Obsidian MCP Server

Obsidian MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants like Claude to interact with your Obsidian vault. This server provides tools for reading, creating, searching, and managing notes in Obsidian through the Local REST API plugin.

Features

• 📖 Read & write notes - Full access to your Obsidian vault with automatic overwrite protection
• 🔍 Smart search - Find notes by content, tags, or modification date
• 📁 Browse vault - List and navigate your notes and folders by directory
• 🏷️ Tag management - Add, remove, and organize tags (supports both frontmatter and inline tags)
• 🔗 Link management - Find backlinks, analyze outgoing links, and identify broken links
• 📊 Note insights - Get statistics like word count and link analysis
• 🎯 AI-optimized - Clear error messages and smart defaults for better AI interactions
• 🔒 Secure - API key authentication with local-only connections
• ⚡ Performance optimized - Concurrent operations and batching for large vaults
• 🚀 Bulk operations - Create folder hierarchies and move entire folders with all their contents

Prerequisites

• Obsidian with the Local REST API plugin installed and enabled
• Python 3.10+ installed on your system
• Node.js (optional, for running MCP Inspector)

Installation

Quick Install

1. Install and configure Obsidian:
   • Install the Local REST API plugin in Obsidian
   • Enable the plugin in Settings > Community plugins
   • Go to Settings > Local REST API
   • Copy your API key (you'll need this for step 2)
2. Configure your AI tool:Edit your Claude Desktop config file:
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["obsidian-mcp"], "env": { "OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } }

   Add to your Cursor settings:

   • Project-specific: .cursor/mcp.json in your project directory
   • Global: ~/.cursor/mcp.json in your home directory
   { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["obsidian-mcp"], "env": { "OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } }

   Then: Open Settings → Cursor Settings → Enable MCP

   Edit your Windsurf config file:

   • Location: ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json
   { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "uvx", "args": ["obsidian-mcp"], "env": { "OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } }

   Then: Open Windsurf Settings → Advanced Settings → Cascade → Add Server → Refresh

   Replace your-api-key-here with the API key you copied from Obsidian.

   Using HTTPS or custom port? Add "OBSIDIAN_API_URL": "https://localhost:27124" to the env section. See Advanced Configuration for details.

3. Restart your AI tool to load the new configuration.

That's it! The server will now be available in your AI tool with access to your Obsidian vault.

Note: This uses uvx which automatically downloads and runs the server in an isolated environment. Most users won't need to install anything else. If you don't have uv installed, you can also use pipx install obsidian-mcp and change the command to "obsidian-mcp" in the config.

Try It Out

Here are some example prompts to get started:

• "Show me all notes I modified this week"
• "Create a new daily note for today with my meeting agenda"
• "Search for all notes about project planning"
• "Read my Ideas/startup.md note"

Development Installation

1. Clone the repository:
   git clone https://github.com/natestrong/obsidian-mcp cd obsidian-mcp
2. Set up Python environment:
   # Using pyenv (recommended) pyenv virtualenv 3.12.9 obsidian-mcp pyenv activate obsidian-mcp # Or using venv python -m venv venv source venv/bin/activate # On Windows: venv\Scripts\activate
3. Install dependencies:
   pip install -r requirements.txt
4. Set up Obsidian Local REST API:
   • Install the Local REST API plugin in Obsidian
   • Enable the plugin in Obsidian settings
   • Copy the API key from the plugin settings
   • Note the port number (default: 27123 for HTTP, 27124 for HTTPS)
5. Configure environment variables:
   export OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY="your-api-key-here" # export OBSIDIAN_API_URL="https://localhost:27124" # Optional: only if using HTTPS
6. Add to Claude Desktop (for development):Edit your Claude Desktop config file:
   • macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
   { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "/path/to/python", "args": ["-m", "src.server"], "cwd": "/path/to/obsidian-mcp", "env": { "PYTHONPATH": "/path/to/obsidian-mcp", "OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here" } } } }

Project Structure

Available Tools

Note Management

read_note

Read the content and metadata of a specific note.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note (e.g., "Daily/2024-01-15.md")

Returns:

create_note

Create a new note or update an existing one.

