Unable to start the MCP File System in Windows

[JordiDevMX]

Filesystem Failed Error

I've tried 2 ways and none of them worked out. I'd appreciate any help:

I belive I have installed all I need:

And no, writing together my username doesn't fix the issue:

mcp.log:

2025-04-17T04:45:39.311Z [info] [filesystem] Initializing server...
2025-04-17T04:45:39.332Z [info] [filesystem] Server started and connected successfully
2025-04-17T04:45:39.334Z [info] [filesystem] Message from client: {"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"claude-ai","version":"0.1.0"}},"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":0}
2025-04-17T04:45:42.401Z [info] [filesystem] Server transport closed
2025-04-17T04:45:42.401Z [info] [filesystem] Client transport closed
2025-04-17T04:45:42.401Z [info] [filesystem] Server transport closed unexpectedly, this is likely due to the process exiting early. If you are developing this MCP server you can add output to stderr (i.e. console.error('...') in JavaScript, print('...', file=sys.stderr) in python) and it will appear in this log.
2025-04-17T04:45:42.401Z [error] [filesystem] Server disconnected. For troubleshooting guidance, please visit our debugging documentation
2025-04-17T04:45:42.402Z [info] [filesystem] Client transport closed
2025-04-17T04:48:30.039Z [info] [filesystem] Initializing server...
2025-04-17T04:48:30.053Z [info] [filesystem] Server started and connected successfully
2025-04-17T04:48:30.154Z [info] [filesystem] Message from client: {"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"claude-ai","version":"0.1.0"}},"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":0}
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [info] [filesystem] Server transport closed
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [info] [filesystem] Client transport closed
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [info] [filesystem] Server transport closed unexpectedly, this is likely due to the process exiting early. If you are developing this MCP server you can add output to stderr (i.e. console.error('...') in JavaScript, print('...', file=sys.stderr) in python) and it will appear in this log.
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [error] [filesystem] Server disconnected. For troubleshooting guidance, please visit our debugging documentation
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [info] [filesystem] Client transport closed

mcp-server-filesystem.log

2025-04-17T04:45:39.310Z [filesystem] [info] Initializing server...
2025-04-17T04:45:39.331Z [filesystem] [info] Server started and connected successfully
2025-04-17T04:45:39.334Z [filesystem] [info] Message from client: {"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"claude-ai","version":"0.1.0"}},"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":0}
Error accessing directory C:\Users\MysticKarax\Desktop: Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat 'C:\Users\MysticKarax\Desktop'
at async Object.stat (node:internal/fs/promises:1032:18)
at async file:///C:/Users/Mystic%20Karax/AppData/Local/npm-cache/_npx/a3241bba59c344f5/node_modules/@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem/dist/index.js:33:23
at async Promise.all (index 0)
at async file:///C:/Users/Mystic%20Karax/AppData/Local/npm-cache/_npx/a3241bba59c344f5/node_modules/@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem/dist/index.js:31:1 {
errno: -4058,
code: 'ENOENT',
syscall: 'stat',
path: 'C:\Users\MysticKarax\Desktop'
}
2025-04-17T04:45:42.401Z [filesystem] [info] Server transport closed
2025-04-17T04:45:42.401Z [filesystem] [info] Client transport closed
2025-04-17T04:45:42.401Z [filesystem] [info] Server transport closed unexpectedly, this is likely due to the process exiting early. If you are developing this MCP server you can add output to stderr (i.e. console.error('...') in JavaScript, print('...', file=sys.stderr) in python) and it will appear in this log.
2025-04-17T04:45:42.401Z [filesystem] [error] Server disconnected. For troubleshooting guidance, please visit our debugging documentation {"context":"connection"}
2025-04-17T04:45:42.402Z [filesystem] [info] Client transport closed
2025-04-17T04:48:30.039Z [filesystem] [info] Initializing server...
2025-04-17T04:48:30.053Z [filesystem] [info] Server started and connected successfully
2025-04-17T04:48:30.154Z [filesystem] [info] Message from client: {"method":"initialize","params":{"protocolVersion":"2024-11-05","capabilities":{},"clientInfo":{"name":"claude-ai","version":"0.1.0"}},"jsonrpc":"2.0","id":0}
Error accessing directory C:\Users\MysticKarax\Desktop: Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat 'C:\Users\MysticKarax\Desktop'
at async Object.stat (node:internal/fs/promises:1032:18)
at async file:///C:/Users/Mystic%20Karax/AppData/Local/npm-cache/_npx/a3241bba59c344f5/node_modules/@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem/dist/index.js:33:23
at async Promise.all (index 0)
at async file:///C:/Users/Mystic%20Karax/AppData/Local/npm-cache/_npx/a3241bba59c344f5/node_modules/@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem/dist/index.js:31:1 {
errno: -4058,
code: 'ENOENT',
syscall: 'stat',
path: 'C:\Users\MysticKarax\Desktop'
}
2025-04-17T04:48:30.989Z [filesystem] [info] Server transport closed
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [filesystem] [info] Client transport closed
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [filesystem] [info] Server transport closed unexpectedly, this is likely due to the process exiting early. If you are developing this MCP server you can add output to stderr (i.e. console.error('...') in JavaScript, print('...', file=sys.stderr) in python) and it will appear in this log.
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [filesystem] [error] Server disconnected. For troubleshooting guidance, please visit our debugging documentation {"context":"connection"}
2025-04-17T04:48:30.990Z [filesystem] [info] Client transport closed

[leependu]

You're on the right track with the second screenshot, but \\Mystic Karax\\ won't work due to the space, and \\MysticKarax\\ won't work either because it's not a legal path--yet.

