# Configuration Reference
All configuration options for the Obsidian MCP Server.
## Environment Variables
### Vault Configuration
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
| ------------------ | -------- | ----------------- | ----------------------------------------- |
| `OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH` | `string` | Required | Absolute path to the Obsidian vault |
### Cache Settings
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
| ------------------------------ | -------- | ------- | ---------------------------------------- |
| `OBSIDIAN_CACHE_TTL` | `number` | `60000` | File list cache TTL in milliseconds |
| `OBSIDIAN_CONTENT_CACHE_SIZE` | `number` | `100` | Maximum entries in content cache |
| `OBSIDIAN_SEARCH_CACHE_SIZE` | `number` | `50` | Maximum entries in search cache |
| `OBSIDIAN_SEARCH_CACHE_TTL` | `number` | `30000` | Search cache TTL in milliseconds |
### Persistent Cache
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
| ---------------------------------- | --------- | -------------------- | --------------------------------- |
| `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_PERSISTENT_CACHE` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable LMDB-backed persistence |
| `OBSIDIAN_CACHE_PATH` | `string` | `./.obsidian-cache` | Path to LMDB database directory |
### Search Optimization
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
| ----------------------------------- | --------- | ------- | ------------------------------------ |
| `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_INVERTED_INDEX` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable inverted index for search |
| `OBSIDIAN_INDEX_MIN_WORD_LENGTH` | `number` | `2` | Minimum word length to index |
| `OBSIDIAN_INDEX_MAX_WORDS_PER_FILE` | `number` | `10000` | Maximum words to index per file |
| `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_PATH_TRIE` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable path trie for glob matching |
### Compression
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
| --------------------------------- | --------- | ------- | --------------------------------------- |
| `OBSIDIAN_COMPRESS_LARGE_RESULTS` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable compression for large results |
| `OBSIDIAN_COMPRESSION_THRESHOLD` | `number` | `10240` | Size threshold for compression (bytes) |
### File Watching
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
| -------------------------------- | -------- | ------- | ---------------------------------- |
| `OBSIDIAN_FILE_WATCHER_DEBOUNCE` | `number` | `100` | Debounce delay in milliseconds |
### Cache Warmup
| Variable | Type | Default | Description |
| ------------------------------ | --------- | ------- | --------------------------------- |
| `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_CACHE_WARMUP` | `boolean` | `false` | Enable cache warmup on startup |
| `OBSIDIAN_WARMUP_FILE_COUNT` | `number` | `1000` | Maximum files to warm on startup |
## Configuration Examples
### Minimal Configuration
For small vaults with basic requirements:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["path/to/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/vault"
}
}
}
}
```
### Performance Configuration
For large vaults requiring optimal performance:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["path/to/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/vault",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_PERSISTENT_CACHE": "true",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_INVERTED_INDEX": "true",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_PATH_TRIE": "true",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_CACHE_WARMUP": "true",
"OBSIDIAN_CONTENT_CACHE_SIZE": "500",
"OBSIDIAN_SEARCH_CACHE_SIZE": "100"
}
}
}
}
```
### Memory-Constrained Configuration
For environments with limited memory:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["path/to/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/vault",
"OBSIDIAN_CONTENT_CACHE_SIZE": "50",
"OBSIDIAN_SEARCH_CACHE_SIZE": "25",
"OBSIDIAN_COMPRESS_LARGE_RESULTS": "true",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_INVERTED_INDEX": "false",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_PATH_TRIE": "false"
}
}
}
}
```
### Fast Startup Configuration
For environments where startup time is critical:
```json
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["path/to/build/index.js"],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/vault",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_CACHE_WARMUP": "false",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_INVERTED_INDEX": "false",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_PATH_TRIE": "false"
}
}
}
}
```
## Configuration by Vault Size
### Small Vault (< 500 files)
Default configuration is sufficient. Consider enabling:
- `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_CACHE_WARMUP`: `true` for instant performance
### Medium Vault (500 - 5,000 files)
Recommended:
- `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_INVERTED_INDEX`: `true`
- `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_PATH_TRIE`: `true`
- `OBSIDIAN_CONTENT_CACHE_SIZE`: `200`
### Large Vault (> 5,000 files)
Recommended:
- All search optimizations enabled
- `OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_PERSISTENT_CACHE`: `true`
- `OBSIDIAN_CONTENT_CACHE_SIZE`: `500`
- `OBSIDIAN_WARMUP_FILE_COUNT`: `2000`
- `OBSIDIAN_COMPRESS_LARGE_RESULTS`: `true`
## Type Coercion
Environment variables are strings. The server converts them:
| Target Type | Conversion | Example |
| ----------- | ------------------------------------ | -------------------- |
| `number` | `parseInt()` or `parseFloat()` | `"100"` → `100` |
| `boolean` | `=== "true"` | `"true"` → `true` |
| `string` | Direct use | `"/path"` → `"/path"`|
## See Also
- [Features Reference](features/README.md) - What each feature does
- [Tools Reference](tools/README.md) - Available MCP tools
