ZippyServe

Documentation from the repository README

ZippyServe is an open-source, cross-platform local web server written in Go for previewing single-page applications and static content. Download a prebuilt Windows, macOS, or Linux binary and serve a directory, ZIP or tar archive, HTML file, or Markdown file without installing a runtime or package dependencies.

It routes index files and READMEs, renders GitHub-flavored Markdown, excludes dotfiles by default, blocks upward directory traversal, and includes a built-in Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for AI coding agents. ZippyServe is useful for local demos, documentation previews, and agent-assisted web development.

• Solves local SPA testing with no bulky web servers required.
• Precompiled binaries ship for Windows, Linux, and macOS in /bin — no runtime install needed.
• Serves local directories, zips, and tarballs.
• Routes index files and READMEs automatically.
• Blocks upward directory traversal securely.
• Excludes dotfiles and dot-directories (.git, .github, .claude, etc.) from being served by default, since the served root is commonly a project's working directory — pass -serve-dotfiles to opt back in. .well-known is always served (RFC 8615).
• Renders GitHub-flavored Markdown natively.
• Launches your browser to localhost automatically.
• Includes a built-in MCP server so AI coding agents can drive and inspect a live local server directly — see docs/mcp-design.md.
• Adds to any project by copying just /bin and the run script matching your OS — no other files required.
• Licensed under GPLv3, unlike many similar web servers, allowing re-use and bundling with other open source or commercial projects.

• Copy bin/ and the run script matching your OS into your project's root.
• Run it: .\run-windows.ps1 (Windows), ./run-linux.sh (Linux), or double-click run-mac.command (macOS).
• Your default browser opens automatically to http://localhost:8010.
• Override the port or serve a different directory/zip: .\run-windows.ps1 -Port 9000 or ./run-linux.sh --dir ./dist.
• Building from source instead of using the checked-in binaries: run .\build.ps1 (Windows) or ./build.sh (Linux/macOS) to cross-compile all targets into /bin.
• To use the built-in MCP server for AI coding agents, run the scripts with the -mcp parameter (and optionally -mcp-browser for console error capture). See docs/mcp-design.md for more information.
• Dotfiles and dot-directories (.git, .github, .claude, and similar) are excluded from serving by default — this applies to plain file serving as well as the MCP tools, not just one or the other. Pass -serve-dotfiles (or -ServeDotfiles on Windows) if you genuinely need to serve one: .\run-windows.ps1 -ServeDotfiles or ./run-linux.sh --serve-dotfiles. .well-known/ is always served, dotfile exclusion or not.

• The full documentation is available at: https://michmed.org/efdc-kb

The Mobile Technologies Core provides investigators across the University of Michigan the support and guidance needed to utilize mobile technologies and digital mental health measures in their studies. Experienced faculty and staff offer hands-on consultative services to researchers throughout the University – regardless of specialty or research focus.

Learn more at: https://depressioncenter.org/mobiletech.

To get in touch, contact the individual developers in the check-in history.

If you need assistance identifying a contact person, email the EFDC's Mobile Technologies Core at: [email protected].

• Eisenberg Family Depression Center (@DepressionCenter)
• Gabriel Mongefranco (@gabrielmongefranco)

• Go (@golang)

Copyright © 2026 The Regents of the University of Michigan Licensed under GNU General Public License v3.0.

Mongefranco, Gabriel (2026). ZippyServe. University of Michigan. Software. https://github.com/DepressionCenter/ZippyServe
​​​​​​​ DOI: https://doi.org/10.5281/zenodo.21613944

Copyright © 2026 The Regents of the University of Michigan