Provides AI assistants with secure access to Obsidian vaults, enabling reading, writing, searching, and managing notes, including YAML frontmatter, tags, links, daily notes, templates, batch operations, attachments, and backups.
Click on "Deploy Server".
Wait a few minutes for the server to deploy. Once ready, it will show a "Started" state.
In the chat, type @ followed by the MCP server name and your instructions, e.g., "@Another bloated Obsidian MCP Server search my vault for 'project ideas'"
That's it! The server will respond to your query, and you can continue using it as needed.
Here is a step-by-step guide with screenshots.
🔴🔴🔴 EXPERIMENTAL PROJECT - DO NOT USE IN PRODUCTION 🔴🔴🔴
This is an experimental project created primarily through AI-assisted development using Claude Code, with minimal human intervention. It is intended solely for testing and learning purposes.
This project should NOT be used for:
Production environments
Critical data or important vaults
Any scenario where data integrity is essential
Use at your own risk. The code may contain bugs, security vulnerabilities, or unexpected behaviors.
Support notice: This project will likely not receive attention for bugs or issues reported by third parties. If you're interested in contributing or reporting issues, you may not get a response as this project may not be maintained long-term. However, this could change after the experimentation phase.
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides AI assistants with secure access to Obsidian vaults. Enables reading, writing, searching, and managing notes without requiring Obsidian to be running.
Direct filesystem access - Works without Obsidian running
Multi-vault support - Manage multiple vaults simultaneously
Configurable tool groups - Enable only the features you need
Full CRUD operations - Create, read, update, delete notes
YAML frontmatter - Parse and manipulate note metadata
Tag management - Add, remove, and search by tags
Link analysis - Backlinks, outlinks, orphans, broken links, link graph
Daily notes - Create and manage daily journal entries
Templates - Apply templates with variable substitution
Obsidian Bases - Query dynamic note views based on filters
Batch operations - Process multiple notes efficiently
Attachment tracking - List and find unused attachments
Backup system - Create and restore note backups
Security-first - Path traversal protection, symlink escape prevention
Related MCP server: Obsidian MCP
Node.js 18+
npm or yarn
# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/yourusername/obsidian-mcp-server.git
cd obsidian-mcp-server
# Install dependencies
npm install
# or
yarn install
# Build (optional - can run directly with tsx)
npm run build# Start the server with a vault
npm start /path/to/your/vault
# With specific tool groups
npm start /path/to/your/vault --tools=vault,notes,search
# With a custom vault name
npm start /path/to/your/vault my-vault# Add the MCP server
claude mcp add obsidian \
--transport stdio \
--scope user \
-- npx tsx /path/to/obsidian-mcp-server/src/index.ts /path/to/vault
# With specific tool groups
claude mcp add obsidian \
--transport stdio \
--scope user \
-- npx tsx /path/to/obsidian-mcp-server/src/index.ts /path/to/vault --tools=vault,notes,searchScope options:
user - Available in all projects (saved in ~/.claude.json)
local - Current project only
project - Shared with team (saved in .mcp.json)
Useful commands:
claude mcp list # List configured servers
claude mcp get obsidian # View server details
claude mcp remove obsidian # Remove serverEdit ~/.claude.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"tsx",
"/path/to/obsidian-mcp-server/src/index.ts",
"/path/to/your/vault",
"--tools=vault,notes,search"
]
}
}
}Edit the config file at ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"tsx",
"/path/to/obsidian-mcp-server/src/index.ts",
"/path/to/your/vault",
"--tools=vault,notes,search"
]
}
}
}Group | Tools | Description |
| list_vaults, set_active_vault, register_vault | Vault management |
| list_notes, read_note, create_note, update_note, delete_note, rename_note, move_note | Note CRUD operations |
| search_vault | Full-text search |
| get_frontmatter, update_frontmatter, remove_frontmatter_field, add_to_array_field, remove_from_array_field | YAML metadata |
| list_tags, add_tag, remove_tag, search_by_tag | Tag management |
| get_outlinks, get_backlinks, find_orphans, find_broken_links, get_link_graph | Link analysis |
| get_daily_note, create_daily_note, list_daily_notes, append_to_daily | Daily notes |
| list_templates, get_template, apply_template, create_from_template | Template system |
| list_bases, get_base, query_base | Obsidian Bases |
| batch_move, batch_delete, batch_update_frontmatter, batch_add_tag, batch_remove_tag, batch_read_notes | Batch operations |
| list_attachments, get_attachment_info, find_unused_attachments, get_attachments_in_note | Attachment management |
| create_note_backup, list_backups, restore_backup, delete_old_backups | Backup system |
Special values:
all - Enable all tool groups (default)
none - Disable all tools (for testing)
--tools=vault,notes,searchSafe for exploration without modifying notes.