Parameters:

• path: Path where the note should be created
• content: Markdown content of the note (consider adding tags for organization)
• overwrite (default: false): Whether to overwrite existing notes

Best Practices:

• Add relevant tags when creating notes to maintain organization
• Use list_tags to see existing tags and maintain consistency
• Tags can be added as inline hashtags (#tag) or in frontmatter

update_note

Update the content of an existing note.

⚠️ IMPORTANT: By default, this tool REPLACES the entire note content. Always read the note first if you need to preserve existing content.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note to update
• content: New markdown content (REPLACES existing content unless using append)
• create_if_not_exists (default: false): Create if doesn't exist
• merge_strategy (default: "replace"): How to handle content
  • "replace": Overwrites entire note content (default)
  • "append": Adds new content to the end of existing content

Safe Update Pattern:

1. ALWAYS read first to preserve content
2. Modify the content as needed
3. Update with the complete new content
4. Or use append mode to add content to the end

delete_note

Delete a note from the vault.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note to delete

Search and Discovery

search_notes

Search for notes containing specific text or tags.

Parameters:

• query: Search query (supports Obsidian search syntax)
• context_length (default: 100): Number of characters to show around matches

Search Syntax:

• Text search: "machine learning"
• Tag search: tag:project or tag:#project
• Path search: path:Daily/
• Combined: tag:urgent TODO

search_by_date

Search for notes by creation or modification date.

Parameters:

• date_type (default: "modified"): Either "created" or "modified"
• days_ago (default: 7): Number of days to look back
• operator (default: "within"): Either "within" (last N days) or "exactly" (exactly N days ago)

Returns:

Example usage:

• "Show me all notes modified today" → search_by_date("modified", 0, "within")
• "Show me all notes modified this week" → search_by_date("modified", 7, "within")
• "Find notes created in the last 30 days" → search_by_date("created", 30, "within")
• "What notes were modified exactly 2 days ago?" → search_by_date("modified", 2, "exactly")

list_notes

List notes in your vault with optional recursive traversal.

Parameters:

• directory (optional): Specific directory to list (e.g., "Daily", "Projects")
• recursive (default: true): List all notes recursively

Returns:

list_folders

List folders in your vault with optional recursive traversal.

Parameters:

• directory (optional): Specific directory to list from
• recursive (default: true): Include all nested subfolders

Returns:

Organization

create_folder

Create a new folder in the vault, including all parent folders in the path.

Parameters:

• folder_path: Path of the folder to create (e.g., "Apple/Studies/J71P")
• create_placeholder (default: true): Whether to create a placeholder file

Returns:

Note: This tool will create all necessary parent folders. For example, if "Apple" exists but "Studies" doesn't, it will create both "Studies" and "J71P".

move_note

Move a note to a new location.

Parameters:

• source_path: Current path of the note
• destination_path: New path for the note
• update_links (default: true): Update links in other notes (future enhancement)

move_folder

Move an entire folder and all its contents to a new location.

Parameters:

• source_folder: Current folder path (e.g., "Projects/Old")
• destination_folder: New folder path (e.g., "Archive/Projects/Old")
• update_links (default: true): Update links in other notes (future enhancement)

Returns:

add_tags

Add tags to a note's frontmatter.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note
• tags: List of tags to add (without # prefix)

update_tags

Update tags on a note - either replace all tags or merge with existing.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note
• tags: New tags to set (without # prefix)
• merge (default: false): If true, adds to existing tags. If false, replaces all tags

Perfect for AI workflows:

remove_tags

Remove tags from a note's frontmatter.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note
• tags: List of tags to remove

get_note_info

Get metadata and statistics about a note without retrieving its full content.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note

Returns:

list_tags

List all unique tags used across your vault with usage statistics.

