Owlfiles MCP — AI Plugin

Owlfiles ships with a built-in MCP server (Model Context Protocol). Let an AI Agent browse, search, copy, move and manage files across every Owlfiles connection — local disk, SMB, FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, NFS, and clouds like Google Drive, OneDrive and Dropbox.

Runs locally Reuses your saved logins Works across connections

Just ask in plain language

The MCP server lets an AI Agent — such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Codex — access the files in Owlfiles. Once connected, simply ask:

  • “List the files in my Google Drive”
  • “Copy report.pdf from my NAS to Dropbox”
  • “Find every invoice from last month on my SMB server”

The Agent uses Owlfiles to fulfil the request across local disk, SMB, FTP, SFTP, WebDAV, NFS and your cloud drives. Because copy and move work across connections, you can ask it to transfer files directly between, say, your NAS and a cloud drive.

What the Agent can do

The Owlfiles MCP server exposes these tools to the AI Agent:

list_connections
List all of your configured Owlfiles connections.
list_dir
List the contents of a folder.
get_item_metadata
Get the size, type and modified date of a file or folder.
search_files
Search for files and folders by name keyword.
read_file
Read the contents of a file (large files are read in chunks).
write_file
Create or overwrite a file (large files upload in chunks).
create_folder
Create a new folder.
copy_item
Copy a file or folder, including between two connections.
move_item
Move or rename a file or folder, including across connections.
delete_item
Delete a file or folder.

Works with your favourite AI Agent

Open Settings → MCP (AI Plugin) in Owlfiles. For Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Codex you can install the plugin with a single click; any other MCP-compatible tool can be added manually.

The server type is stdio. Add this entry to the tool's MCP configuration and restart the Agent:

{ "mcpServers": { "owlfiles": { "command": "/Applications/Owlfiles.app/Contents/MacOS/Owlfiles", "args": ["--mcp"] } } }

Private & secure by design

The MCP server runs on your Mac and reuses Owlfiles' own connections and saved credentials.

Stays on your machine

The server runs locally and is launched by your AI Agent only when needed. It is not a network service and opens no port. No passwords or tokens are sent to the Agent — only the file data needed to fulfil a request.

Sandbox respected

Owlfiles runs in the macOS App Sandbox. For files on your local disk, the Agent can only reach folders you have already opened once in the Owlfiles app. Remote and cloud connections are fully available.

Get started

Open Owlfiles on your Mac and go to Settings → MCP (AI Plugin) to connect an AI Agent. The full step-by-step guide is in the user guide.

MCP user guide → Explore the CLI →