Establishing a Connection
The CData Code Assist MCP for FTP defines each connection to FTP as a named configuration that an MCP Client (such as Claude Desktop) can use when sending natural language queries.
You create and manage these configurations using the CData Code Assist MCP Configuration Tool. The tool automatically handles formatting, storage, and registration with MCP clients.
Understanding Connection Configurations
Each connection configuration is stored in a .mcp file. This file includes the details needed to initialize the connector when an MCP Client starts a session.
- On Windows, configuration files are stored in "~/AppData/Roaming/CData/FTP Data Provider/".
- On macOS, configuration files are stored in "~/Library/Application Support/CData/FTP Data Provider/".
The .mcp file is a text file that contains a list of connection properties and a timestamp. For example:
#Tue May 20 15:48:40 EDT 2025 AuthScheme=Basic User=myUser Password=myPassword Security Token=myToken
The configuration tool handles these settings automatically. Each saved configuration enables an MCP client to launch a dedicated MCP server instance with the correct connector and options. Manual file editing is not required.
The CData Code Assist MCP for FTP allows connecting to FTP servers.
Connecting to an FTP Server
FTP supports both plaintext and SSL/TLS connections. To connect to an FTP server specify the RemoteHost, User, and Password. Set SSLMode and SSLServerCert to secure connections with TLS/SSL. See SSL Configuration for more information on configuring connectivity over TLS/SSL.
Connecting to Data
Set the following connection properties to control the relational view of the file system:
- RemotePath: Set this to the current working directory.
- TableDepth: Set this to control the depth of subfolders to report as views.
- FileRetrievalDepth: Set this to retrieve files recursively and list them in the Root table.