everything-mcp 1.0.5

The definitive MCP server for voidtools Everything - lightning-fast file search for AI agents

⚡ Everything MCP

The definitive MCP server for voidtools Everything - lightning-fast file search for AI agents.

Search millions of files in milliseconds. Built for Claude Code, Codex, Gemini, Kimi, Qwen, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP-compatible client.

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Why This One?

Feature	everything-mcp (this)	mamertofabian (271⭐)	essovius (0⭐)
Tools	5 well-designed	1 generic	16 granular
Auto-detection	✅ Finds Everything + es.exe automatically	❌ Manual DLL path	❌ Manual setup
Everything 1.5	✅ Auto-detects instance	❌ No support	⚠️ Manual flag
Content preview	✅ Read first N lines	❌	❌
File type categories	✅ 10 categories	❌	✅
Stats & counts	✅ Size stats, extension breakdown	❌	Partial
Error handling	✅ All tools return clean errors	❌ Raw exceptions	❌
Test suite	✅ pytest	❌	❌
Zero config	✅ Works out of the box	❌ Need SDK DLL path	❌ Need es.exe in PATH

Performance

Real benchmark from this machine (Windows, query: everything.exe):

• everything-mcp (Everything index via es.exe): 220.22 ms avg (5 runs)
• Naive filesystem walk over C:\: 66,539.03 ms (single run)
• Observed speedup: ~302x faster

Reproduce locally (PowerShell):

@'
import os
import subprocess
import time
import statistics

ES = os.path.expandvars(r"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Everything\es.exe")
QUERY = "everything.exe"

es_runs = []
for _ in range(5):
    t0 = time.perf_counter()
    subprocess.run([ES, "-n", "100", QUERY], capture_output=True, text=True)
    es_runs.append((time.perf_counter() - t0) * 1000)

t0 = time.perf_counter()
matches = []
for dirpath, _, filenames in os.walk(r"C:\\"):
    for name in filenames:
        if name.lower() == QUERY:
            matches.append(os.path.join(dirpath, name))
walk_ms = (time.perf_counter() - t0) * 1000

es_avg = statistics.mean(es_runs)
print("ES avg ms:", round(es_avg, 2))
print("Walk ms:", round(walk_ms, 2))
print("Speedup x:", round(walk_ms / es_avg, 1))
print("Matches:", len(matches))
'@ | python -

Installation

Prerequisites

1. Windows with Everything installed and running
2. es.exe (Everything command-line interface):
   • Everything 1.5 alpha: es.exe is included
   • Everything 1.4: Download from github.com/voidtools/es
   • Place es.exe in your PATH or in the Everything installation directory
3. Python 3.10+ or uv

Via Claude Code plugin marketplace (one-liner)

Inside Claude Code, run:

/plugin marketplace add elis132/everything-mcp
/plugin install everything-mcp@everything-mcp

The plugin bundles the MCP server config - no JSON editing needed (requires uv). It also ships an everything-search skill that teaches Claude the Everything query syntax and when to reach for these tools instead of slow directory walks.

Via uv (recommended - no install needed)

uvx everything-mcp

Via pip

pip install everything-mcp

From source

git clone https://github.com/elis132/everything-mcp.git
cd everything-mcp
pip install -e ".[dev]"

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Configuration

Shared MCP JSON Template

Use this server definition anywhere a client asks for MCP JSON:

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

Claude Code

Easiest - install as a plugin (bundles the MCP server plus an everything-search skill that teaches Claude the query syntax):

/plugin marketplace add elis132/everything-mcp
/plugin install everything-mcp@everything-mcp

Or use the Claude Code CLI:

claude mcp add everything -- uvx everything-mcp
claude mcp list

Or add to .claude/settings.json:

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

Claude Desktop

Add to %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json:

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

Codex CLI

Use the Codex CLI:

codex mcp add everything -- uvx everything-mcp
codex mcp list

Gemini CLI

Use the Gemini CLI:

gemini mcp add -s user everything uvx everything-mcp
gemini mcp list

Kimi CLI

Use the Kimi CLI:

kimi mcp add --transport stdio everything -- uvx everything-mcp
kimi mcp list

Qwen CLI

Use the Qwen CLI:

qwen mcp add -s user everything uvx everything-mcp
qwen mcp list

Cursor

Cursor currently uses MCP settings/deeplinks rather than a stable mcp add CLI command. Add the JSON config in Cursor's MCP settings UI.

Windsurf

Windsurf currently uses MCP settings rather than a stable mcp add CLI command. On Windows, add the JSON config to:

%USERPROFILE%\.codeium\windsurf\mcp_config.json

Generic MCP Clients

Any MCP-compatible client can use this format:

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

Using pip Instead of uvx

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "everything": {
      "command": "everything-mcp"
    }
  }
}

Or with explicit Python:

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

---

Environment Variables (Optional)

Everything MCP auto-detects your setup, but you can override:

Variable	Description	Example
EVERYTHING_ES_PATH	Path to es.exe	C:\Program Files\Everything\es.exe
EVERYTHING_INSTANCE	Everything instance name	1.5a

Note: Only set EVERYTHING_INSTANCE if you explicitly configured a named instance in Everything (Tools → Options → General → Instance). Most installs - including most Everything 1.5 installs - run on the default instance and must leave this unset; setting it unnecessarily breaks the connection. If in doubt, leave it out - the server auto-detects the right instance.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "everything": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["everything-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "EVERYTHING_INSTANCE": "1.5a"
      }
    }
  }
}

---

Tools

1. everything_search - The Workhorse

Search files and folders using Everything's full query syntax.

