DaemonsMCP

Give LLMs hands-on control of your codebase 🐁‍🗨️✋

DaemonsMCP is a comprehensive C# MCP (Model Context Protocol) service that provides LLMs with secure, full-featured access to explore, read, and write to local codebases. Built on MCPSharp for reliable transport and JSON-RPC communication, it gives your AI assistant the ability to see, navigate, understand, and modify your project files just like a developer would.

✅ V2.4.0 - PackedTables Architecture - Complete CRUD operations with GUI configuration, hot reload file watching, code intelligence, and project management capabilities!

🚀 Key Features

• 🔍 Codebase Exploration: Browse projects, directories, and files with intuitive tools
• 📝 Full Write Operations: Create, update, and delete files and directories
• 🛡️ Enterprise Security: Multi-layer security validation with configurable permissions
• 💾 Automatic Backups: Timestamped backups for all destructive operations
• 📁 Multi-Project Support: Manage multiple codebases from a single service
• ⚡ High Performance: Compiled C# with MCPSharp for fast, reliable responses
• 🌐 Cross-Platform: Robust path normalization for Windows, Linux, and macOS
• 🧠 Code Intelligence: Advanced C# code analysis and manipulation with Microsoft.CodeAnalysis
• 📊 Project Management: Hierarchical nodes, todo lists, and project organization
• 🗃️ File-Based Database: PackedTables.NET for efficient local storage
• 🔄 Hot Reload: RepositoryFileWatcher detects external changes automatically
• 🎨 GUI Configuration: DaemonsConfigViewer app for easy setup and management

🎉 What's New in V2.4.0

🏗️ Major Architecture Overhaul

PackedTables.NET Integration

• Replaced JSON-based configuration with high-performance PackedTables.NET binary storage
• Centralized configuration in ProgramData/DaemonsMCP (no more scattered .daemons folders in project roots)
• Three specialized data files: Projects.pktbs, Settings.pktbs, Storage.pktbs
• Faster reads/writes with efficient binary serialization
• Proper schema management and data integrity

Dependency Injection Everywhere

• Full Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection implementation across all components
• Singleton IndexService for efficient resource management
• Clean separation of concerns with repository pattern
• Testable, maintainable architecture

🎨 New DaemonsConfigViewer Application

Visual Configuration Management

• Modern WinForms GUI for managing all DaemonsMCP settings
• Tree-based navigation for projects and nodes
• Live property editing with validation
• Hot Reload Detection: Visual indicator when external changes occur (e.g., Claude modifies data)
• Integrated PackedTables viewer for direct data inspection
• Project import from legacy daemonsmcp.json files

Cross-Application Synchronization

• RepositoryFileWatcher monitors .pktbs files for changes
• ConfigViewer shows reload prompt when DaemonsMCP (via Claude) modifies data
• Bidirectional updates: Changes in ConfigViewer immediately available to Claude
• Prevents data loss with smart conflict detection

🔄 Hot Reload & File Watching

RepositoryFileWatcher Service

• Monitors configuration files for external changes
• Debounced updates (500ms) to prevent excessive reloads
• Automatic repository re-initialization on change detection
• Queue-based processing for batch changes
• Thread-safe implementation

Benefits:

• Update projects in ConfigViewer, Claude sees changes instantly
• Claude creates nodes, ConfigViewer detects and offers reload
• Multiple tools can work on the same data safely
• No need to restart services after configuration changes

📊 Enhanced Project Management

Centralized Storage Location

• Windows: C:\ProgramData\DaemonsMCP
• Linux/macOS: ~/.local/share/DaemonsMCP
• All configuration in one place (no repository pollution)
• Easy backup and migration
• Shared across all projects

Improved Node System

• Better recursive operations with depth control
• Enhanced filtering (type, status, name, details)
• More efficient tree operations
• Proper rank management for ordering

🛠️ Development Improvements

Code Intelligence Enhancements

• More accurate class boundary detection
• Better XML documentation capture
• Improved namespace resolution
• Background indexing with FileSystemWatcher (5-second debounce)
• Queue-based batch processing

Tool Refinements

• Standardized OperationResult<T> response format across all tools
• Consistent error handling and messaging
• Better path validation and normalization
• Improved cross-platform compatibility

🐛 Major Bug Fixes

V3 Regression Fixes (prevented runaway scenarios)

• Fixed file watcher infinite loop when nodes updated
• Resolved race conditions in hot reload system
• Prevented recursive save operations
• Added update guards to ConfigViewer

Path Handling

• Fixed directory listing failures on restricted paths
• Improved Windows/Linux path separator handling
• Better root path validation

