Explore Better Download

Local stdio / Windows x64 / MCP 2025-11-25

Explore Better
MCP Server

Give AI clients the file manager's context and safety model, not unrestricted command execution.

The AI Bridge exposes live panes, indexed discovery, duplicates, disk analysis, comparisons, and recoverable operations as typed tools for Codex, ChatGPT, Claude, VS Code, and other local MCP clients.

See the proof Inspect the contract
3 / 3shared tasks correct
6 / 6MCP controls proven
17read-only profile tools
28complete contract tools

The direct answer

Yes, this is valuable as MCP.

A terminal can already list, hash, search, and modify files. MCP earns its place by adding application context and constrained authority: the model discovers only permitted tools, sees only authorized folders, receives bounded JSON instead of screen text, and can use Explore Better's Analyzer, indexes, transaction planner, journal, recovery, and undo.

The terminal still wins for arbitrary commands and system administration. Explore Better deliberately does not expose shell execution through MCP. The two interfaces solve different parts of the problem and work best together.

Real sidecar / same fixture / known answers

Proved against PowerShell.

The benchmark starts the actual Electron host and bundled Go stdio sidecar. Equivalent PowerShell scripts run against the same 379-file fixture. Both must match ground truth.

WorkflowMCPPowerShellMCP medianPowerShell median
Find matching reportsCorrectCorrect9.8 ms536.1 ms
Find content duplicatesCorrectCorrect130.4 ms580.5 ms
Measure disk usageCorrectCorrect72.3 ms445.4 ms

Timings are three-run medians. MCP timings include tool calls and job polling. PowerShell timings include fresh process startup and command execution, so these numbers are not a universal speed ranking; a persistent warm shell may start faster.

01
Typed discovery

17 permitted tools exposed with JSON schemas; destructive tools were absent from the read-only profile.

PASS
02
Bounded pagination

A 360-entry folder returned exactly 25 items and an opaque continuation cursor.

PASS
03
Live pane context

The AI read the open tabs, opened a new left-pane tab, and observed the revised context.

PASS
04
Authorized roots

An attempted read outside the profile folder was rejected with OUTSIDE_ROOTS.

PASS
05
Capability reduction

Delete, transfer, text-write, and apply tools were hidden from read-only discovery.

PASS
06
Allocation semantics

The Analyzer returned explicitly labeled exact allocated bytes; the generic shell baseline did not.

PASS
Open raw JSON Read methodology npm run verify:mcp-value

Versioned contract

Tools with a reason to exist.

Every tool is bounded, schema-validated, profile-filtered, and implemented by the same services used by the desktop application.

Context

Work with what is open

get_context, list_locations, and show_in_explore_better connect the model to panes, tabs, selection, and navigation.

Discovery

Find without flooding context

list_directory, search_files, inspect_paths, read_text, checksums, and index status return bounded typed results.

Analysis

Use the file manager's engines

Disk analysis, duplicate discovery, folder comparison, durable jobs, pagination, and cancellation reuse Explore Better's native provider and caches.

Operations

Preview before any write

Transfer, rename, delete, archive, create, and text-write planners issue short-lived one-use tokens for journalled apply, recovery, and undo.

Read all 28 tool schemas

Least authority by default

Local does not mean unrestricted.

The bridge is off until configured. Each client receives a separately revocable profile with exact folders, access mode, and individual tool permissions.

  1. 1
    Constrain

    Intersect profile roots, client roots, and Windows permissions after canonicalizing paths and resolving reparse points.

  2. 2
    Preview

    Bind one-use write tokens to the client, operation, paths, policy, plan digest, and filesystem signatures.

  3. 3
    Journal

    Apply through staging, backup, durable phases, cancellation, recovery, and recorded undo.

  4. 4
    Audit

    Record tool, paths, policy decision, duration, and job or operation IDs without logging file contents or secrets.

Three-minute local setup

Connect the client you already use.

The installed app creates and removes the stdio configuration without changing unrelated MCP servers.

  1. 01Install

    Install Explore Better and open Preferences.

  2. 02Enable

    Turn on AI Bridge and create a client profile.

  3. 03Scope

    Choose folders, read/write mode, and individual tools.

  4. 04Connect

    Install the Codex, ChatGPT, Claude, VS Code, or generic stdio entry.

Download Explore Better Open the setup manual

For crawlers and agents

Machine-readable on purpose.

llms.txtCurated discovery index llms-full.txtComplete AI reference mcp-value.jsonRaw reproducible evidence contracts-v1.jsonCanonical tool schemas