Error: Permission Denied Troubleshooting Guide

When using MCP filesystem tool and encountering "Permission denied" error, OS-level permissions are insufficient.

Causes

1. Insufficient file permissions
2. Insufficient directory permissions
3. File locked by another process
4. OS security policy restrictions

Troubleshooting Steps

Step 1: Check File Permissions

ls -la /path/to/file

Permission bits:

• Position 1: File type
• Positions 2-4: Owner (rwx)
• Positions 5-7: Group
• Positions 8-10: Others

Step 2: Check Directory Permissions

ls -ld /path/to/directory

Directories need execute (x) permission to enter.

Step 3: Fix File Permissions

# Add read permission
chmod u+r /path/to/file

# Add write permission
chmod u+w /path/to/file

# Standard permissions (644)
chmod 644 /path/to/file

Step 4: Fix Directory Permissions

# Set directory permissions (755)
chmod 755 /path/to/directory

# Recursive fix
chmod -R 755 /path/to/project

Step 5: Check File Locks

lsof | grep /path/to/file
kill -9 <PID>

Step 6: Check macOS Permissions

Full Disk Access:

• System Settings → Privacy & Security → Full Disk Access
• Ensure Claude Code has permission

Permission Reference

Number	File	Directory
644	rw-r--r--	-
755	rwxr-xr-x	rwxr-xr-x
600	rw-------	-
777	rwxrwxrwx	rwxrwxrwx

FAQ

Q: Why still Permission denied after chmod?
A: Parent directory permissions, file locked, or need recursive fix.

Q: How to batch fix permissions?
A: Use find command:

find /path/to/project -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;
find /path/to/project -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;

Q: macOS "Operation not permitted"?
A: Grant Full Disk Access to Claude Code.

Verify Fix

1. Check file permissions
2. Check directory permissions
3. Test reading file
4. Restart Claude Code

Next Steps

• Filesystem Configuration
• Path Not Allowed Error