Obsidian

Overview

MCP Obsidian is a Model Context Protocol server developed by Smithery AI that creates a secure connection between AI assistants (particularly Claude) and Obsidian vaults. As part of the emerging MCP ecosystem, this server implements standardized protocols for AI systems to interact with external tools and resources while maintaining strict security boundaries.

The server acts as a broker that enables AI assistants to access, search, and manipulate notes within Obsidian without requiring direct file system access. This allows for powerful knowledge management workflows where AI can reference, organize, and enhance your personal knowledge base.

Features

Vault Access Management

• Secure, contained access to specified Obsidian vaults
• Permission-based file operations with validation checks
• Resource monitoring and automatic cleanup mechanisms

Content Operations

• Read existing notes with full formatting preservation
• Create new notes with proper metadata
• Edit and update note content with atomic operations
• Move and reorganize content within your vault

Advanced Search Capabilities

• Full-text search across vault contents
• Context-aware searching with configurable parameters
• Metadata and tag-based filtering
• Support for complex queries using JsonLogic

Metadata Management

• YAML frontmatter parsing and intelligent merging
• Automated timestamp handling
• Tag management (add, remove, rename)

Security Focus

• API key authentication
• Rate limiting to prevent abuse
• Configurable operation timeouts
• Secure communication channels

Use Cases

Personal Knowledge Enhancement

• Ask Claude questions about your personal notes
• Have Claude automatically connect related ideas across your vault
• Generate summaries of complex note collections

Content Creation Acceleration

• Request Claude to draft new notes based on your specifications
• Expand bullet points into fully-formed content
• Convert meeting notes into structured documentation

Knowledge Organization

• Intelligently tag and categorize existing notes
• Create link maps between related concepts
• Identify knowledge gaps in your current documentation

Research Assistance

• Have Claude analyze patterns across your research notes
• Generate bibliographies from your reference materials
• Compare and contrast concepts from different notes

Tools

Core Utilities

• File operation handlers (read, write, move, delete)
• Search engine with context retrieval
• Metadata parser and updater

Integration Components

• MCP protocol handlers (stdin/stdout communication)
• API client for Obsidian Local REST API
• Resource management system

Development Tools

• TypeScript-based codebase
• Modular architecture for extensibility
• Comprehensive logging system

Integration Complexity

3/5 - Moderate complexity requiring basic configuration but with clear documentation

Setup Guide

For Claude Desktop

1. Install the Local REST API plugin in Obsidian and configure an API key

Settings > Community Plugins > Browse > "Local REST API"

2. Install the MCP Obsidian server:

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

3. Or manually configure Claude Desktop by editing the configuration file:

# On macOS
nano ~/Library/Application\ Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
 
# On Windows
notepad %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

4. Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@smithery/obsidian-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
        "OBSIDIAN_PORT": "27124",
        "VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/your/obsidian/vault"
      }
    }
  }
}

5. Restart Claude Desktop and look for the tools icon to confirm connection

For Cursor

1. Install the Local REST API plugin in Obsidian as described above
2. Configure Cursor to use the MCP server by adding to your settings:

{
  "ai.mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@smithery/obsidian-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "your_api_key_here",
        "OBSIDIAN_PORT": "27124",
        "VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/your/obsidian/vault"
      }
    }
  }
}

3. Restart Cursor and test the connection by asking about your Obsidian notes