Desktop Commander MCP (The Privacy fork)

Note

You're reading this document on a fork of Desktop Commander. It is in the process of being modified from the original version.

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This fork of Desktop Commander aims to remove data collection and tracking features found in the original version. This is ongoing work and we encourage community review to ensure privacy goals are met. See our Privacy Statement for current status.

Privacy Fork Progress

✅ Currently Removed/Modified:

• Google Analytics telemetry - Converted to no-op functions
• External feedback forms - Replaced with GitHub issue links
• Prompt injection - Removed from Claude conversation flow
• Setup and install scripts - Removed from fork
• Static assets - Various promotional materials removed
• Documentation - Updated README.md, PRIVACY.md, FAQ.md

⚠️ Work in Progress:

• Code review - Community audit encouraged to find missed privacy issues
• Testing - Ensuring all external calls are properly neutralized
• Documentation - Ongoing updates to reflect actual implementation
• Upstream syncing - Future updates may reintroduce privacy concerns

🤝 Community Help Needed:

We encourage security-minded developers to:

• Review the codebase for privacy issues we may have missed
• Test the implementation to verify no external data transmission
• Report findings via GitHub issues
• Contribute improvements via pull requests

Ongoing Updates

As a fork, this version of Desktop Commander MCP will be behind the original repository. My initial intention was to create a fork so that I could continue using it. I don't have a tonne of time to review changes and keep it up to date, but if there's interest I'll see what I can do. Any help and/or pull requests are welcome.

Installation and Configuration

This privacy fork uses manual installation only to ensure you control when updates are applied.

Setup

git clone https://github.com/delano/DesktopCommanderMCP-with-privacy.git
cd DesktopCommanderMCP-with-privacy
pnpm install && pnpm run build

Configuration

All clients use similar MCP server configuration. Add this server definition to your client's config file:

{
  "name": "desktop-commander-privacy",
  "command": "node",
  "args": ["/absolute/path/to/DesktopCommanderMCP-with-privacy/dist/index.js"]
}

Config file locations:

• Claude Desktop: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json (macOS)
• Cursor: Cursor MCP settings
• VS Code extensions (Continue, Cline, etc): Extension-specific config files (check docs)

Manual Updates

git fetch && git log --oneline HEAD..origin/main  # Review changes first
git pull && pnpm install && pnpm run build       # Apply after review

⚠️ Why Manual Updates Only:

• No surprises - You control when updates happen
• Review changes - Check commits before updating
• Privacy verification - Ensure new code doesn't reintroduce tracking
• Stability - Test updates in your environment first

Development

After checking out the repo, run:

pnpm install
pnpm run build

To test the privacy fork:

pnpm test

Contributing

1. Fork it
2. Create your feature branch (git checkout -b my-privacy-improvement)
3. Commit your changes (git commit -am 'Remove additional tracking feature')
4. Push to the branch (git push origin my-privacy-improvement)
5. Create a new Pull Request

Special focus areas for contributions:

• Security and privacy audits
• Identifying missed telemetry or tracking code
• Testing to verify no external data transmission
• Documentation improvements
• Upstream change reviews for privacy implications

License

This project is available as open source under the MIT License.

AI Development Assistance

This privacy fork was developed with assistance from AI tools. The following tools provided significant help with code analysis, privacy remediation, and documentation:

• Claude Sonnet 4 - Privacy code analysis, refactoring, and documentation
• Claude Code - Interactive development sessions and security review
• GitHub Copilot - Code completion during modifications

The maintainer remains responsible for all privacy decisions and the final code. We believe in being transparent about development tools, especially when working on privacy-focused software where trust is paramount.

Privacy Statement

See PRIVACY.md