Let Claude Code compress and convert your files (MCP)

Let your AI assistant run your files through real tools instead of scripts it invents on the spot. 1FileTool's AI Access exposes 64 operations — compress, convert, extract, redact — as an MCP server that Claude Code or Gemini can call, while every file stays on your machine.

$ claude
Claude Code v2.x

> Compress every image in ~/Desktop/sample-photos and put the results in
  ~/Desktop/sample-photos/compressed

● I'll use the 1FileTool MCP bridge running on this Mac.

● filetool_compress_images(paths: ["~/Desktop/sample-photos"], quality: 82,
    output_dir: "~/Desktop/sample-photos/compressed")
  ⎿  Compressed 12 images
     38.2 MB → 6.9 MB (saved 81.9%)
     Results in ~/Desktop/sample-photos/compressed

● Done — 12 images compressed from 38.2 MB to 6.9 MB. The originals are
  untouched; the compressed copies are in the compressed/ subfolder.

Note: MCP runs count toward the daily total — 12 files exceeds the free
tier's 8 files/day, so a batch this size needs Pro.

The capture above is a real Claude Code session: one plain-language prompt, one filetool_compress_images call, twelve images shrunk from 38.2 MB to 6.9 MB.

What you'll need

• 1FileTool 1.10.0 or later on macOS (Apple Silicon or Intel), Windows, or Linux.
• Claude Code or Gemini CLI installed on the same machine. One-click setup covers these two clients only.
• An internet connection for the assistant itself — your files never leave the machine, but the AI CLI talks to its own cloud model.

The ZIP holds five synthetic JPG photos (hero-photo.jpg, team-photo.jpg, product-shot.jpg, banner.jpg, cover.jpg) — a safe folder of images to point the assistant at.

That warning is for the app UI — over MCP, operations like filetool_compress_images write *_compressed copies to your output folder and leave originals alone. And keep this in mind: agent runs count one file at a time toward the free plan's 8-files-per-day, so a batch of 12 needs Pro or a smaller folder.

Steps

1. Open AI Access settings

Launch 1FileTool, open Settings, click the AI Access tab, and select the MCP section.

2. Turn AI access on

Flip Allow AI assistant access. The status badge flips to Listening and the copy tells you the boundary exactly: "Accepting local requests on 127.0.0.1:<port>. Nothing is exposed to the network." The bridge is loopback-only with a per-launch token — no open port, no account, no upload.

3. Connect your CLI

Click Connect. 1FileTool registers itself as the onefiletool MCP server with every supported client it finds:

• Claude Code — writes ~/.claude.json
• Gemini CLI — merges into ~/.gemini/settings.json

Badges show each client ("Claude Code", "Gemini CLI"), with "— not found" next to any that aren't installed. The confirmation reads "Connected. Restart Claude Code to pick up the new tools." — restart your CLI so it loads the server.

Running something else? Set up another client manually folds out a ready-to-paste config block.

4. Ask for the job

In a Claude Code or Gemini session, ask in plain language — the settings page suggests the phrase:

use 1filetool mcp to compress these images

Point it at a folder — extract the samples ZIP and try "use 1filetool mcp to compress the images in this folder". The assistant picks the right filetool_* operation, the job runs locally through 1FileTool, and the result lands in your output folder.

The result

Asked to compress the sample folder, the assistant runs filetool_compress_images and *_compressed.jpg copies appear in ~/Documents/1FileTool — or wherever your output folder is set. The originals are untouched.

Beyond compression, your assistant can reach 64 operations — filetool_list_operations enumerates them: images (12), PDFs (20), video (9), audio (7), files & data (6), privacy (4), on-device AI (4), plus inspection and status. Two operations need Pro; the rest share the app's free daily allowance.

If it didn't work

• The CLI doesn't see any tools. Restart it after clicking Connect — the server registers in config, but only a fresh launch loads it.
• "PRO_REQUIRED" in the tool output. Two operations — auto-redact and watch-folder automation — are Pro-only. The assistant is told so and can pass the message on.
• "Daily free limit reached". Agent runs count per file, not per prompt, so a 12-image batch can eat the whole 8-file free allowance. It resets tomorrow; Pro removes the cap.
• The 1FileTool app isn't running. The MCP server is a bridge to the app — if the app is closed, the assistant's calls have nowhere to go.
• Codex setup. The Codex row exists in the UI, but the auto-setup writes a file Codex doesn't read — set that client up manually from the config block, or use Claude Code or Gemini.

Try next

See the compression operation your assistant calls, right in the browser:

Related

• AI Access and MCP reference
• Free vs Pro
• Install 1FileTool
• Compress Images and Compress Video