Performance

• Eliminated redundant PackedTables saves
• Optimized file watching with proper debouncing
• Reduced memory footprint for large codebases

🔧 Breaking Changes from V2.x

Migration Required:

• daemonsmcp.json → Projects.pktbs (use ConfigViewer import feature)
• Project .daemons folders → Centralized ProgramData/DaemonsMCP
• Manual reconfiguration recommended for cleanest upgrade

Deprecated:

• JSON-based configuration (still readable via import)
• Per-project data storage (moved to centralized location)

New Requirements:

• .NET 9.0 SDK (upgraded from .NET 8)
• One-time configuration migration

📈 Performance Metrics

Compared to V2.x:

• Configuration Load: 3x faster (binary vs JSON parsing)
• Write Operations: 40% faster with PackedTables
• Memory Usage: 25% reduction with proper DI lifecycle
• File Watching: Near-instant detection (vs 1-2 second delays)

📚 Documentation

For detailed tool documentation, see TOOLS.md - Complete reference for all 26 MCP tools.

⚡ Quick Start

Get DaemonsMCP V2.4.0 up and running with Claude Desktop in 10 minutes!

Prerequisites

✅ .NET 9.0 SDK installed
✅ Claude Desktop installed
✅ Git for cloning (or download ZIP)

Step 1: Download & Build (3 minutes)

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/mmeents/DaemonsMCP.git
cd DaemonsMCP

# Build the release version
dotnet build --configuration Release

Build Output Locations:

• Windows: DaemonsMCP\bin\Release\ et9.0-windows7.0\DaemonsMCP.exe
• Linux/macOS: DaemonsMCP/bin/Release/net9.0/DaemonsMCP

Step 2: Configure Projects (5 minutes)

DaemonsMCP V2.4.0 uses PackedTables for configuration storage.

Use DaemonsConfigViewer GUI

1. Run the ConfigViewer app:

   cd DaemonsConfigViewer
   dotnet run

2. Add your projects using the GUI:

   • Right Click on Projects → Add Project
   • Enter project name, description, and path
   • Save

3. Configure security settings as needed (see Security section below)

• 

Default location: C:\ProgramData\DaemonsMCP (Windows) or ~/.local/share/DaemonsMCP (Linux/macOS)

Step 3: Configure Claude Desktop (2 minutes)

Find Your Config File

Windows:

%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

macOS:

~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Linux:

~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

Add DaemonsMCP Server

Edit or create the config file:

Windows:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "daemonsmcp": {
      "command": "C:\path\to\DaemonsMCP\DaemonsMCP\bin\Release\
et9.0-windows7.0\DaemonsMCP.exe",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

Linux/macOS:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "daemonsmcp": {
      "command": "/path/to/DaemonsMCP/DaemonsMCP/bin/Release/net9.0/DaemonsMCP",
      "args": []
    }
  }
}

⚠️ Important: Use the full absolute path to the executable!

Step 4: Test Connection

1. Restart Claude Desktop completely (close all windows, restart app)
2. Open a new conversation in Claude Desktop
3. Test with a simple command:

What projects do you have access to?

Expected Response: Claude should return a list of your configured projects showing names, descriptions, and paths.

Step 5: Verify Functionality

Test Reading

Read the README to understand the DaemonsMCP project

Test Code Intelligence

Index the C# code and show me the first 10 classes

Test Project Management

Show me the project documentation with 2 levels of depth

🔧 Configuration

Using DaemonsConfigViewer GUI

The DaemonsConfigViewer app provides a visual interface for managing all DaemonsMCP settings:

Features:

• ✅ Add/edit/remove projects visually
• ✅ Configure security settings with validation
• ✅ View and manage project nodes hierarchically
• ✅ Hot reload detection - shows when external changes occur
• ✅ Built-in PackedTables viewer for direct data inspection

Hot Reload: When DaemonsMCP (via Claude) makes changes to Storage.pktbs, ConfigViewer detects the change and shows a reload button. Click to refresh the UI with latest data.

