remote-filesystem — Claude Code MCP server for GCS files
An MCP server that lets your agent work with a Google Cloud Storage bucket: upload, download, list, edit properties and delete files.
claude mcp add --env GCS_BUCKET=<GCS_BUCKET> --env GCS_PROJECT_ID=<GCS_PROJECT_ID> --env GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL=<GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL> --env GCS_PRIVATE_KEY=<GCS_PRIVATE_KEY> --env GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=<GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS> --transport stdio remote-filesystem -- npx -y remote-filesystem-mcp-serverWhat remote-filesystem does
Five tools come with the server: upload, download, list_files, modify and delete_file. Uploads take a file://... path or base64 data, downloads return text or base64 for binaries, and private objects can be handed out as signed URLs. Listing accepts a prefix filter and a result cap.
Access is fenced in two ways. GCS_ROOT_PATH pins the server to one prefix inside the bucket. Setting ENABLED_TOOLGROUPS=readonly strips everything except download and list_files, which is what you want when the agent should only look. Files stay private unless you flip GCS_MAKE_PUBLIC or pass makePublic on a single call.
Only GCS_BUCKET is required. Pick one auth route: inline credentials with GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL and GCS_PRIVATE_KEY, a key file via GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS, or ADC after gcloud auth application-default login. No working credentials means no bucket. Google Cloud Storage is the only provider today; S3 and Cloudflare R2 are listed as future work.
What it helps with
- push a screenshot to the bucket and get a public link
- pull a binary object back as base64
- browse a bucket folder with a prefix filter
- change an object's content type and metadata
- drop a temp file from cloud storage inside the agent session
Example prompts for the agent
- Upload
screenshots/pr-123.pngto the bucket and make it public - List files under
uploads/, cap at 50 - Download
reports/doc.pdffrom GCS as base64
How to install remote-filesystem
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env GCS_BUCKET=<GCS_BUCKET> --env GCS_PROJECT_ID=<GCS_PROJECT_ID> --env GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL=<GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL> --env GCS_PRIVATE_KEY=<GCS_PRIVATE_KEY> --env GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=<GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS> --transport stdio remote-filesystem -- npx -y remote-filesystem-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values. 3 more environment variables are in the server README
Platform CLI
codex mcp add remote-filesystem --env GCS_BUCKET=<GCS_BUCKET> --env GCS_PROJECT_ID=<GCS_PROJECT_ID> --env GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL=<GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL> --env GCS_PRIVATE_KEY=<GCS_PRIVATE_KEY> --env GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=<GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS> -- npx -y remote-filesystem-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values. 3 more environment variables are in the server README
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"remote-filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"remote-filesystem-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"GCS_BUCKET": "<GCS_BUCKET>",
"GCS_PROJECT_ID": "<GCS_PROJECT_ID>",
"GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL": "<GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL>",
"GCS_PRIVATE_KEY": "<GCS_PRIVATE_KEY>",
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "<GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values. 3 more environment variables are in the server README
Config file
{
"servers": {
"remote-filesystem": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"remote-filesystem-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"GCS_BUCKET": "<GCS_BUCKET>",
"GCS_PROJECT_ID": "<GCS_PROJECT_ID>",
"GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL": "<GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL>",
"GCS_PRIVATE_KEY": "<GCS_PRIVATE_KEY>",
"GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS": "<GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values. 3 more environment variables are in the server README
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e GCS_BUCKET=<GCS_BUCKET> -e GCS_PROJECT_ID=<GCS_PROJECT_ID> -e GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL=<GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL> -e GCS_PRIVATE_KEY=<GCS_PRIVATE_KEY> -e GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=<GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS> remote-filesystem npx -y remote-filesystem-mcp-serverReplace <…> with your own values. 3 more environment variables are in the server README
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 remote-filesystem
How do I install remote-filesystem in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add remote-filesystem -e GCS_BUCKET=<GCS_BUCKET> -e GCS_PRIVATE_KEY=<GCS_PRIVATE_KEY> -- npx -y remote-filesystem-mcp-server. Or register it with the full variable set: `claude mcp add --env GCS_BUCKET=<GCS_BUCKET> --env GCS_PROJECT_ID=<GCS_PROJECT_ID> --env GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL=<GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL> --env GCS_PRIVATE_KEY=<GCS_PRIVATE_KEY> --env GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS=<GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS> --transport stdio remote-filesystem -- npx -y remote-filesystem-mcp-server`.
What does remote-filesystem do?
It exposes file operations on a Google Cloud Storage bucket to your agent: upload, download, listing, property changes and deletion. You can narrow it to read-only or lock it to a root prefix.
Which variables does it need?
GCS_BUCKET is the only required one. For auth, choose inline credentials (GCS_CLIENT_EMAIL, GCS_PRIVATE_KEY), a key file through GOOGLE_APPLICATION_CREDENTIALS, or ADC.
