The mcp-obsidian server lets you read, write, and manage Markdown notes in an Obsidian vault directly on disk — no Obsidian app or plugin required.
Read notes (obsidian_read): Retrieve a note's content with optional truncation to limit response size.
Search notes (obsidian_search): Perform case-insensitive keyword searches across notes, with options to restrict to a subfolder, set a result limit, and return context snippets around matches.
Write/create notes (obsidian_write): Create a new note or completely overwrite an existing one, automatically creating any necessary parent folders.
Append to notes (obsidian_append): Add Markdown content to the end of an existing note without altering the rest.
Patch frontmatter (obsidian_patch_frontmatter): Modify specific YAML frontmatter fields (strings, numbers, or arrays) in a note without touching the note body.
List files and folders (obsidian_list): List all .md files and subfolders in a given directory, with an option for recursive listing of nested subdirectories.
Provides filesystem-based access to an Obsidian vault, enabling reading, writing, searching, and managing Markdown notes directly on disk.
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., "@mcp-obsidian find notes about project planning in my vault"
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.
🇬🇧 English · 🇫🇷 Français
A filesystem-based MCP server for an Obsidian vault. It reads and writes your vault's Markdown files directly on disk — no Obsidian plugin, no Local REST API, no running Obsidian instance required. Point it at a folder and your LLM can browse and edit notes.
Most Obsidian MCP servers talk to the Local REST API community plugin, which
means Obsidian must be running with the plugin enabled. mcp-obsidian skips all
that and operates on the vault directory itself — works headless, in CI, or on a
synced folder.
Related MCP server: obsidian-mcp
Tool | Description |
| Read a note (with optional truncation) |
| Keyword search across notes, with truncated context per hit; optional subfolder scope |
| Create or overwrite a note (creates parent folders) |
| Append content to a note |
| Patch a note's YAML frontmatter |
| List |
All paths are relative to the vault root (e.g. wiki/cyber/sql-injection.md).
This server is transport only. It has no notion of a "claim", no conflict
detection and no merge policy — obsidian_write is a plain overwrite, last write
wins. Contradiction handling, note conventions and the human-in-the-loop review
step live one layer up, in
claude-obsidian-system.
git clone https://github.com/NeveuGregor/mcp-obsidian.git
cd mcp-obsidian
npm install
npm run build # compiles TypeScript to dist/The vault path is provided via the OBSIDIAN_VAULT environment variable
(absolute path). The server exits with an error if it is not set.
Register it with Claude (CLI or Desktop), e.g. in your MCP config:
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "node",
"args": ["/absolute/path/to/mcp-obsidian/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_VAULT": "/absolute/path/to/your/vault"
}
}
}
}Node.js 18+
An Obsidian vault (just a folder of Markdown files)
This server is the MCP layer of a broader knowledge architecture — claude-obsidian-system — which documents how the vault itself is designed (LLM-Wiki + Zettelkasten + Evergreen) and wired to Claude Code skills and memory.
CeCILL-B (BSD-compatible, French law) — © 2026 Neveu Grégor.
Ajoute du contenu à la fin d'une note existante
Inputs: path (required), content (required).
Liste les fichiers .md et sous-dossiers d'un répertoire du vault
Inputs: dir, recursive.
Modifie des champs du frontmatter YAML sans réécrire le corps de la note
Inputs: path (required), fields (required).
Lit une note du vault Obsidian avec troncation optionnelle
Inputs: path (required), max_chars.
Recherche un mot-clé dans les notes du vault, avec contexte tronqué par résultat
Inputs: query (required), dir, max_results, context_chars.
Écrit ou écrase une note du vault. Crée les dossiers parents si nécessaire
Inputs: path (required), content (required).
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
Loading tool schema changelog…
Scored across 6 tools
Each tool targets a distinct operation: append, list, patch frontmatter, read, search, write. There is no ambiguity between them, as descriptions clearly differentiate appending from overwriting and frontmatter-specific editing.
All tool names follow a consistent `obsidian_<verb>` pattern, with one compound verb (`patch_frontmatter`). The naming is predictable and uniform, aiding agent selection.
With 6 tools, the server is well-scoped for an Obsidian vault interface. The count is neither too small nor too large, covering essential operations without redundancy.
The toolset covers core CRUD operations (read, write, append, list, search) and frontmatter editing. A minor gap is the lack of a delete tool, but the set is largely complete for typical note management.
Hosted MCP server for Obsidian Sync vaults: read, search, edit notes. Not affiliated with Obsidian.
Markdown-based note-taking with a hosted MCP server. Your notes serve you and your AI.
Serve a folder of Markdown notes as an MCP server: hybrid search, reading, and sourced answers.
Notes and memory assistant: one Markdown vault that Claude, ChatGPT and any MCP client can share.
