MCP Utility Hub

mcp-utility-hub is an MCP server that provides practical utility tools for LLMs, including safe file creation and file management in managed, user-visible folders.

It is designed for LM Studio, Ollama, and other MCP-compatible apps that benefit from practical utility tools, including a safe way to save Markdown, CSV, JSON, code, and text files without inventing arbitrary filesystem paths.

Available Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Important Behavior | |------|---------|--------------------| | create_downloadable_file | Create a file in a managed destination | Returns the saved local path and file:// URI. Defaults to overwrite on conflict. | | list_generated_files | List created files | Shows relative path, size, date, absolute path, and file:// URI. Hidden files like .DS_Store are ignored. | | delete_generated_file | Delete a created file | Removes the file and prunes empty directories left behind. |

How LM Studio Discovers the MCP Server

LM Studio reads ~/.lmstudio/config/mcp.json on startup. For every entry in mcpServers, it spawns the process described by command + args and communicates with it over stdio using the MCP protocol.

There is no separate "location" field. The command value is the entire discovery mechanism. It can be npx to resolve from npm, node to run a local script, or any other executable on your PATH.

Note: MCP_DOWNLOADS_DIR and similar environment variables only control where output files are saved on disk. They have nothing to do with how LM Studio finds or starts the server.

Installation

Node.js 20 or later is required.

Option A: via npm (recommended if published)

No local setup required. LM Studio will download and run the package automatically via npx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-utility-hub": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-utility-hub"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_DEFAULT_DESTINATION": "downloads",
        "MCP_DOWNLOADS_DIR": "/Users/you/Downloads/mcp-utility-hub",
        "MCP_FORCE_DESTINATION": "downloads",
        "MCP_FORCE_SUBDIRECTORY": "lmstudio-files"
      }
    }
  }
}

Important: The -y flag belongs to npx, not node. Do not carry it over if you switch to a local setup. It will cause a bad option: -y error.

Optional global install to avoid the npx download on each start:

npm install -g mcp-utility-hub

Then use "command": "mcp-utility-hub" with no args needed:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-utility-hub": {
      "command": "mcp-utility-hub",
      "env": {
        "MCP_DEFAULT_DESTINATION": "downloads",
        "MCP_DOWNLOADS_DIR": "/Users/you/Downloads/mcp-utility-hub",
        "MCP_FORCE_DESTINATION": "downloads",
        "MCP_FORCE_SUBDIRECTORY": "lmstudio-files"
      }
    }
  }
}

Option B: Local build (no npm package required)

Use this when the package is not published to npm, or when you are developing locally.

1. Clone and build

git clone https://github.com/allexcd/mcp-utility-hub.git /Users/you/workspace/mcp/mcp-utility-hub
cd /Users/you/workspace/mcp/mcp-utility-hub
npm install
npm run build

2. Configure LM Studio to run the built script via node:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-utility-hub": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/Users/you/workspace/mcp/mcp-utility-hub/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "MCP_DEFAULT_DESTINATION": "downloads",
        "MCP_DOWNLOADS_DIR": "/Users/you/Downloads/mcp-utility-hub",
        "MCP_FORCE_DESTINATION": "downloads",
        "MCP_FORCE_SUBDIRECTORY": "lmstudio-files"
      }
    }
  }
}

Why node instead of pointing directly to the script? Calling the .js file directly requires the file to be executable with chmod +x and to have a #!/usr/bin/env node shebang. Using "command": "node" with the path as an argument avoids both requirements and is more portable.

3. Reload LM Studio after saving mcp.json.

Uninstall

npx setup: Remove the mcp-utility-hub entry from mcp.json and reload LM Studio. No npm uninstall needed because npx does not create a persistent install.

Global install:

npm uninstall -g mcp-utility-hub

Uninstalling the package does not delete files that were already created in the output folders. Remove them manually or via delete_generated_file.

