📦

obsidian-server

MCP server for integrating AI assistants with Obsidian via the Local REST API plugin. 40+ tools for vault management, notes, search, and more.

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Installation

npx @aniketbiswas/obsidian-mcp-server

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Documentation

🗃️ 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.

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

Quick Start

1. Install the Obsidian Plugin

Obsidian → Settings → Community plugins → Browse
Search "Local REST API" → Install → Enable
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"

Available Tools

📁 Vault (6) — Status, list files, structure

vault_status · list_files · list_all_files · get_vault_structure · get_file_stats · delete_file

📝 Notes (9) — CRUD operations

read_note · create_note · update_note · append_to_note · prepend_to_note · insert_under_heading · replace_in_note · delete_note · copy_note

🔍 Search (7) — Full-text, tags, folders

search_notes · simple_search · search_by_tag · search_in_folder · find_notes_by_name · get_recent_notes · search_with_context

📊 Metadata (8) — Frontmatter & tags

get_frontmatter · update_frontmatter · set_frontmatter_property · get_tags · add_tags · remove_tags · add_aliases · get_all_tags_in_vault

🧭 Navigation (6) — Open notes, run commands

open_note · get_active_note · append_to_active_note · get_commands · execute_command · quick_capture

📅 Daily Notes (6) — Journals & standups

get_daily_note · append_to_daily_note · get_periodic_note · append_to_periodic_note · daily_journal_entry · daily_standup

🔗 Links (6) — Backlinks, orphans, graph

get_outgoing_links · get_backlinks · find_broken_links · find_orphan_notes · add_link_to_note · get_link_graph_data

📋 Templates (4) — Meeting, project, etc.

create_note_from_template · create_meeting_note · create_project_note · list_templates

Built-in: meeting · project · book · article · person · recipe · decision

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

Troubleshooting

"Cannot connect to MCP server" or "Server failed to start"

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:

Find your node path: which node
Find global modules: npm root -g
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)

Claude doesn't see the server

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

Connection errors

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

Windows: "node not recognized"

Use full path: "command": "C:\\Program Files\\nodejs\\node.exe"

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" }] };
});

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.

Contributing

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

License

MIT — see LICENSE