--tools=vault,notes,search,daily,tagsQuick capture, daily notes, and tag organization.
--tools=vault,notes,search,links,tagsExplore connections, find orphans, analyze the knowledge graph.
--tools=vault,notes,search,templates,frontmatterCreate notes from templates, manage metadata.
--tools=allAll features enabled.
Create ~/.obsidian-mcp/config.json:
{
"vaults": {
"personal": "/Users/you/Obsidian/Personal",
"work": "/Users/you/Obsidian/Work",
"research": "/Users/you/Obsidian/Research"
},
"defaultVault": "personal"
}Switch between vaults using set_active_vault tool.
Variable | Description |
| Comma-separated list of tool groups |
| Logging level: debug, info, warn, error |
# Show help
npm start -- --help
# Start with vault
npm start /path/to/vault [vault-name] [--tools=groups]
# Examples
npm start /path/to/vault # All tools
npm start /path/to/vault my-vault # With custom name
npm start /path/to/vault --tools=vault,notes # Specific groupsVerify the vault path exists and is absolute
Check Node.js version: node --version (requires 18+)
Test manually: npm start /path/to/vault
For Claude Code: use /mcp to check status and errors
For Claude Desktop: check logs in ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
The tool you're trying to use is not in your enabled groups. Check your --tools configuration and add the required group.
Ensure the user running the MCP server has read/write access to the vault directory.
Use absolute paths, not relative
Ensure the vault contains a .obsidian folder
Check for typos in the path
# Development mode (auto-reload)
npm run dev
# Build
npm run build
# Type check
npx tsc --noEmit
# Run tests
npm test
# Run tests with coverage
npm run test:coverageAPI Reference - Complete tool documentation
Architecture - System design
Configuration - All configuration options
Security - Security model
Error Codes - Error reference
Contributing - Development guide
This server implements multiple security measures:
Path validation - Prevents path traversal attacks
Symlink protection - Blocks symlink escape attempts
Input validation - All inputs validated with Zod schemas
Reserved name blocking - Prevents system file conflicts
See SECURITY.md for details.
This project is inspired by mcp-obsidian.
MIT
Add a tag to a note's frontmatter. Creates the tags array if it doesn't exist.
Inputs: tag (required), path (required).
Add values to an array field in frontmatter (e.g., tags, aliases). Creates the field if it does not exist.
Inputs: path (required), field (required), values (required), createIfMissing.
Append content to today's daily note (or a specific date). Creates the note if needed.
Inputs: content (required), date.
Apply a template with variables and return the processed content without creating a file. Supports {{title}}, {{date}}, {{date:FORMAT}}, {{time}}, and custom {{variable}} placeholders.
Inputs: name (required), title, variables.
Add tags to multiple notes at once. Adds to frontmatter tags array.
Inputs: tags (required), paths (required).
Delete multiple notes at once. Requires confirmation. Returns per-note success/failure results.
Inputs: paths (required), confirm (required).
Move multiple notes to a destination folder at once. Returns per-note success/failure results.
Inputs: paths (required), destinationFolder (required), updateLinks.
Read multiple notes at once (max 10). Returns content and frontmatter for each note.
Inputs: paths (required), includeContent, includeFrontmatter.
Remove tags from multiple notes at once. Removes from frontmatter tags array.
Inputs: tags (required), paths (required).
Update frontmatter of multiple notes at once. Can merge or replace frontmatter.
Inputs: paths (required), updates (required), replace.
Create a daily note for a specific date if it does not exist
Inputs: date.
Create a new note from a template with variable substitution
Inputs: path (required), template (required), title, variables.
Create a new markdown note in the vault. Parent directories will be created if needed. Optionally include YAML frontmatter.
Inputs: path (required), content (required), frontmatter.
Create a backup copy of a note. Stores in .backups folder with timestamp.
Inputs: path (required), backupFolder.
Permanently delete a note from the vault. This action cannot be undone.
Inputs: path (required).
Delete old backups, keeping only the most recent ones per note.
Inputs: dryRun, keepLast, backupFolder.
Find all broken links (links pointing to non-existent notes)
Inputs: no named parameters.
Find all orphan notes (notes with no incoming or outgoing links)
Inputs: no named parameters.
Find attachments that are not referenced by any note. Useful for cleaning up unused files.
Inputs: folder.
Get detailed information about an attachment, including embed/link syntax.
Inputs: path (required).