Parameters:

• include_counts (default: true): Include usage count for each tag
• sort_by (default: "name"): Sort by "name" or "count"

Returns:

Performance Notes:

• Fast for small vaults (<1000 notes)
• May take several seconds for large vaults
• Uses concurrent batching for optimization

Link Management

⚡ Performance Note: Link management tools have been heavily optimized in v1.1.5:

• 84x faster link validity checking
• 96x faster broken link detection
• 2x faster backlink searches
• Includes automatic caching and batch processing

get_backlinks

Find all notes that link to a specific note.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note to find backlinks for
• include_context (default: true): Whether to include text context around links
• context_length (default: 100): Number of characters of context to include

Returns:

Use cases:

• Understanding which notes reference a concept or topic
• Discovering relationships between notes
• Building a mental map of note connections

get_outgoing_links

List all links from a specific note.

Parameters:

• path: Path to the note to extract links from
• check_validity (default: false): Whether to check if linked notes exist

Returns:

Use cases:

• Understanding what a note references
• Checking note dependencies before moving/deleting
• Exploring the structure of index or hub notes

find_broken_links

Find all broken links in the vault, a specific directory, or a single note.

Parameters:

• directory (optional): Specific directory to check (defaults to entire vault)
• single_note (optional): Check only this specific note for broken links

Returns:

Use cases:

• After renaming or deleting notes
• Regular vault maintenance
• Before reorganizing folder structure

Testing

Running Tests

Testing with MCP Inspector

1. Ensure Obsidian is running with the Local REST API plugin enabled
2. Run the MCP Inspector:
   npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector python -m src.server
3. Open the Inspector UI at http://localhost:5173
4. Test the tools interactively with your actual vault

Integration with Claude Desktop

For development installations, see the Development Installation section above.

Enhanced Error Handling

The server provides detailed, actionable error messages to help AI systems recover from errors:

Example Error Messages

Invalid Path:

Empty Search Query:

Invalid Date Parameters:

Troubleshooting

"Connection refused" error

• Ensure Obsidian is running
• Verify the Local REST API plugin is enabled
• Check that the port matches (default: 27123 for HTTP, 27124 for HTTPS)
• Confirm the API key is correct
• The enhanced error will show the exact URL and port being used

Tags not showing up

• Ensure tags are properly formatted (with or without # prefix)
• Check that the Local REST API plugin is up to date
• Tags in frontmatter should be in YAML array format: tags: [tag1, tag2]
• Inline tags should use the # prefix: #project #urgent

"Certificate verify failed" error

• This is expected with the Local REST API's self-signed certificate
• The server handles this automatically

"Module not found" error

• Ensure your virtual environment is activated
• Run from the project root: python -m src.server
• Verify PYTHONPATH includes the project directory

Empty results when listing notes

• Specify a directory when using list_notes (e.g., "Daily", "Projects")
• Root directory listing requires recursive implementation
• Check if notes are in subdirectories

Tags not updating

• Ensure notes have YAML frontmatter section for frontmatter tags
• Frontmatter must include a tags: field (even if empty)
• The server now properly reads both frontmatter tags and inline hashtags

Best Practices for AI Assistants

Preventing Data Loss

1. Always read before updating: The update_note tool REPLACES content by default
2. Use append mode for additions: When adding to existing notes, use merge_strategy="append"
3. Check note existence: Use read_note to verify a note exists before modifying
4. Be explicit about overwrites: Only use overwrite=true when intentionally replacing content

Recommended Workflows

Safe note editing:

1. Read the existing note first
2. Modify the content as needed
3. Update with the complete new content

Adding to daily notes:

• Use merge_strategy="append" to add entries without losing existing content

Creating new notes:

• Use create_note with overwrite=false (default) to prevent accidental overwrites
• Add relevant tags to maintain organization
• Use list_tags to see existing tags and avoid creating duplicates

Organizing with tags:

• Check existing tags with list_tags before creating new ones
• Maintain consistent naming (e.g., use "project" not "projects")
• Use tags to enable powerful search and filtering

