

Integration with Claude Desktop

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

Windows (using uvx)

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

Windows (using pip installation)

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

Linux and macOS

"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"]
  }
}

Using the Search Tool

The server provides a powerful file search tool with the following parameters:

• query (required): Search query string
• 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)

Sort 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)

Example Search Queries

Find Python files (sorted by size, largest first):

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

Find Python files modified today:

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

Search Capabilities by Platform

• Windows: Full Everything SDK feature set
• macOS: Basic filename and content search using Spotlight database
• Linux: Basic filename search using locate database

Troubleshooting

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

Using the MCP Inspector

For debugging with the MCP inspector:

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

How to add this MCP server to 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 > MCP and click "Add new global MCP server".

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

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "cursor-rules-mcp": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": [
                "-y",
                "cursor-rules-mcp"
            ]
        }
    }
}

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 explictly ask the agent to use the tool by mentioning the tool name and describing what the function does.