Parameter	Default	Description
query	(required)	Everything search query
max_results	50	1–500
sort	date-modified-desc	See sort options below
match_case	false	Case-sensitive
match_whole_word	false	Whole words only
match_regex	false	Regex mode
match_path	false	Match full path
offset	0	Pagination offset

Everything Search Syntax:

*.py                          → All Python files
ext:py;js;ts                  → Multiple extensions
ext:py path:C:\Projects       → Python files in Projects
size:>10mb                    → Larger than 10 MB
size:1kb..1mb                 → Between 1 KB and 1 MB
dm:today                      → Modified today
dm:last1week                  → Modified in the last week
dc:2024                       → Created in 2024
"exact name.txt"              → Exact filename match
project1 | project2           → OR search
!node_modules                 → Exclude term
ext:py !test !__pycache__     → Python, excluding tests
content:TODO                  → Files containing TODO (requires content indexing)
regex:^test_.*\.py$           → Regex search
parent:src ext:py             → Python files in 'src' folders
dupe:                         → Duplicate filenames
empty:                        → Empty folders

2. everything_search_by_type - Category Search

Search by pre-defined file type categories.

Categories: audio, video, image, document, code, archive, executable, font, 3d, data

Parameter	Default	Description
file_type	(required)	Category name
query	""	Additional filter
path	""	Directory restriction
max_results	50	1–500
sort	date-modified-desc	Sort order

3. everything_find_recent - What Changed?

Find recently modified files. Sorted newest-first.

Periods: 1min, 5min, 10min, 15min, 30min, 1hour, 2hours, 6hours, 12hours, today, yesterday, 1day, 3days, 1week, 2weeks, 1month, 3months, 6months, 1year

Parameter	Default	Description
period	1hour	Time period
path	""	Directory restriction
extensions	""	Extension filter (e.g. py,js,ts)
query	""	Additional filter
max_results	50	1–500

4. everything_file_details - Deep Inspection

Get metadata and optional content preview for specific files.

Parameter	Default	Description
paths	(required)	File paths to inspect (1–20)
preview_lines	0	Lines of text to preview (0–200)

Returns: Full metadata (size, dates, permissions, hidden status). Directories: item count and listing. Text files with preview: first N lines of content.

5. everything_count_stats - Quick Analytics

Get count and size statistics without listing individual files.

Parameter	Default	Description
query	(required)	Search query
include_size	true	Calculate total size
breakdown_by_extension	false	Sampled per-extension stats (files only)

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Examples

"Find all Python files modified today in my project"

→ everything_find_recent(period="today", extensions="py", path="C:\Projects\myapp")

"How much disk space do my log files use?"

→ everything_count_stats(query="ext:log", include_size=true, breakdown_by_extension=true)

"Show me the first 50 lines of that config file"

→ everything_file_details(paths=["C:\Projects\app\config.yaml"], preview_lines=50)

"Find all duplicate filenames in Documents"

→ everything_search(query='dupe: path:"C:\Users\me\Documents"')

"Find all images larger than 5MB"

→ everything_search(query="ext:jpg;png;gif size:>5mb")

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Troubleshooting

"es.exe not found"

1. Ensure Everything is installed: https://www.voidtools.com/
2. Download es.exe: https://github.com/voidtools/es/releases
3. Place es.exe in your PATH or set EVERYTHING_ES_PATH

"Everything IPC window not found"

1. Ensure Everything is running (check system tray)
2. If you set EVERYTHING_INSTANCE, try removing it - it is only needed when Everything runs under a named instance (Tools → Options → General), which most installs do not
3. Ensure you're not running Everything Lite (no IPC support)

"No results for valid queries"

1. Verify Everything's index is built (needs time on first run)
2. Try the same query in Everything's GUI
3. Check that the drive/path is included in Everything's index settings

Debugging

# View server logs
everything-mcp 2>everything-mcp.log

# MCP Inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector uvx everything-mcp

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Architecture

┌──────────────┐     MCP (stdio)     ┌──────────────────┐
│  AI Agent    │◄────────────────────►│  Everything MCP  │
│ (Claude,     │                      │  Server          │
│  Codex, etc) │                      │                  │
└──────────────┘                      │  5 Tools:        │
                                      │  • search        │
                                      │  • search_by_type│
                                      │  • find_recent   │
                                      │  • file_details  │
                                      │  • count_stats   │
                                      └────────┬─────────┘
                                               │ async subprocess
                                               ▼
                                      ┌──────────────────┐
                                      │     es.exe       │
                                      │  (CLI interface)  │
                                      └────────┬─────────┘
                                               │ IPC / Named Pipes
                                               ▼
                                      ┌──────────────────┐
                                      │   Everything     │
                                      │   Service        │
                                      │  (voidtools)     │
                                      │                  │
                                      │  Real-time NTFS  │
                                      │  file index      │
                                      └──────────────────┘

---

Development

# Install with dev dependencies
pip install -e ".[dev]"

# Run tests
pytest

# Lint
ruff check src/ tests/

Contributing

Contributions welcome! Areas for improvement:

• Direct named pipe IPC (bypass es.exe for lower latency)
• Everything SDK3 integration for Everything 1.5
• Content search integration
• File watching / change notifications
• Bookmark and tag support (Everything 1.5)

License

MIT - see LICENSE

Acknowledgments

• voidtools for the incredible Everything search engine
• Anthropic for the Model Context Protocol specification
• The MCP community for driving adoption across AI tools