AI Access — MCP file tools for your assistant
Expose mcp file tools to Claude Code or Gemini over a local server — your assistant sends instructions, the app's tools do the work on disk.
AI Access turns 1FileTool into a local MCP server so an AI assistant can run its mcp file tools — compress, convert, rename, redact and the rest — in plain language, without ever uploading a file. The assistant sends instructions to 127.0.0.1; every job runs inside the app on your machine.
Turn it on
Settings › AI Access holds the whole setup:
- Flip Allow AI assistant access. The status badge switches to Listening — the server only binds
127.0.0.1, so nothing is reachable from the network. - Under Your AI tools, click Connect. 1FileTool writes itself into detected clients' configs as the
onefiletoolMCP server — one-click for Claude Code (~/.claude.json) and Gemini CLI (~/.gemini/settings.json). - Restart the CLI so it picks up the new server.
Codex CLI's config file isn't honoured the same way by current Codex releases, so for Codex — and any other MCP-capable client — open Set up another client manually, hit Copy, and paste the JSON snippet into that client's MCP config yourself.
Then just ask — the app's own example: use 1filetool mcp to compress these images.
What the assistant gets
Ten tools, all prefixed filetool_:
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
filetool_status | App state and plan limits |
filetool_list_operations | Discover all 64 operations and their parameters |
filetool_run | Run any operation by id — the general-purpose tool |
filetool_inspect | Read a file's metadata without changing it |
filetool_extract_text | Text out of PDFs and documents |
filetool_compress_images / filetool_convert_images | Image jobs |
filetool_compress_pdf / filetool_pdf_convert | PDF jobs |
filetool_compress_video | Video jobs |
The convenience tools cover the common calls in one shot; filetool_run reaches everything else — including workflow recipes via workflow_run_recipe.
Guardrails
- Destructive operations ask first. Operations like pattern-renaming files or shredding carry an Asks first badge — the assistant must pass
confirm: true, so an agent can't shred or mass-rename on a misunderstood prompt. - The app's limits still apply. MCP runs share the same allowance as clicking the buttons: free plan is 8 files per day, a couple of operations are Pro-only (folder watching, for one), and on-device AI runs as a preview. Your assistant is told when a limit is hit.
- The app must be running. The server lives inside 1FileTool — quit the app and the connection goes with it.
Where it fits vs AI Chat
AI Chat is a chat window inside the app for talking about files. AI Access is the reverse direction: you stay in your own terminal or editor, and the assistant reaches into the app to run its tools. The instructions cross the wire; the files never do.
Related
- AI Chat — talk to your files
- Workflow Recipes — triggerable over MCP
- Folder Monitor and Smart rules
- Privacy and network behaviour