Get all attachment references (embeds and links) in a specific note.
Inputs: path (required).
Get all notes that link to a specific note (backlinks)
Inputs: path (required).
Get the full content of an Obsidian Base including schema and all rows
Inputs: path (required).
Get the daily note for a specific date. Creates the note if it does not exist. Uses the vault's daily notes configuration for folder and format.
Inputs: date.
Get the YAML frontmatter of a note as a JSON object
Inputs: path (required).
Get the complete link graph of the vault as nodes and edges
Inputs: maxNodes.
Get all outgoing links from a note (both [[wikilinks]] and markdown)
Inputs: path (required).
Get the raw content of a template file
Inputs: name (required).
List all non-markdown files (images, PDFs, etc.) in the vault. Can filter by folder and type.
Inputs: type, folder.
List available backups. Can filter by specific note.
Inputs: notePath, backupFolder.
List all Obsidian Bases (database files) in the vault
Inputs: no named parameters.
List daily notes, optionally filtered by date range
Inputs: limit, endDate, startDate.
List markdown notes in the vault with sorting, filtering, and pagination. Returns paths, names, dates, and sizes.
Inputs: limit, folder, offset, sortBy, +3 more.
List all unique tags used in the vault with their occurrence count
Inputs: folder.
List all available templates in the vault's templates folder
Inputs: no named parameters.
List all configured Obsidian vaults and show which one is currently active
Inputs: no named parameters.
Move a note to a different folder. Keeps the same filename but changes location. Optionally updates all wikilinks.
Inputs: path (required), destinationFolder (required), updateLinks.
Query an Obsidian Base with optional filtering, sorting, and limiting. Filter by providing column-value pairs.
Inputs: path (required), limit, filter, sortOrder, +1 more.
Read the content and frontmatter of a specific note. Returns the markdown content and parsed YAML frontmatter if present.
Inputs: path (required).
Register a new Obsidian vault with a name and path
Inputs: name (required), path (required).
Remove values from an array field in frontmatter (e.g., tags, aliases).
Inputs: path (required), field (required), values (required).
Remove a specific field from the frontmatter of a note.
Inputs: path (required), field (required).
Remove a tag from a note's frontmatter
Inputs: tag (required), path (required).
Rename a note and optionally update all wikilinks that reference it. Returns the count of notes with updated links.
Inputs: newPath (required), oldPath (required), updateLinks.
Restore a note from a backup. Optionally creates a backup of current content first.
Inputs: backupPath (required), targetPath, createBackupFirst.
Find all notes that have a specific tag (in frontmatter or inline)
Inputs: tag (required), folder.
Search for text across all notes in the vault. Supports regex patterns and context lines around matches.
Inputs: query (required), folder, useRegex, maxResults, +2 more.
Set the active vault for subsequent operations
Inputs: vault (required).
Update the YAML frontmatter of a note. By default merges with existing frontmatter. Set replace=true to replace all frontmatter. Set a value to null to remove a field.
Inputs: path (required), updates (required), replace.
Update an existing note. Modes: overwrite (replace all), append (add to end), prepend (add to start), replace (find and replace specific text). Prepend mode will error if content starts with "---" to prevent frontmatter conflicts.
Inputs: path (required), content (required), mode, search, +3 more.
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
Loading tool schema changelog…
Scored across 50 tools
Most tools have clear, distinct purposes, but there are overlapping pairs such as get_daily_note and create_daily_note (both create if missing), and add_tag vs add_to_array_field for managing tag arrays. The descriptions help, but with 50 tools, some ambiguity remains.
All tools follow a consistent verb_noun pattern in snake_case (e.g., list_vaults, read_note, batch_move). Prefixed batch operations and specific verbs like get/list/find/query are used predictably, making the naming highly uniform.
With 50 tools, the server is excessively large for most use cases. The name itself suggests bloat, and while the domain is broad, many tools are redundant or could be combined (e.g., batch operations, frontmatter fields). This crosses the 25+ threshold for 'too many'.
The toolset covers a comprehensive range of Obsidian vault operations: note CRUD, frontmatter, tags, links, daily notes, templates, bases, attachments, and backups. Minor gaps exist (e.g., no explicit folder listing, but folders are implicit in paths), and some redundancies, but no critical dead ends.
Hosted MCP server for Obsidian Sync vaults: read, search, edit notes. Not affiliated with Obsidian.
A comprehensive Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to interact with yo…
Markdown-based note-taking with a hosted MCP server. Your notes serve you and your AI.
Notes and memory assistant: one Markdown vault that Claude, ChatGPT and any MCP client can share.
