Claude+Local Files and NAS
Claude and Local Files: Cowork, Claude Code and NAS
How to turn on Claude Cowork and Claude Code, what it can and cannot do, how to fix it when it stops working, and how to organize a computer or NAS from Claude with undo.
The short answer
Claude works with files on your computer through Cowork, which reads and writes folders you connect on a Mac or Windows PC while the Claude desktop app is open, through Claude Code in a terminal, and through local extensions in Claude Desktop. A NAS works when its share is mapped as a drive; raw network paths are not supported. Changes happen one action at a time with no undo. Through The Drive AI's desktop app or NAS helper, a computer or NAS is organized as one change you check first.
Set up
How to connect Claude to Local Files and NAS
Cowork: connect a folder
Open the Claude desktop app, start a Cowork task and connect the folders it may use. Claude reads and writes only those. Cowork is on Pro, Max, Team and Enterprise.
Claude Code: start in the folder
Run Claude Code in the folder you want it to work on, and add more with --add-dir. It reads there freely and asks before edits and commands.
Claude Desktop: a local extension
Settings, Extensions installs local servers, including filesystem ones, that run on your machine with your permissions and see only the folders you allow.
A NAS: map it first
On Windows, map the share to a drive letter; raw paths like \\server\share are not supported. On a Mac, mounts under /Volumes are treated as local folders.
What it does
What Claude's Local Files and NAS connector can and cannot do
It can
- Read, write, rename and move files in the folders you connect
- Ask before permanently deleting anything (Cowork)
- Run scripts over a folder for bulk renames (Claude Code)
- Work in a NAS share mapped as a drive or mounted under /Volumes
It cannot
- Reach your folders while the desktop app is closed or offline (Cowork)
- Use raw network paths such as \\server\share
- Undo a set of changes as one
- Reach a NAS directly from a cloud session
Troubleshooting
Claude's Local Files and NAS connector not working?
"UNC paths are not supported"
Map the share to a drive letter (Windows) or mount it under /Volumes (Mac) and attach that instead. Users also report mapped QNAP drives being resolved back to network paths, with reads working and writes failing (open GitHub issue).
A Cowork task stopped when the computer slept
Local folder access needs the desktop app open and connected. Pro and Max local sessions started before October 6, 2026 may end when the app closes or the computer sleeps.
Cowork cannot read files in a synced Dropbox, OneDrive or Google Drive folder
Online-only files are placeholders until downloaded, and users report read failures and, in one case, overwritten files. Use the platform's connector, or mark the folder available offline.
Looking for a Synology MCP server
Synology publishes none. Community servers exist, some with delete actions on by default, so read one before you give it your NAS login. Mounting the share and attaching it as a folder is the simpler path.
Bigger jobs
Where it stops, and what The Drive AI adds
Claude works on files one action at a time. Through The Drive AI, folders on a Mac, PC or NAS are organized as one change you check first, and moves and renames can be undone.
| Job | Claude's connector | With The Drive AI |
|---|---|---|
| Organize 5,000 files on a NAS | Action by action, while the app is open. | One change with a preview, through a helper that runs on the NAS itself. |
| Undo a reorganization | No undo. | Moves and renames reverse; files sent to the device trash are restored from it by hand. |
| Keep working when your laptop sleeps | Stops. | The NAS helper keeps running on the NAS. A computer's own folders need the desktop app running. |
| Organize the NAS and Google Drive together | Separate tools. | One folder tree, including copies between the NAS and a cloud drive. |
Add The Drive AI to Claude
It sits beside Claude Cowork and Claude Code rather than replacing it. Connecting Local Files and NAS to The Drive AI comes with Max and Team; files in The Drive AI workspace work on every plan.
Claude.ai and Claude Desktop
Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector, then paste the server URL. Connectors are on your account, so the desktop app gets it too.
Claude Code
claude mcp add --scope local --transport http thedriveai https://thedriveai.fastmcp.app/mcp
Server URL
https://thedriveai.fastmcp.app/mcp
Try it
Prompts for Local Files and NAS
On my NAS, sort the loose files in the Scans share into folders by year and document type. Show me the plan before you move anything.
The NAS is reorganized as one change you check first, and moves can be undone.
On my Mac, find files in Downloads I have not changed in a year and propose moving them into an Archive folder by year.
Old downloads leave the working folder as one change, without anything being deleted.
Rename the PDFs in the Invoices folder on my NAS from what each one says: date first, then the vendor. Show me the new names first.
Each invoice is named from its contents, and files stay on the NAS.
FAQ
Common questions
Checked against the publishers' documentation and the connector's own tool list on 2026-10-16. Sources:
Can Claude access local files?
Yes, through Cowork in the Claude desktop app for folders you connect, through Claude Code in a terminal, and through local extensions in Claude Desktop. A Claude chat on the web cannot reach your computer on its own.
Can Claude access my NAS or Synology?
When the share is mapped as a drive on Windows or mounted under /Volumes on a Mac, Cowork treats it as a local folder. Raw network paths are not supported, and there is no official Synology MCP server.
Does Cowork work when the desktop app is closed?
Not on local folders. Cowork tasks run in the cloud, but reaching your folders needs the desktop app open and connected.
Do my files leave the device with The Drive AI?
No. Files stay on the computer or NAS and are streamed only when read or copied. The Drive AI keeps a catalogue of names and, if you choose, the text of documents so it can search them.
Organize the folders that never reach the cloud.
Share a folder from the desktop app or NAS helper, then ask The Drive AI directly or from Claude. Files stay on the device.