Obsidian MCP Server

What is Obsidian MCP Server about?

It provides a Model Context Protocol (MCP) interface that lets AI assistants interact directly with the file structure of an Obsidian vault, offering read/write capabilities for notes, directories, and tag management.

How to use Obsidian MCP Server?

1. Install Node.js 20+.
2. Add an MCP server entry to Claude Desktop's claude_desktop_config.json (or another MCP‑compatible client) using the npx command.
3. Supply absolute paths to one or more vaults.
4. Restart the client; the hammer icon indicates a successful connection.
5. Invoke the exposed tools (read-note, create-note, search-vault, etc.) from the AI assistant.

Key Features of Obsidian MCP Server

• Read and search notes across the vault.
• Create new notes, directories, and sub‑vaults.
• Edit, move, or delete existing notes.
• Add, remove, rename, and list tags.
• Multi‑vault support with a list-available-vaults tool.
• Fully scriptable via MCP tool definitions.

Use Cases of Obsidian MCP Server

• Automating daily journaling or meeting minutes creation.
• Managing large knowledge bases by bulk‑renaming tags or reorganising folders.
• Enabling AI‑driven research assistants to pull relevant notes on‑the‑fly.
• Implementing custom workflows such as task generation from note content.
• Providing AI chatbots with up‑to‑date context from personal knowledge repositories.

FAQ from the Obsidian MCP Server

Q: Do I need to grant write access? A: Yes. The server can read and write files; always back up your vault before use.

Q: Which operating systems are supported? A: Any OS that can run Node.js 20+ (macOS, Windows, Linux).

Q: Can I use the server with multiple vaults? A: Absolutely. Provide additional vault paths in the args array; the list-available-vaults tool helps manage them.

Q: How do I troubleshoot connection issues? A: Verify JSON syntax in the Claude config, ensure paths are absolute and existent, and check the log files (~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log on macOS or %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp*.log on Windows).

Q: Is there a way to install via Smithery? A: Yes, using npx -y @smithery/cli install obsidian-mcp --client claude, though manual installation is recommended.

Obsidian MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that enables AI assistants to interact with Obsidian vaults, providing tools for reading, creating, editing and managing notes and tags.

Warning!!!

This MCP has read and write access (if you allow it). Please. PLEASE backup your Obsidian vault prior to using obsidian-mcp to manage your notes. I recommend using git, but any backup method will work. These tools have been tested, but not thoroughly, and this MCP is in active development.

Features

• Read and search notes in your vault
• Create new notes and directories
• Edit existing notes
• Move and delete notes
• Manage tags (add, remove, rename)
• Search vault contents

Requirements

• Node.js 20 or higher (might work on lower, but I haven't tested it)
• An Obsidian vault

Install

Installing Manually

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "obsidian": {
            "command": "npx",
            "args": ["-y", "obsidian-mcp", "/path/to/your/vault", "/path/to/your/vault2"]
        }
    }
}

Replace /path/to/your/vault with the absolute path to your Obsidian vault. For example:

MacOS/Linux:

"/Users/username/Documents/MyVault"

Windows:

"C:\\Users\\username\\Documents\\MyVault"

Restart Claude for Desktop after saving the configuration. You should see the hammer icon appear, indicating the server is connected.

If you have connection issues, check the logs at:

• MacOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp*.log

Installing via Smithery

Warning: I am not affiliated with Smithery. I have not tested using it and encourage users to install manually if they can.

To install Obsidian for Claude Desktop automatically via Smithery:

npx -y @smithery/cli install obsidian-mcp --client claude

Development

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/StevenStavrakis/obsidian-mcp
cd obsidian-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

Then add to your Claude Desktop configuration:

{
    "mcpServers": {
        "obsidian": {
            "command": "node",
            "args": ["<absolute-path-to-obsidian-mcp>/build/main.js", "/path/to/your/vault", "/path/to/your/vault2"]
        }
    }
}

Available Tools

• read-note - Read the contents of a note
• create-note - Create a new note
• edit-note - Edit an existing note
• delete-note - Delete a note
• move-note - Move a note to a different location
• create-directory - Create a new directory
• search-vault - Search notes in the vault
• add-tags - Add tags to a note
• remove-tags - Remove tags from a note
• rename-tag - Rename a tag across all notes
• manage-tags - List and organize tags
• list-available-vaults - List all available vaults (helps with multi-vault setups)

Documentation

Additional documentation can be found in the docs directory:

• creating-tools.md - Guide for creating new tools
• tool-examples.md - Examples of using the available tools

Security

This server requires access to your Obsidian vault directory. When configuring the server, make sure to:

• Only provide access to your intended vault directory
• Review tool actions before approving them

Troubleshooting

Common issues:

1. Server not showing up in Claude Desktop

   • Verify your configuration file syntax
   • Make sure the vault path is absolute and exists
   • Restart Claude Desktop

2. Permission errors

   • Ensure the vault path is readable/writable
   • Check file permissions in your vault

3. Tool execution failures

   • Check Claude Desktop logs at:
     • macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
     • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp*.log

License

MIT