🗃️ Obsidian MCP Server

Connect AI assistants like Claude to your Obsidian vault via Model Context Protocol. 40+ tools for searching, creating, and managing your notes—all 100% local.

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What Can You Do?

You Say	What Happens
"Search my notes for machine learning"	Searches your entire vault
"Create a meeting note for tomorrow"	Creates a formatted meeting note
"What links to my Projects note?"	Shows all backlinks
"Add to my daily note: finished the API"	Appends to today's daily note
"Find orphan notes"	Lists unconnected notes

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Quick Start

1. Install the Obsidian Plugin

1. Obsidian → Settings → Community plugins → Browse
2. Search "Local REST API" → Install → Enable
3. Settings → Local REST API → Copy your API Key

2. Install the MCP Server

Option A: Install from npm (recommended)

npm install -g @aniketbiswas/obsidian-mcp-server

Option B: Install from source

git clone https://github.com/aniketbiswas/obsidian-mcp.git
cd obsidian-mcp
npm install && npm run build
npm link  # Makes it available globally

3. Configure Claude Desktop

Edit the config file:

OS	Config Path
macOS	~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows	%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
Linux	~/.config/claude/claude_desktop_config.json

If installed via npm:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["node_modules/@aniketbiswas/obsidian-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: If the above doesn't work (common with nvm), use full paths:

{
  "command": "/usr/local/bin/node",
  "args": ["/usr/local/lib/node_modules/@aniketbiswas/obsidian-mcp-server/build/index.js"]
}

Find your paths with: which node and npm root -g

If installed from source:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/FULL/PATH/TO/obsidian-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Windows paths: Use C:\\Users\\Name\\... or C:/Users/Name/...

4. Restart Claude Desktop

Make sure Obsidian is running, then try: "Show me my vault status"

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Available Tools

<details> <summary><strong>📁 Vault (6)</strong> — Status, list files, structure</summary>

vault_status · list_files · list_all_files · get_vault_structure · get_file_stats · delete_file </details>

<details> <summary><strong>📝 Notes (9)</strong> — CRUD operations</summary>

read_note · create_note · update_note · append_to_note · prepend_to_note · insert_under_heading · replace_in_note · delete_note · copy_note </details>

<details> <summary><strong>🔍 Search (7)</strong> — Full-text, tags, folders</summary>

search_notes · simple_search · search_by_tag · search_in_folder · find_notes_by_name · get_recent_notes · search_with_context </details>

<details> <summary><strong>📊 Metadata (8)</strong> — Frontmatter & tags</summary>

get_frontmatter · update_frontmatter · set_frontmatter_property · get_tags · add_tags · remove_tags · add_aliases · get_all_tags_in_vault </details>

<details> <summary><strong>🧭 Navigation (6)</strong> — Open notes, run commands</summary>

open_note · get_active_note · append_to_active_note · get_commands · execute_command · quick_capture </details>

<details> <summary><strong>📅 Daily Notes (6)</strong> — Journals & standups</summary>

get_daily_note · append_to_daily_note · get_periodic_note · append_to_periodic_note · daily_journal_entry · daily_standup </details>

<details> <summary><strong>🔗 Links (6)</strong> — Backlinks, orphans, graph</summary>

get_outgoing_links · get_backlinks · find_broken_links · find_orphan_notes · add_link_to_note · get_link_graph_data </details>

<details> <summary><strong>📋 Templates (4)</strong> — Meeting, project, etc.</summary>

create_note_from_template · create_meeting_note · create_project_note · list_templates

Built-in: meeting · project · book · article · person · recipe · decision </details>

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Configuration

Variable	Required	Default	Description
OBSIDIAN_API_KEY	✅	—	From Local REST API plugin
OBSIDIAN_HOST		127.0.0.1	API host
OBSIDIAN_PORT		27124	API port
OBSIDIAN_SECURE		true	Use HTTPS
OBSIDIAN_VERIFY_SSL		false	Verify SSL certificate

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Troubleshooting

<details> <summary><strong>"Cannot connect to MCP server" or "Server failed to start"</strong></summary>

This is usually a PATH issue. Claude Desktop doesn't inherit your shell's PATH (especially with nvm).

Solution: Use full absolute paths in your config:

1. Find your node path: which node
2. Find global modules: npm root -g
3. Update config with full paths:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "/Users/YOU/.nvm/versions/node/v22.x.x/bin/node",
      "args": ["/Users/YOU/.nvm/versions/node/v22.x.x/lib/node_modules/@aniketbiswas/obsidian-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "your-key"
      }
    }
  }
}

Check logs: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp.log (macOS) </details>

<details> <summary><strong>Claude doesn't see the server</strong></summary>

• Validate JSON: cat config.json | python3 -m json.tool
• Path must be absolute (starts with / or C:\)
• Restart Claude Desktop completely (Cmd+Q / right-click quit)
• Windows: ensure file is .json not .json.txt </details>

<details> <summary><strong>Connection errors</strong></summary>

• Obsidian must be running with Local REST API enabled
• Test API: curl -k https://127.0.0.1:27124/ -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_KEY"
• Regenerate API key if needed </details>

<details> <summary><strong>Windows: "node not recognized"</strong></summary>

Use full path: "command": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe" </details>

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Development

npm run build      # Compile TypeScript
npm run dev        # Watch mode
npm run inspector  # Test tools in browser UI

Adding Tools

Create/edit files in src/tools/, then rebuild:

server.tool("my_tool", "Description", { param: z.string() }, async ({ param }) => {
  return { content: [{ type: "text", text: "Result" }] };
});

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FAQ

Is it free? Yes, the Local REST API plugin is free.

Are my notes sent to the cloud? No. Everything stays local. Only your conversation with Claude goes to Anthropic (like any Claude chat).

Works with Obsidian Sync? Yes, it accesses your local vault files.

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Contributing

PRs welcome! Fork → create branch → commit → open PR.

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License

MIT — see LICENSE

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