filesift — Claude Code MCP server: code search and setup
filesift indexes a codebase and lets an agent find relevant files by meaning as well as keywords. Use it when a task description is easier to give than a filename.
claude mcp add filesift -- uvx filesiftWhat filesift does
The MCP server gives an agent tools to index a project, search it with a natural-language query, find files related to a given file, and check indexing status. Search combines keyword matching with semantic results, so queries can describe code behavior rather than repeat identifiers.
Indexing starts with a structural pass, then builds semantic data in the background. A background daemon serves the indexes, which live in a .filesift directory inside each project. Search runs locally, and the MCP tools communicate over STDIO.
For Claude Code, the listed setup command is claude mcp add filesift -- uvx filesift. The README also describes a filesift-mcp launch command for manual MCP configuration; keep that setup separate from the uvx command.
What it helps with
- locate authentication handling by its behavior
- find retry logic for API calls
- index a project directory for searches
- trace files related to a given module
Example prompts for the agent
- Find the code that handles authentication and user sessions.
- Index this project directory so I can search its code.
- Find files related to the database connection module.
How to install filesift
Platform CLI
claude mcp add filesift -- uvx filesiftuvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from filesift <command>
Platform CLI
codex mcp add filesift -- uvx filesiftuvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from filesift <command>
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesift": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"filesift"
]
}
}
}uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from filesift <command>
Config file
{
"servers": {
"filesift": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"filesift"
]
}
}
}uvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from filesift <command>
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add filesift uvx filesiftuvx runs the command named after the package; if the README names another one, use uvx --from filesift <command>
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about filesift
How do I install filesift in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add filesift -- uvx filesift. This adds the MCP server under the name filesift.
What does filesift do?
It indexes a codebase and exposes MCP tools for keyword and semantic search, related-file discovery, and checking index status.
Where does filesift keep project indexes?
It stores each index in a .filesift directory inside the indexed project. Semantic indexing runs in the background after the structural pass.
