The MCP Private GitHub Search server enables seamless integration between GitHub-hosted Obsidian vaults and AI assistants, providing tools for accessing, searching, and analyzing your knowledge base content.
Key capabilities:
- Retrieve File Contents: Access specific notes or documents by their path
- Enhanced File Search: Search across filenames, paths, and content using GitHub's code search syntax
- Issue Search: Find GitHub issues and discussions related to your vault's repository
- Commit History Analysis: Track knowledge base evolution over time, with options to filter by days, author, and include detailed diffs
Enables searching private GitHub repositories, retrieving file contents, accessing commit history with optional diffs, and searching issues based on various criteria.
Implements type-safe interactions with GitHub APIs through comprehensive TypeScript type definitions.
Utilizes Zod schemas for robust input validation of all API inputs to ensure data integrity when interacting with GitHub resources.
Obsidian GitHub MCP
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects AI assistants to GitHub repositories containing Obsidian vaults. This server enables seamless integration with your knowledge base stored on GitHub, allowing AI assistants to read, search, and analyze your Obsidian notes and documentation.
Why This Tool?
Many Obsidian users store their vaults in GitHub for backup, versioning, and collaboration. This MCP server bridges the gap between your GitHub-hosted Obsidian vault and AI assistants, enabling:
- Knowledge Base Access: Retrieve specific notes and documents from your Obsidian vault
- Intelligent Search: Find relevant content across your entire knowledge base
- Evolution Tracking: See how your ideas and notes have developed over time
- Task Integration: Connect with issues and project management workflows
Features
- GitHub Repository Access: Connect to any GitHub repository containing your Obsidian vault
- Type-Safe Implementation: Written in TypeScript with comprehensive type definitions
- Input Validation: Robust validation for all API inputs using Zod schemas
- Error Handling: Graceful error handling with informative messages
- MCP Integration: Full compatibility with Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and other MCP hosts
Available Tools
Knowledge Base Access
- getFileContents: Retrieve the contents of specific notes, documents, or files from your Obsidian vault
- searchFiles: Enhanced search with multiple modes:
filename
: Find files by exact filename (perfect for "OKR 2025" type searches)path
: Search anywhere in file pathscontent
: Search within file contentsall
: Comprehensive search across filenames, paths, and content
Project Management Integration
- searchIssues: Search for issues and discussions related to your knowledge base projects
- getCommitHistory: Track how your knowledge base has evolved over time with detailed commit history and diffs
Use Cases
For Knowledge Workers
- Research Assistant: AI can access your research notes and reference materials
- Writing Support: Pull relevant background information from your knowledge base
- Idea Development: Track how concepts have evolved across your notes
For Developers
- Documentation Access: Retrieve project documentation and technical notes
- Learning Journals: Access your learning notes and code examples
- Project Planning: Integrate with GitHub issues for comprehensive project management
For Students & Academics
- Study Materials: Access lecture notes and study guides
- Research Papers: Retrieve research notes and citations
- Collaboration: Work with shared knowledge bases stored in GitHub
Installation
Using Smithery (Recommended)
The easiest way to install Obsidian GitHub MCP is using Smithery:
Manual Installation
Configuration
Add the server to your MCP settings file with the following configuration:
Required Environment Variables
GITHUB_TOKEN
: Your GitHub personal access token (create one here)GITHUB_OWNER
: The owner/organization of the GitHub repositoryGITHUB_REPO
: The name of the repository containing your Obsidian vault
GitHub Token Permissions
Your GitHub token needs the following permissions:
repo
(for private repositories) orpublic_repo
(for public repositories)read:org
(if accessing organization repositories)
Example Workflows
Accessing Your Daily Notes
Finding Files by Name (Perfect for "OKR 2025" example!)
Finding Files by Path
Finding Research on a Topic (Content Search)
Comprehensive Search (Filename, Path, and Content)
Advanced GitHub Search Syntax
Tracking Knowledge Evolution
Search Tips & Troubleshooting
Can't Find Your File by Name?
Problem: Searching for "OKR 2025" doesn't find your file named "OKR 2025.md"
Solution: Use the searchIn: "filename"
parameter:
Advanced Search Techniques
- Exact Phrases: Use quotes for multi-word searches
- File Extensions: Find specific file types
- Directory Specific: Search within folders
Project Structure
For Developers
If you're interested in contributing to this project or developing your own tools with this server, please see the Development Guide.
Development Commands
pnpm install
- Install dependenciespnpm run build
- Build the projectpnpm run dev
- Run in development mode with inspectorpnpm run inspector
- Launch MCP inspector for testing
Migration from mcp-private-github-search
If you're migrating from the older mcp-private-github-search
package:
- Update your package name in configuration:
- The functionality remains the same - all existing tools work identically
- Consider the new Obsidian-focused use cases and workflows
Learn More
For further information on the MCP ecosystem, refer to:
- Model Context Protocol Documentation: Detailed coverage of MCP architecture and design principles
- Smithery - MCP Server Registry: Guidelines for publishing MCP servers
- MCP TypeScript SDK Documentation: Comprehensive TypeScript SDK documentation
- Obsidian: The knowledge management app that inspired this tool
About Hint Services
"The future is already here, it's just unevenly distributed"
— William Gibson, Author
Hint Services is a boutique consultancy with a mission to develop and expand how user interfaces leverage artificial intelligence technology. We architect ambition at the intersection of AI and User Experience, founded and led by Ben Hofferber.
We offer specialized AI workshops for design teams looking to embrace AI tools without becoming developers. Learn more about our training and workshops.
remote-capable server
The server can be hosted and run remotely because it primarily relies on remote services or has no dependency on the local environment.
A Model Context Protocol server that provides tools for searching private GitHub repositories, enabling access to repository files, commit history, and issues with automatic handling of rate limiting and error handling.
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