Security Considerations

• Keep your API key secret - never commit it to version control
• The server validates all paths to prevent directory traversal attacks
• Communication with Obsidian uses HTTP by default (localhost only) or HTTPS with self-signed certificate
• The server only accepts local connections through the REST API

Development

Code Style

• Uses FastMCP framework for MCP implementation
• Pydantic models for type safety and validation
• Modular architecture with separated concerns
• Comprehensive error handling and user-friendly messages

Adding New Tools

1. Create tool function in appropriate module under src/tools/
2. Add Pydantic models if needed in src/models/
3. Register the tool in src/server.py with the @mcp.tool() decorator
4. Include comprehensive docstrings
5. Add tests in tests/
6. Test with MCP Inspector before deploying

Changelog

v1.1.7 (2025-01-10)

• 🔄 Changed default API endpoint to HTTP (http://127.0.0.1:27123) for easier setup
• 📝 Updated documentation to reflect HTTP as default, HTTPS as optional
• 🔧 Added note about automatic trailing slash handling in URLs
• ✨ Improved first-time user experience with zero-configuration setup

v1.1.6 (2025-01-10)

• 🐛 Fixed timeout errors when creating or updating large notes
• ⚡ Added graceful timeout handling for better reliability with large content
• 🔧 Improved error reporting to prevent false failures on successful operations

v1.1.5 (2025-01-09)

• ⚡ Massive performance optimization for link management:
  • 84x faster link validity checking
  • 96x faster broken link detection
  • 2x faster backlink searches
  • Added automatic caching and batch processing
• 🔧 Optimized concurrent operations for large vaults
• 📝 Enhanced documentation for performance considerations

v1.1.4 (2025-01-09)

• 🔗 Added link management tools for comprehensive vault analysis:
  • get_backlinks - Find all notes linking to a specific note
  • get_outgoing_links - List all links from a note with validity checking
  • find_broken_links - Identify broken links for vault maintenance
• 🔧 Fixed URL construction to support both HTTPS (default) and HTTP endpoints
• 📝 Enhanced link parsing to handle both wiki-style and markdown links
• ⚡ Optimized backlink search to handle various path formats

v1.1.3 (2025-01-09)

• 🐛 Fixed search_by_date to properly find notes modified today (days_ago=0)
• ✨ Added list_folders tool for exploring vault folder structure
• ✨ Added create_folder tool that creates full folder hierarchies
• ✨ Added move_folder tool for bulk folder operations
• ✨ Added update_tags tool for AI-driven tag management
• 🐛 Fixed tag reading to properly handle both frontmatter and inline hashtags
• ✨ Added list_tags tool to discover existing tags with usage statistics
• ⚡ Optimized performance with concurrent batching for large vaults
• 📝 Improved documentation and error messages following MCP best practices
• 🎯 Enhanced create_note to encourage tag usage for better organization

v1.1.2 (2025-01-09)

• Fixed PyPI package documentation

v1.1.1 (2025-01-06)

• Initial PyPI release

Publishing (for maintainers)

To publish a new version to PyPI:

Users can then install and run with:

Configuration

Advanced Configuration

If you're using a non-standard setup, you can customize the server behavior with these environment variables:

• OBSIDIAN_API_URL - Override the default API endpoint (default: http://127.0.0.1:27123)
  • Use this if you're running the HTTPS endpoint (e.g., https://localhost:27124)
  • Or if you've changed the port number in the Local REST API plugin settings
  • The HTTP endpoint is used by default for easier setup
  • Note: Trailing slashes are handled automatically (both http://127.0.0.1:27123 and http://127.0.0.1:27123/ work)

Example for HTTPS or non-standard configurations:

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch (git checkout -b feature/amazing-tool)
3. Write tests for new functionality
4. Ensure all tests pass
5. Commit your changes (git commit -m 'Add amazing tool')
6. Push to the branch (git push origin feature/amazing-tool)
7. Open a Pull Request

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Acknowledgments

• Anthropic for creating the Model Context Protocol
• Obsidian team for the amazing note-taking app
• coddingtonbear for the Local REST API plugin
• dsp-ant for the FastMCP framework