mhattingpete/code-copy-mcp

Code Copy MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables code copy-paste operations between files with security controls and validation.

Table of Contents

• Features
• Tools
• Installation & Configuration
  • Prerequisites
  • Quick Setup
• MCP Client Integration
  • 1. Claude Desktop
  • 2. Cursor (AI Code Editor)
  • 3. Claude Code
• Configuration
  • Environment Variables
  • Security Configuration
  • Troubleshooting
• Usage Examples
  • Example 1: Copy function from one file to another
  • Example 2: Replace code with backup
  • Example 3: Copy entire file
• Security Features
• Project Structure
• Dependencies
• Logging

Features

• Line-by-line code copying: Extract specific line ranges from source files
• Precise pasting: Insert code at exact line positions in target files
• Entire file operations: Copy complete file contents
• Search and replace: Find and replace text patterns with backup support
• File information: Get metadata and statistics about files
• Security controls: Restrict operations to allowed directories
• Backup creation: Automatic backups before file modifications

Tools

copy_code

Copy code lines from a source file with optional line numbers.

copy_code(
    source_file: str,
    start_line: int,
    end_line: Optional[int] = None,
    include_line_numbers: bool = False
) -> str

paste_code

Paste code at a specific line number in a target file.

paste_code(
    target_file: str,
    line_number: int,
    code: str,
    create_backup: bool = True
) -> str

copy_entire_file

Copy the complete content of a source file.

copy_entire_file(
    source_file: str,
    include_line_numbers: bool = False
) -> str

search_and_replace

Search and replace text patterns in files.

search_and_replace(
    target_file: str,
    search_pattern: str,
    replacement: str,
    case_sensitive: bool = True,
    replace_all: bool = True,
    create_backup: bool = True
) -> str

get_file_info

Get detailed information about a file.

get_file_info(file_path: str) -> str

Installation

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 or higher
• UV package manager

Setup

1. Clone or create the project:

cd /Users/map/Documents/Repos/code-copy-mcp

2. Install dependencies:

uv install

3. Configure allowed directories (optional):

cp .env.example .env
# Edit .env to set your ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES

Usage

Running the Server

uv run python mcp_server.py

Development Mode

# Activate virtual environment first
source .venv/bin/activate  # On Windows: .venv\Scripts\activate

# Run server
python mcp_server.py

Configuration

Create a .env file in the project root:

# Comma-separated list of allowed directories
ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES=/Users/yourname,/Users/yourname/Documents,/Users/yourname/Projects

If not specified, defaults to:

• User's home directory
• Documents folder
• Desktop folder
• Projects folder (if exists)

Security Features

• Path validation prevents directory traversal attacks
• File permission checks ensure read/write access
• Automatic backup creation before modifications
• Restricted operation to configured directories only

Example Workflow

1. Copy code lines from a source file:

   copy_code("/path/to/source.py", start_line=10, end_line=20)
   

2. Paste the code into target file:

   paste_code("/path/to/target.py", line_number=5, code=" copied_code_content ")
   

3. Get file information:

   get_file_info("/path/to/target.py")
   

Installation & Configuration

Prerequisites

• Python 3.11 or higher
• UV package manager (recommended) or pip
• One of the supported MCP clients

Quick Setup

1. Clone the repository:

   git clone https://github.com/mhattingpete/code-copy-mcp.git
   cd code-copy-mcp
   

2. Install dependencies:

   uv sync
   # Or without UV: pip install -e .
   

3. Configure allowed directories (optional):

   cp .env.example .env
   # Edit .env to set your ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES
   

MCP Client Integration

1. Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "code-copy": {
      "command": "/full/path/to/uv",
      "args": ["--directory", "/full/path/to/code-copy-mcp", "run", "python", "mcp_server.py"],
      "env": {
        "ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES": "/Users/yourname,/Users/yourname/Documents,/Users/yourname/Projects"
      }
    }
  }
}

2. Cursor (AI Code Editor)

1. Open Cursor settings (Cmd/Ctrl + ,)
2. Navigate to Extensions → MCP Servers
3. Add new server:

   Name: Code Copy MCP
   Command: full/path/to/uv
   Arguments: --directory /full/path/to/code-copy-mcp run python mcp_server.py
   Environment Variables:
     ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES=/Users/yourname,/Users/yourname/Documents,/Users/yourname/Projects
   

3. Claude Code

1. Install the Claude Code
2. Add server configuration:

   claude mcp add-json code-copy '{"type":"stdio","command":"full/path/to/uv","args":["--directory", "/full/path/to/code-copy-mcp", "run", "python", "mcp_server.py"],"env": {"ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES": "/Users/yourname,/Users/yourname/Documents,/Users/yourname/Projects"}}'
   

Configuration

Environment Variables

Create a .env file in the project root:

# Comma-separated list of directories where file operations are allowed
# Examples for different operating systems:

# macOS/Linux:
ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES=/Users/yourname,/Users/yourname/Documents,/Users/yourname/Projects

# Windows:
ALLOWED_DIRECTORIES=C:\Users\YourName,C:\Users\YourName\Documents,C:\Users\YourName\Projects

# If not specified, defaults to:
# - User's home directory
# - Documents folder  
# - Desktop folder
# - Projects folder (if exists)

Security Configuration

The server only allows operations within the specified directories for security reasons. Make sure to include all directories where you want to perform code copy-paste operations.

Troubleshooting

Common Issues:

1. "Module not found" errors:

   # Ensure dependencies are installed
   uv install
   # Or with pip:
   pip install -e .
   

2. Permission denied errors:

   • Check that the allowed directories are correctly configured
   • Ensure the directories exist and are accessible

3. MCP Server not appearing:

   • Verify the command path is correct
   • Check the client's logs for error messages
   • Restart the MCP client after configuration changes

Usage Examples

Once configured, you can use the tools within your MCP client:

Example 1: Copy function from one file to another

User: Copy the function calculate_total from utils.py and paste it into main.py at line 50

The assistant will:

1. Use get_file_info to examine the files
2. Use copy_code with appropriate line numbers
3. Use paste_code at the specified location

Example 2: Replace code with backup

User: Replace all occurrences of "old_method" with "new_method" in all Python files and create backups

The assistant will:

1. Use search_and_replace on each file
2. Verify changes with get_file_info
3. Report the modifications made

Example 3: Copy entire file

User: Make a copy of template.py as new_template.py

The assistant will:

1. Use copy_entire_file to get the content
2. Use paste_code to create the new file

Project Structure

code-copy-mcp/
├── mcp_server.py          # Main MCP server
├── tools/
│   ├── __init__.py        # Package init
│   ├── validation.py      # Security validation
│   └── copy_tools.py      # Copy-paste tools
├── .env.example           # Configuration template
├── pyproject.toml         # UV project configuration
└── README.md              # This file

Dependencies

• fastmcp: MCP server framework
• pydantic: Data validation
• loguru: Structured logging
• python-dotenv: Environment file support

Logging

Logs are written to ~/.code-copy-mcp/mcp_server.log with:

• Rotation at 1MB
• 7-day retention
• DEBUG level logging for troubleshooting