Obsidian Vault MCP Server

An MCP server that gives Claude full read/write access to your Obsidian vault. Works with Claude Code and Claude Desktop.

What it does

Gives Claude 10 tools to work with your vault:

Related MCP server: Knowledge Assistant MCP Server

Quick start

1. Clone and build

git clone <this-repo>
cd obsidian-vault-mcp
npm install
npm run build

2. Find your vault path

Your Obsidian vault is just a folder on your filesystem. You need the absolute path to it.

Common locations:

• macOS: ~/Documents/My Vault or ~/Obsidian

• Windows: C:\Users\YourName\Documents\My Vault

• Linux: ~/Documents/My Vault

• iCloud (macOS): ~/Library/Mobile Documents/iCloud~md~obsidian/Documents/My Vault

• Google Drive: ~/Library/CloudStorage/GoogleDrive-you@gmail.com/My Drive/My Vault

To check: open Obsidian, click the vault icon (bottom-left), and look at the path shown under your vault name.

3. Configure Claude

Pick the setup that matches how you use Claude.

Option A: Claude Code

Add to ~/.claude/mcp.json (create the file if it doesn't exist):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-vault": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/obsidian-vault-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/your/obsidian/vault"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then restart Claude Code.

Option B: Claude Desktop

Open Claude Desktop settings (gear icon) > Developer > Edit Config, and add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-vault": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/obsidian-vault-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/your/obsidian/vault"
      }
    }
  }
}

Then restart Claude Desktop.

4. Test it

Ask Claude:

"List the folders in my Obsidian vault"

or

"Search my vault for notes about project planning"

Requirements

• Node.js 18+

• Obsidian vault (any vault — it reads/writes markdown files directly)

• ripgrep (optional, but makes search much faster)

Installing ripgrep (recommended)

Search is ~10x faster with ripgrep. Without it, the server falls back to a basic Node.js file search which works fine for smaller vaults.

# macOS
brew install ripgrep

# Ubuntu/Debian
sudo apt install ripgrep

# Windows (with Chocolatey)
choco install ripgrep

# Windows (with Scoop)
scoop install ripgrep

How it works

The server reads and writes .md files directly on your filesystem — it doesn't go through the Obsidian app or its API. This means:

• Obsidian doesn't need to be running

• Changes sync instantly (Obsidian picks them up when it's open)

• It works with any sync setup (iCloud, Google Drive, Syncthing, etc.)

• Only .md files are visible — attachments, images, and hidden files are ignored

Permissions note

This server has full read/write access to your vault. Claude can create, edit, move, and delete notes. If you want read-only access, remove the write tools (create_note, update_note, delete_note, create_folder, move_note) from the source, or deny those tools in your Claude Code permissions.

Troubleshooting

"Missing required environment variable: OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH" You haven't set the vault path. Check your config — OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH must be set in the env block.

"Vault path does not exist" The path is wrong. Double-check the absolute path to your vault folder. Make sure there are no typos, and that you're using the right path separator for your OS.

"Cannot find module" errors Run npm run build — the TypeScript needs to be compiled to JavaScript first.

Search returns no results but you know the content exists If ripgrep isn't installed, the fallback search is slower and may time out on very large vaults. Install ripgrep for better performance.

Claude doesn't see the tools Restart Claude Code or Claude Desktop after changing the config. Check the MCP server logs in Claude Desktop (Developer > Logs).