Obsidian for Claude

Connect Claude to your local Obsidian vault. Ask Claude to list, read, search and (optionally) edit your notes, all running on your own computer.

This extension talks to your vault through the community plugin Local REST API by coddingtonbear. That plugin is what exposes your vault locally; this extension connects Claude to it. Nothing leaves your machine.

What you need

• Obsidian

• The Local REST API community plugin by coddingtonbear, installed and enabled (steps below)

• Claude Desktop

Related MCP server: obsidian-mcp-server

Setup (about 3 minutes)

1. Install the Local REST API plugin in Obsidian

1. In Obsidian, open Settings > Community plugins. If Restricted Mode is on, click Turn on community plugins — the Browse button only appears after this.

2. Click Browse, search for "Local REST API" (by coddingtonbear), then Install and Enable it.

3. Open the plugin's settings (Settings > Local REST API) and copy the API key shown there. Keep it handy for the next step.

2. Install this extension in Claude Desktop

1. Download the obsidian.mcpb file.

2. In Claude Desktop, open Settings > Extensions.

3. Under Advanced settings, click Install Extension and select the downloaded file (you can also drag the file into that window).

4. When prompted, paste the API key from step 1. It is stored securely in your operating system's keychain, never in a plain text file.

5. Choose your permissions (see below), then enable the extension.

3. Try it

Open a chat and ask, for example: "List the notes in my Obsidian vault" or "Summarize my daily note."

Permissions

To keep you in control, the extension has three levels, set in its settings:

• Read (always on) — list, read, and search your notes.

• Allow creating and editing notes (on by default) — let Claude add to and modify notes.

• Allow deleting notes (off by default) — let Claude delete notes. This is destructive; leave it off unless you need it.

Turn editing or deleting off at any time to make the extension effectively read-only.

Privacy Policy

This extension does not collect, transmit, or store any of your data on any external server. Everything runs locally on your computer.

• Data collection: The extension collects no personal data and no usage data.

• Usage and storage: All communication happens locally, between Claude Desktop and Obsidian over 127.0.0.1 (localhost). Your notes never leave your machine through this extension. Your Obsidian API key is stored in your operating system's secure keychain (macOS Keychain / Windows Credential Manager), never in a plain text file.

• Third-party sharing: No data is shared with any third party. The only network connection the extension makes is to your own Obsidian instance on localhost, through the Local REST API plugin.

• Data retention: The extension does not retain or persist your notes or vault data. It processes data only transiently to fulfill each request and keeps nothing afterward.

• Analytics and telemetry: None.

• Contact: For questions or privacy concerns, open an issue at https://github.com/martinblq/obsidian-mcp/issues.

This extension depends on the Local REST API plugin, which runs its own local server on your machine; refer to that plugin's documentation for its behavior.

Security notes

• Traffic to Obsidian uses HTTPS on localhost. The Local REST API plugin uses a self-signed certificate; because the connection never leaves your machine (127.0.0.1), certificate verification is not enforced for this local link.

• The API key grants access to your vault. Keep it private. You can regenerate it at any time in the plugin's settings, then update it in this extension's settings.

Troubleshooting

• "Could not reach Obsidian" — make sure Obsidian is running and the Local REST API plugin is enabled.

• Authentication errors — re-check the API key in the extension settings against the plugin's settings.

Credits

• Local REST API plugin by coddingtonbear

• Obsidian

This is a community extension. It is not built by, affiliated with, or endorsed by Obsidian.

Development

This extension is open source. The runtime is a single bundled file built from src/index.js.

npm install          # install the MCP SDK + esbuild
npm run build        # bundle src/index.js -> server/index.mjs
npm run pack         # build, then create obsidian.mcpb

• src/index.js — the full, readable server source.

• server/index.mjs — generated build artifact (git-ignored).

• obsidian.mcpb — the packaged extension (git-ignored); attach it to a GitHub release.