obsidian_get_file_contents
Read-onlyIdempotent
Read complete contents of Obsidian vault files to analyze Zettelkasten notes, understand their structure, and identify connections for creating new atomic notes.
Instructions
Read the complete contents of a single file from the vault.
Use this to read existing Zettelkasten notes, understand their structure,
and find connections for creating new atomic notes.
Args:
params (GetFileInput): Contains:
- filepath (str): Path to file relative to vault root
Returns:
str: File contents including frontmatter and body
Example:
For filepath="Zettelkasten/202411061234.md", returns the full note content.Input Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| params | Yes |
Output Schema
TableJSON Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| result | Yes |
Implementation Reference
- The decorated handler function implementing the core logic of obsidian_get_file_contents tool: reads file via client, formats output with header, truncates long content, handles API errors.
@mcp.tool( name="obsidian_get_file_contents", annotations={ "title": "Get File Contents", "readOnlyHint": True, "destructiveHint": False, "idempotentHint": True, "openWorldHint": False } ) async def get_file_contents(params: GetFileInput) -> str: """Read the complete contents of a single file from the vault. Use this to read existing Zettelkasten notes, understand their structure, and find connections for creating new atomic notes. Args: params (GetFileInput): Contains: - filepath (str): Path to file relative to vault root Returns: str: File contents including frontmatter and body Example: For filepath="Zettelkasten/202411061234.md", returns the full note content. """ try: content = await obsidian_client.read_file(params.filepath) # Add filepath header for context output = f"# File: {params.filepath}\n\n{content}" return truncate_response(output, f"file {params.filepath}") except ObsidianAPIError as e: return json.dumps({ "error": str(e), "filepath": params.filepath, "success": False }, indent=2) - Pydantic model defining the input schema for the tool, specifying the required filepath parameter with validation.
class GetFileInput(BaseModel): """Input for getting file contents.""" model_config = ConfigDict(str_strip_whitespace=True, extra='forbid') filepath: str = Field( description="Path to the file relative to vault root (e.g., 'Notes/zettelkasten/202411061234.md')", min_length=1, max_length=500 ) - Helper function used by the tool handler to truncate responses exceeding 25000 characters.
def truncate_response(content: str, description: str = "response") -> str: """Truncate content if it exceeds CHARACTER_LIMIT.""" if len(content) <= CHARACTER_LIMIT: return content truncated = content[:CHARACTER_LIMIT] message = f"\n\n[Response truncated at {CHARACTER_LIMIT} characters. Original {description} was {len(content)} characters. Use filters or pagination to reduce results.]" return truncated + message - Supporting method in ObsidianClient that performs the actual API GET request to retrieve file contents, called by the tool handler.
async def read_file(self, filepath: str) -> str: """Read file content from the vault.""" result = await self.get(f"/vault/{filepath}") return result.get("content", "") - src/custom_obsidian_mcp/server.py:473-482 (registration)The @mcp.tool decorator registering the function as an MCP tool with name and annotations.
@mcp.tool( name="obsidian_get_file_contents", annotations={ "title": "Get File Contents", "readOnlyHint": True, "destructiveHint": False, "idempotentHint": True, "openWorldHint": False } )