Obsidian MCP Server

Search for notes by filename or content, with smart ranking.

DEFAULT BEHAVIOR (NEW): Searches BOTH note filenames AND content automatically. Filename matches are ranked higher than content matches for better discovery.

When to use:

• Finding a note when you know part of its name (just type the name)

• Finding notes containing specific content

• Locating notes with specific tags

• Searching within specific folders

• Finding notes by frontmatter properties

Search modes:

• Default: searches BOTH filenames and content (filename matches ranked higher) Example: "tag refactor" finds "Obsidian Tag Refactor.md" AND notes mentioning "tag refactor"

• "path:text" - searches ONLY in filenames/paths

• "tag:tagname" - searches by tag (supports hierarchical tags)

• "property:name:value" - searches by frontmatter properties

Examples:

• Find a note by name: "Project Tracker" (will find "Project Tracker.md" first)

• Search content only: Use explicit path: prefix to exclude: "path:Project"

• Find by tag: "tag:important" or "tag:project/web"

• Find by property: "property:status:active"

Tag search supports hierarchical tags:

• "tag:project" finds all project-related tags including project/web, project/mobile

• "tag:web" finds any tag ending with "web" like project/web, design/web

When NOT to use:

• Searching by date (use search_by_date instead)

• Listing all notes (use list_notes for better performance)

• Reading a specific note when you know the exact path (use read_note directly)

Returns: Search results with matched notes, relevance scores, and context. Filename matches have higher scores than content matches. Response includes match_type field: "filename" or "content".