A typed, policy-controlled OS capability layer for AI agents.
A typed, policy-controlled OS capability layer for AI agents via the Model Context Protocol (MCP).
osmcp exposes a curated set of safe filesystem, git, and text-processing tools to AI agents — all governed by a strict Policy Engine that enforces path boundaries, tool allowlists, output limits, mutation controls, and an immutable audit trail.
📖 Read the comprehensive Architecture & Design Document for a deep dive into the philosophy, safety boundaries, and design decisions behind osmcp.
| Category | Tools | Phase |
|---|---|---|
| 🔍 Search | grep, find | 1 |
| 📁 File Inspection | ls, cat, stat, wc, head, tail | 1 |
| 🌳 Filesystem | tree, du | 1 |
| 🔀 Git Intelligence | git_status, git_diff, git_log | 1 |
| 🔧 Transform | jq, sed, diff | 1 |
| ✍️ File Mutation | write_file, append_file, mkdir, rm, mv, cp, patch | 2 |
| 🚀 Git Mutation | git_add, git_commit, git_checkout, git_branch, git_pull, git_push | 2 |
AI Agent (Claude, GPT, etc.)
│ MCP JSON-RPC (stdio)
▼
osmcp binary
├── Policy Engine ← enforces allowed_root, allowed_tools, limits
├── Audit Logger ← append-only NDJSON log of every invocation
├── Tool Registry ← self-registering tools via RegisterMCP()
└── Envelope Builder ← typed {ok, data, error, meta} responses
A demonstration of Claude Desktop securely editing code via osmcp, safely bounded by a TOML policy engine.
brew tap KrushnaVardhanReddy/tap
brew install osmcp
Alternatively, build from source:
make build
# Binary: bin/osmcp
# policy.toml
[policy]
allowed_root = "/home/user/myproject"
allowed_tools = ["grep", "ls", "cat", "git_status", "git_log"]
allow_mutation = false
[limits]
timeout_ms = 5000
max_output_bytes = 1048576
max_matches = 100
[audit]
destination = "stderr" # or "file"
path = "/var/log/osmcp-audit.ndjson"
bin/osmcp --policy policy.toml
The binary communicates over stdio using MCP JSON-RPC. Connect any MCP-compatible client.
Add the following to your claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"osmcp": {
"command": "osmcp",
"args": ["--policy", "/absolute/path/to/policy.toml"]
}
}
}
To install osmcp for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:
npx @smithery/cli install osmcp
Integrate osmcp into your enterprise LLM proxy using the LiteLLM MCP Gateway.
make test # unit tests
make e2e # end-to-end tests against real binary
make lint # golangci-lint
allowed_root — All filesystem paths are validated to be inside this root. Traversal outside is blocked with POLICY_DENIED.allowed_tools — Only tools in this list are visible to the MCP client. Unlisted tools do not appear in tools/list.allow_mutation — When false, mutating tools (write, delete, git commit) are globally blocked.All tool responses follow a consistent typed envelope:
{
"ok": true,
"tool": "grep",
"data": { ... },
"error": null,
"meta": {
"execution_time_ms": 12,
"truncated": false
}
}
MIT
osmcp would not be possible without the incredible open-source libraries it is built upon:
Source-derived launch command. Check the maintainer’s required arguments and credentials before running:
docker run -i --rm ghcr.io/krushnavardhanreddy/osmcp:latestMerge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.
{
"mcpServers": {
"io-github-krushnavardhanreddy-osmcp": {
"command": "docker",
"args": [
"run",
"-i",
"--rm",
"ghcr.io/krushnavardhanreddy/osmcp:latest"
]
}
}
}Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.
Claude Desktop setup referenceghcr.io/krushnavardhanreddy/osmcp:latestdockerio.github.KrushnaVardhanReddy/osmcp works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.
~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect..vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect..mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.