You can create a junction in Powershell to point the path C:\\Users\\MysticKarax to your actual home folder. It's like a shortcut, but you'll want to be sure that you create it in Powershell because junction =/= shortcut. This workaround worked for me, see 447

In your case, you'd open an admin Powershell window and run New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path "C:\Users\MysticKarax" -Target "C:\Users\Mystic Karax"

Keep your second simpler filesystem config, with tweaked arg "C:\\Users\\MysticKarax\\dev"

[JordiDevMX]

It's still failing. I've tried what you said with the path, it failed, then I tried it out on lowercase in case there's a conflict with uppercase, but it failed again anyway 😓 but I appreciate you're helping me btw.

[jpratt9]

Hi @JordiDevMX @leependu did you figure this out?

[leependu]

Hi @JordiDevMX @leependu did you figure this out?

In my case, I did have success using a PowerShell junction as a workaround. i.e.

New-Item -ItemType Junction -Path "C:\Users\UserName" -Target "C:\Users\User Name"

[jpratt9]

I don't think my error is the same, because my Windows username has no spaces:

 npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem "C:\Users\bpratt\Desktop"
Error accessing directory C:\Users\bpratt\Desktop: Error: ENOENT: no such file or directory, stat 'C:\Users\bpratt\Desktop'
    at async Object.stat (node:internal/fs/promises:1040:18)
    at async file:///C:/Users/billp/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem/dist/index.js:43:23
    at async Promise.all (index 0)
    at async file:///C:/Users/billp/AppData/Roaming/npm/node_modules/@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem/dist/index.js:41:1 {
  errno: -4058,
  code: 'ENOENT',
  syscall: 'stat',
  path: 'C:\\Users\\bpratt\\Desktop'
}

whereas cd C:\Users\bpratt\Desktop works fine from Powershell

edit: I also tried uninstalling OneDrive to see if that's the culprit per this thread. No luck.

[leependu]

I don't think my error is the same, because my Windows username has no spaces:

 npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem "C:\Users\bpratt\Desktop"

Do be sure to use double backslashes, I guess JSON handles that character differently!

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem C:\\Users\\bpratt\\Desktop

[jpratt9]

I don't think my error is the same, because my Windows username has no spaces:

 npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem "C:\Users\bpratt\Desktop"

Do be sure to use double backslashes, I guess JSON handles that character differently!

npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem C:\\Users\\bpratt\\Desktop

Yeah I tried all combinations - double & single backslashes, from powershell directly & from the config file.

I even tried using WSL's node install - with npx and a directly install of the package via npm i -g, & that in powershell too + messed around with the config inputs for WSL, explicitly using bash, calling it in -c vs -ic mode. No luck at all.

HOWEVER - I changed the target path to just C:\Users\bpratt, and it works fine from powershell but NOT from Claude Desktop. Very odd behavior...

[sstklen]

Hey! I ran into a similar pattern in our bug knowledge base and thought this might help.

What's happening: Windows OneDrive Known Folder Move redirects Desktop to OneDrive\Desktop. The physical path C:\Users<user>\Desktop no longer exists — it's now C:\Users<user>\OneDrive\Desktop (or similar). This affects users with AND without spaces in their username.

What worked for us:

Find your real Desktop path: open PowerShell and run [Environment]::GetFolderPath('Desktop'). Use that full path in your MCP config instead of assuming C:\Users<user>\Desktop. Typically it will be C:\Users<user>\OneDrive\Desktop or C:\Users<user>\OneDrive\デスクトップ etc.

Hope this helps! Let me know if it doesn't match your case — happy to dig deeper. 🦞

Disclosure: This analysis is from Confucius Debug, an AI-powered community KB for agent bugs. Please verify before applying.

---

_{🦞 Confucius Debug — community knowledge base for AI agent bugs. Free to search via MCP.}

[yyzquwu]

Tested a focused Windows filesystem/Desktop path probe for this issue shape.

Environment:

• Windows 11
• Python 3.13.13
• Node available for fs.statSync path checks

What the new packet checks:

Path.home() / "Desktop"
[Environment]::GetFolderPath("Desktop")
Node fs.statSync(...) for each resolved Desktop candidate
MCP-style stdio LF framing
Windows path shapes with spaces and Unicode
Long nested path behavior
PowerShell/cmd launch context

Result on this machine:

windows_desktop_known_folder_probe
# pass
# Path.home() / "Desktop" == [Environment]::GetFolderPath("Desktop")
# Node fs.statSync("%USERPROFILE%\\Desktop") returned ok=true, isDirectory=true

long_path_probe
# warn
# 416-character nested temp path failed with FileNotFoundError

stdio_newline_framing
# warn
# Python text-mode stdout emitted CRLF; binary stdout emitted LF

shell_launch_context
# warn
# PowerShell preserved cwd/env/Unicode; cmd failed in the Unicode temp cwd with "The network path was not found."

I did not reproduce the original ENOENT for Desktop on this machine. The useful part for this thread is that the packet now makes the likely fork explicit: if C:\Users\<user>\Desktop does not exist but [Environment]::GetFolderPath("Desktop") points somewhere like OneDrive Desktop, the filesystem server config should use the resolved known-folder path. If both paths exist and Node can fs.statSync the same configured path, then the remaining failure is more likely client config/version specific.

Commands:

python .\scripts\run_agent_windows_lab.py --out .\artifacts\issue-packet-1469 --case filesystem --case mcp --case paths --case shell --issue-target modelcontextprotocol-servers --redact
python .\scripts\verify_redacted_report.py .\artifacts\issue-packet-1469\agent-windows-lab-report.json
python .\scripts\verify_shareable_artifact.py .\artifacts\issue-packet-1469

Public harness commit: yyzquwu/agent-windows-lab@8fe9c3e
Windows proof run: https://github.com/yyzquwu/agent-windows-lab/actions/runs/26849365013