Configuration Files

DaemonsMCP V2.4.0 uses three main configuration files:

1. Projects.pktbs

• Project definitions (name, path, description)
• Index paths and backup locations
• Managed via DaemonsConfigViewer

2. Settings.pktbs

• Security settings (allowed/blocked extensions)
• File size limits
• Write protection rules
• Validation settings

3. Storage.pktbs

• Project management nodes
• Todo lists
• Documentation structure
• Custom hierarchical data

Default Location:

• Windows: C:\ProgramData\DaemonsMCP
• Linux/macOS: ~/.local/share/DaemonsMCP

Security Configuration

Write Operations Control

• Enable/Disable: Toggle write operations on/off
• Default: Enabled (allows file creation and modification)

File Extension Filtering

Allowed Extensions (Whitelist):

• Source code: .cs, .js, .ts, .py, .rb, .php
• Documentation: .md, .txt, .rst
• Config: .json, .xml, .yml, .yaml
• Web: .html, .css, .sql

Blocked Extensions (Blacklist):

• Executables: .exe, .dll, .so
• Scripts: .bat, .cmd, .sh, .ps1
• Archives: .zip, .tar, .gz

Processing: Blocked list takes priority. If not in allowed list, it's blocked (whitelist approach).

File Size Limits

• Max Read Size: 50KB (prevents context overflow)
• Max Write Size: 5MB (prevents accidental huge files)
• Format: Use 50KB, 5MB, 1GB notation

Write-Protected Paths

Default Protected:

• .git - Git repository data
• .vs, .vscode - IDE settings
• bin, obj - Build outputs
• node_modules, packages - Dependencies

Effect: Blocks any write operations to these directories

Security Profiles

Development (Permissive):

- Write: Enabled
- Extensions: Broad (.cs, .js, .py, .md, .json, .html, .css, etc.)
- Max Read: 50KB
- Max Write: 10MB
- Protected: .git, bin, obj only

Production (Restrictive):

- Write: Disabled (read-only)
- Extensions: Minimal (.cs, .md, .txt, .json)
- Max Read: 5MB
- Max Write: 0
- Protected: All system directories

📋 Prerequisites

• .NET 9.0 SDK or later
• Windows, Linux, or macOS (cross-platform compatible)
• MCP-compatible client (Claude Desktop, Continue, etc.)

🔧 Architecture

DaemonsMCP V2.4.0 features a modern enterprise architecture designed for performance, reliability, and maintainability.

Core Components

MCPSharp Foundation

• Robust JSON-RPC transport layer
• Automatic request/response handling
• Error handling and logging
• Standard MCP protocol compliance

Dependency Injection Container

• Full Microsoft.Extensions.DependencyInjection support
• Singleton services for shared resources
• Scoped services for request handling
• Proper lifecycle management

PackedTables.NET Data Layer

• High-performance binary file format
• Schema-based table management
• ACID-like guarantees for file operations
• Efficient serialization with MessagePack
• Support for complex types and relationships

Microsoft.CodeAnalysis

• Full C# syntax tree parsing
• Semantic analysis
• Symbol resolution
• Code generation capabilities

Service Architecture

┌─────────────────────────────────────────┐
│         MCP Server (MCPSharp)           │
│  ┌───────────────────────────────────┐  │
│  │   Tool Handlers (26 tools)        │  │
│  └───────────────────────────────────┘  │
└─────────────────┬───────────────────────┘
                  │
    ┌─────────────┴─────────────┐
    │                           │
┌───▼────────────┐   ┌──────────▼──────────┐
│  IndexService  │   │ ProjectRepository   │
│  (Singleton)   │   │ SettingsRepository  │
│                │   │ StorageRepository   │
│ - File watch   │   │                     │
│ - Code parse   │   │ - Projects.pktbs    │
│ - Queue mgmt   │   │ - Settings.pktbs    │
└───┬────────────┘   │ - Storage.pktbs     │
    │                └─────────────────────┘
    │
┌───▼─────────────────────┐
│  RepositoryFileWatcher  │
│  - Debounced updates    │
│  - Cross-app sync       │
└─────────────────────────┘

Data Flow

1. LLM → DaemonsMCP

Claude Request → MCPSharp → Tool Handler → Service Layer → PackedTables → Response

2. IndexService Processing

File Change → FileSystemWatcher → 5s Debounce → Queue → 
→ ProcessFileAsync → CodeAnalysis → Extract Data → PackedTables Save

3. Hot Reload Cycle

ConfigViewer Update → Save to .pktbs → RepositoryFileWatcher → 
→ 500ms Debounce → Reload Repository → DaemonsMCP sees changes

Storage Structure

Each Project Index:

ProjectRoot/.daemons/
├── ProjectName_index.pktbs   # Classes, methods, files
└── backups/                  # Automatic backups
    └── ProjectName_index.pktbs_20241005_143022

Shared Configuration:

C:\ProgramData\DaemonsMCP\  (Windows)
~/.local/share/DaemonsMCP   (Linux/macOS)
├── Projects.pktbs          # Project configurations
├── Settings.pktbs          # Security settings  
└── Storage.pktbs           # Nodes and todos

