Obsidian MCP REST Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server implementation that provides access to Obsidian vaults through a local REST API. This server allows AI assistants to interact with Obsidian notes and manage vault content through a standardized interface.

Features

Access Obsidian vault contents through MCP
Read and write notes
List vault contents
Search functionality
Secure local REST API integration
Compatible with Claude Desktop and other AI assistants

Prerequisites

Node.js 16 or higher
Obsidian with Local REST API plugin installed and configured
An Obsidian vault with Local REST API enabled

Installation

Install the package globally:

npm install -g PublikPrinciple/obsidian-mcp-rest

Or if you prefer using a specific version/branch:

npm install -g PublikPrinciple/obsidian-mcp-rest#main

Configuration

First, configure Obsidian Local REST API plugin:
- Install the Local REST API plugin in Obsidian
- Configure the API port (default: 27123)
- Generate and save an API key
Create a configuration file config.json:

{
  "obsidian": {
    "apiKey": "your-api-key-here",
    "port": 27123,
    "host": "localhost"
  },
  "server": {
    "name": "obsidian-mcp",
    "version": "1.0.0"
  }
}

Usage

Start the server:

obsidian-mcp-rest --config path/to/config.json

The server will start and listen for MCP requests via stdin/stdout.

Using with Claude Desktop

Configure Claude Desktop to use this MCP server:
- Open Claude Desktop settings
- Navigate to the MCP section
- Add new server configuration:
  { "name": "obsidian-mcp", "command": "obsidian-mcp-rest", "args": ["--config", "path/to/config.json"] }
Claude can now access your Obsidian vault through commands like:
Read note "Projects/MyProject.md" List all notes in "Projects" folder Search for notes containing "typescript"

Available Tools

listNotes: List all notes in the vault or a specific folder
readNote: Read the contents of a specific note
writeNote: Create or update a note
searchNotes: Search for notes using a query string
getMetadata: Get metadata for a specific note

Security

The server only runs locally and communicates through stdin/stdout
All requests to Obsidian REST API are authenticated with your API key
No external network access is required
Data remains local to your machine

Development

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/PublikPrinciple/obsidian-mcp-rest.git
cd obsidian-mcp-rest

Install dependencies:

npm install

Build the project:

npm run build

Run tests:

npm test

Troubleshooting

Installation Issues

If you encounter any installation issues, try these alternatives:

Clone and install locally:

git clone https://github.com/PublikPrinciple/obsidian-mcp-rest.git
cd obsidian-mcp-rest
npm install
npm run build
npm install -g .

If you see TypeScript-related errors, ensure TypeScript is installed globally:

npm install -g typescript

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request. For major changes, please open an issue first to discuss what you would like to change.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details

Obsidian MCP REST Server

Integrations