Peekaboo MCP

Peekaboo MCP is an MCP server that provides strictly read-only access to a local project filesystem. Built for software engineers and developers using AI coding assistants such as Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and Cursor, the server solves the problem of AI agents over-editing files across an entire codebase. By connecting to the project root in read-only mode, Peekaboo MCP allows developers to isolate their active editing scope to a specific subfolder or dedicated workspace while still exposing the entire repository to the model for context. The server automatically detects the project root where it is installed and blocks path traversal to keep directory operations securely scoped. It exposes resources for reading file contents with MIME type detection and provides tools to search file names using glob patterns and locate text matches within files. peekaboo-mcp ensures AI tools cannot execute write, edit, or delete actions, safeguarding uncommitted files and preventing unintended refactors across large applications.

Category: Files, Documents & PDFs

Tags: file-access, filesystem, local-storage, read-only

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How to install and configure Peekaboo MCP

1. Install peekaboo-mcp in your project root by running: bash cd /path/to/your/project npm install peekaboo-mcp 2. For Claude Desktop, add the server to claude_desktop_config.json: json { "mcpServers": { "peekaboo": { "command": "npx", "args": ["peekaboo-mcp"], "cwd": "/path/to/your/project" } } } 3. For Claude Code CLI, add the server from your project path: bash claude mcp add peekaboo npx peekaboo-mcp 4. For Cursor, add the configuration to .cursor/mcp.json using "args": ["-y", "peekaboo-mcp"] with cwd set to your project root. 5. Open only the specific subfolder in your editor that you want the AI assistant to modify.

What you can do with Peekaboo MCP

• Constraining AI code modifications to a single subfolder while supplying full repository context across the entire application codebase. - Searching project directories using wildcard glob patterns with the search_path tool to find specific modules. - Scanning source code for specific text strings and matching line numbers using the search_content tool. - Providing read-only reference documentation and schema definitions to Claude Desktop without risking accidental file overwrites.

Key facts

• https://github.com/davstr1/peekabooMCP
• Files, Documents & PDFs
• file-access, filesystem, local-storage, read-only

Part of MCP Servers

What can peekaboo-mcp do?

Peekaboo MCP supplies read-only filesystem access to AI clients. It lists project directory contents recursively, reads file contents with automatic MIME type detection, searches file paths using glob patterns, and searches within file contents for matching lines. It restricts all actions to read-only operations.

Can peekaboo-mcp edit or delete files?

No. Peekaboo MCP has strict read-only access. It completely lacks write, edit, and delete operations. This architecture protects codebases by ensuring AI models can view necessary context without having permission to alter any files outside the editor workspace you deliberately opened.

Which MCP clients work with peekaboo-mcp?

Peekaboo MCP is compatible with Model Context Protocol clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code CLI, and Cursor. You can configure it via local JSON configuration files or the command line by launching npx peekaboo-mcp targeted at your project root directory.

Can peekaboo-mcp access files outside my project root?

No. Peekaboo MCP automatically identifies the project root where it is installed and enforces strict boundary checks. Path traversal attempts above the detected root directory are blocked, preventing the AI agent or LLM from reading directories or accessing sensitive files located elsewhere on your computer.

How do I configure search and recursion depth limits?

You can adjust server behavior using environment variables before launch. Set PEEKABOO_RECURSIVE to false to disable recursive directory listings, or set PEEKABOO_MAX_DEPTH to an integer to limit directory traversal depth from the default value of ten.