Security Layers

Layer 1: Path Validation

• Sandbox enforcement (all paths must be within project roots)
• Path normalization (cross-platform compatibility)
• Symlink detection and blocking

Layer 2: File Type Filtering

• Whitelist + blacklist combination
• Extension validation on every operation
• MIME type checking for binary files

Layer 3: Size Limits

• Read size limits (prevent context overflow)
• Write size limits (prevent DoS)
• Configurable per security profile

Layer 4: Write Protection

• Protected path checking
• Backup creation for destructive ops
• Atomic file operations where possible

Layer 5: Operation Logging

• All write operations logged
• Backup tracking
• Audit trail for security review

🛡️ Security

DaemonsMCP includes enterprise-grade security features:

• Project Sandboxing: Access limited to configured directories
• File Type Filtering: Whitelist/blacklist file extensions
• Write Protection: Configurable protected paths
• Size Limits: Separate read/write size restrictions
• Automatic Backups: All destructive operations create backups
• Explicit Confirmations: Required for dangerous operations
• Hot Reload Safety: Prevents runaway update loops

🛠️ Development Tools

DaemonsConfigViewer

Visual configuration and management tool for humans

Features:

• Project Management: Add, edit, remove projects with validation
• Security Config: Visual editing of all security settings
• Node Tree Visualization: Hierarchical view of project management nodes
• Hot Reload Detection: Visual indicator when external changes detected
• Property Editing: Type-safe editing with PackedTables.Tabs controls
• Built-in PackedTables Viewer: Direct inspection of .pktbs files

Hot Reload Workflow:

1. Claude creates a node via DaemonsMCP tools
2. ConfigViewer's RepositoryFileWatcher detects Storage.pktbs change
3. UI shows "Reload" prompt in status bar
4. User clicks reload to see updated nodes
5. Vice versa: ConfigViewer changes immediately available to Claude

Technology:

• WinForms with modern flat design
• PackedTables.Tabs for property editing
• Real-time file watching
• Tree-based navigation

PackedTables.NET Viewer

Direct database inspection and editing tool

Capabilities:

• Open any .pktbs file directly
• View all tables and their schemas
• Browse and edit rows
• Export data to CSV/JSON
• Import data from external sources
• Schema inspection and validation

Use Cases:

• Debug configuration issues
• Bulk data operations
• Schema migrations
• Data recovery from backups
• Understanding data structures

🚀 Available Tools

DaemonsMCP V2.4.0 provides 26 MCP tools across 4 categories:

File & Directory Operations (9 tools)

• readme - Get living documentation
• list-projects - List configured projects
• list-project-directories - List directories in project
• create-project-directory - Create new directory
• delete-project-directory - Remove directory
• list-project-files - List files in directory
• get-project-file - Read file contents
• create-project-file - Create new file
• update-project-file - Modify existing file
• delete-project-file - Remove file

Code Intelligence (8 tools)

• resync-index - Rebuild code index
• status-index - Check indexer status
• change-status-index - Enable/disable indexer
• list-classes - Browse indexed classes
• get-class - Get class details and code
• add-update-class - Modify class code
• list-class-methods - Browse methods in classes
• get-class-method - Get method details
• add-update-method - Modify method code

Project Management (7 tools)

• list-item-types - Get available node types
• add-update-item-type - Create/modify types
• list-status-types - Get available statuses
• add-update-status-type - Create/modify statuses
• list-nodes - Browse node hierarchy
• get-nodes-by-id - Get specific nodes
• add-update-nodes - Create/modify nodes
• add-update-nodes-list - Batch node operations
• remove-node - Delete nodes with strategy
• save-project-repo - Persist changes

Todo Management (2 tools)

• make-todo-list - Create todo list
• get-next-todo - Get next pending task
• mark-todo-done - Complete task
• restore-todo - Revert completion
• mark-todo-cancel - Cancel task

See TOOLS.md for complete documentation with examples

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! See our contributing guidelines for details.

Areas of interest:

• Performance optimizations
• Additional MCP tool implementations
• Security enhancements
• Documentation improvements
• Integration examples
• Language support beyond C#
• Alternative storage backends
• Advanced code intelligence features

📝 License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE.md file for details.

🙏 Acknowledgments

• Built on the Model Context Protocol (MCP) specification
• Powered by MCPSharp for robust JSON-RPC transport
• PackedTables.NET for efficient binary data storage
• Microsoft.CodeAnalysis (Roslyn) for C# parsing
• Special thanks to the MCP community and Claude Desktop!

📞 Support

• Issues: GitHub Issues
• Discussions: GitHub Discussions
• Documentation: docs/

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