Configuration

All runtime behavior is controlled with environment variables passed in the env block of mcp.json.

| Variable | Default | Description | |----------|---------|-------------| | MCP_DEFAULT_DESTINATION | downloads | Default destination when the tool call does not specify one | | MCP_DEFAULT_SUBDIRECTORY | empty | Default subdirectory when the tool call does not specify one | | MCP_DOWNLOADS_DIR | ~/Downloads/mcp-utility-hub | Root folder for the downloads destination | | MCP_DESKTOP_DIR | ~/Desktop/mcp-utility-hub | Root folder for the desktop destination | | MCP_DOCUMENTS_DIR | ~/Documents/mcp-utility-hub | Root folder for the documents destination | | MCP_FORCE_DESTINATION | unset | Force every created file into this destination regardless of prompt | | MCP_FORCE_SUBDIRECTORY | unset | Force every created file into this subdirectory regardless of prompt | | MCP_EXPORT_DIR | unset | Optional legacy export destination |

Set MCP_FORCE_DESTINATION and MCP_FORCE_SUBDIRECTORY for deterministic output placement. The model no longer needs to mention a location in the prompt.

Troubleshooting

Permission denied

stderr: sh: /path/to/dist/index.js: Permission denied

Use "command": "node" and pass the script path as the first argument instead of pointing directly to the .js file. See Option B above.

bad option: -y

stderr: node: bad option: -y

You copied the "-y" argument from the npx setup into a node setup. -y is an npx-only flag. Remove it from args when using "command": "node".

MCP server not picked up

After any change to mcp.json, you must reload LM Studio for the new configuration to take effect.

Quick Test

Use these prompts in LM Studio after adding the server and reloading.

1. Basic Create

Create a markdown file called test-notes.md in the downloads destination,
inside a subdirectory called lmstudio-demo. Put a title and 3 bullet points in it.

Expected result:

• LM Studio shows a tool-call confirmation.
• The file is created in your managed downloads folder.
• The response includes Saved: /absolute/path/... and File URI: file:///absolute/path/....

2. List Files

List the generated files in the downloads destination.

Expected result: output includes lmstudio-demo/test-notes.md with its absolute path and file:// URI.

3. Delete File

Delete the file lmstudio-demo/test-notes.md from the downloads destination.

Expected result: file is removed. Empty containing folder is pruned automatically.

4. Forced-Location Check

With MCP_FORCE_DESTINATION=downloads, MCP_DOWNLOADS_DIR=/Users/you/Downloads/mcp-utility-hub, and MCP_FORCE_SUBDIRECTORY=lmstudio-files set, this prompt:

Create a markdown file called notes.md with a short sample description.

Should always produce a file at:

/Users/you/Downloads/mcp-utility-hub/lmstudio-files/notes.md

Example Tool Calls

Create a Markdown file:

{
  "filename": "meeting-notes.md",
  "content": "# Notes\n\n- Item 1\n- Item 2",
  "destination": "downloads",
  "subdirectory": "client-a",
  "on_conflict": "overwrite"
}

Delete that file later:

{
  "destination": "downloads",
  "path": "client-a/meeting-notes.md"
}

Create numbered variants instead of overwriting:

{
  "filename": "meeting-notes.md",
  "content": "# Notes",
  "destination": "downloads",
  "subdirectory": "client-a",
  "on_conflict": "suffix"
}

CLI

mcp-utility-hub --help
mcp-utility-hub --version

Test without installing globally:

npx -y mcp-utility-hub --help

Development

npm install
npm run build   # cleans dist/ and compiles
npm test        # rebuilds and runs tests
npm run verify  # tests + dry-run npm package check

GitHub Actions runs npm run verify on Node 20 and 22 for every push and pull request.

Release Workflow

npm run release          # auto-detects bump (major/minor/patch)
npm run release -- patch # override bump

After a successful release:

git push && git push --tags
npm publish

GitHub Automation

The repository includes:

• CI for pull requests to main
• PR Title Check for semantic pull request titles
• Publish to npm when a GitHub release is published
• Apply Branch Ruleset for main-branch protections
• Dependabot for npm and GitHub Actions updates

Contributor workflow

Contributors should work through branches and pull requests:

1. Create a branch from main
2. Open a pull request
3. Make sure CI passes
4. Get at least 1 approval
5. Merge into main

Main branch protections are configured so changes go through PR review and required checks.

Notes for Host Apps

• Files are created on the user's real filesystem, not in localhost storage.
• file:// URIs are best-effort only. Some host apps render them as clickable links. Others do not. The absolute Saved: path is always the source of truth.