Provides tools to interact with an Obsidian vault, including reading, creating, updating, deleting notes, performing full-text and semantic search, executing commands, managing periodic notes, and more.
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., "@ObsidianMCP find notes semantically related to 'deep learning'"
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.
An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that connects Claude to your Obsidian vault via the Obsidian Local REST API plugin.
Obsidian with the Local REST API community plugin installed and enabled
An API key from the plugin settings (Settings → Local REST API → API Key)
Node.js 18+
Related MCP server: obsidian-mcp-server
npm install
npm run buildSet the following environment variables:
Variable | Required | Default | Description |
| Yes | — | API key from the Local REST API plugin |
| No |
| Host where Obsidian is running |
| No |
| Port for the REST API |
| No |
|
|
| No |
| Set to |
| No | — | Path to |
Add to your Claude Code MCP settings (~/.claude/settings.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/ObsidianMCP/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
"OBSIDIAN_VERIFY_SSL": "false",
"OBSIDIAN_SMART_ENV_PATH": "/path/to/your/vault/.smart-env"
}
}
}
}Add to your Claude Desktop config (~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json):
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian": {
"command": "node",
"args": ["/path/to/ObsidianMCP/dist/index.js"],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "your-api-key-here",
"OBSIDIAN_VERIFY_SSL": "false",
"OBSIDIAN_SMART_ENV_PATH": "/path/to/your/vault/.smart-env"
}
}
}
}list_vault_files — List files/folders in the vault
read_note — Read a note's content
create_note — Create or overwrite a note
append_to_note — Append content to a note
patch_note — Insert/replace content under a specific heading
delete_note — Delete a note
open_note — Open a note in the Obsidian UI
upload_attachment — Upload an image/PDF/audio/video file to the vault, then embed with ![[filename]]
get_active_note — Read the currently open note
update_active_note — Overwrite the currently open note
append_to_active_note — Append content to the currently open note
patch_active_note — Insert/replace content under a heading in the active note
delete_active_note — Delete the currently open note
search_vault — Full-text fuzzy search across the vault
search_dataview — Run a Dataview DQL query (requires Dataview plugin)
search_jsonlogic — Run a JsonLogic structured query
get_periodic_note — Read a daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly note
create_periodic_note — Create or overwrite a periodic note
append_to_periodic_note — Append to a periodic note
list_commands — List available Obsidian commands
execute_command — Execute an Obsidian command by ID
semantic_search — AI-powered semantic search across the vault (finds conceptually related content)
find_related_notes — Find notes semantically related to a given note
smart_connections_status — Index stats: sources, blocks, model, dimensions
Requires the Smart Connections plugin and
OBSIDIAN_SMART_ENV_PATHenv var. The firstsemantic_searchcall downloads the embedding model (~30MB, cached afterwards).
get_server_status — Check REST API status and version info
Append content to the currently active/open note in Obsidian.
Inputs: content (required).
Append content to the end of an existing note. Use ![[filename.png]] to embed attachments.
Inputs: path (required), content (required).
Append content to a periodic note (e.g. add an entry to today's daily note).
Inputs: period (required), content (required).
Create a new note or overwrite an existing one in the vault. Embed attachments using ![[filename.png]] syntax.
Inputs: path (required), content (required).
Create or overwrite a periodic note (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly).
Inputs: period (required), content (required).
Delete the currently active/open note in Obsidian.
Inputs: no named parameters.
Delete a note from the vault.
Inputs: path (required).
Execute an Obsidian command by its ID. Use list_commands to find available command IDs.
Inputs: commandId (required).
Read the content of the currently active/open note in Obsidian.
Inputs: no named parameters.
Get the content of a periodic note (daily, weekly, monthly, quarterly, or yearly).
Inputs: period (required).
Check the status of the Obsidian Local REST API server and get version info.
Inputs: no named parameters.
List all available Obsidian commands that can be executed.
Inputs: no named parameters.
List files and directories in the Obsidian vault. Provide a folder path to list its contents, or omit to list the root.
Inputs: path.
Open a note in the Obsidian UI.
Inputs: path (required).
Insert or replace content relative to a heading in the currently active note.
Inputs: content (required), heading, insertPosition, headingBoundary.
Insert or replace content relative to a heading in a note. Useful for updating specific sections.
Inputs: path (required), content (required), heading, insertPosition, +1 more.
Read the markdown content of a note in the vault.
Inputs: path (required).
Run a Dataview DQL query against the vault. Requires the Dataview plugin to be installed in Obsidian. Example: 'TABLE file.mtime AS "Modified" FROM "Notes" SORT file.mtime DESC'
Inputs: dql (required).
Run a JsonLogic query against the vault for structured/programmatic searches. Useful for filtering notes by metadata fields.
Inputs: query (required).
Search for notes in the vault using full-text fuzzy search. Returns matching filenames and context.
Inputs: query (required), limit.
Overwrite the content of the currently active/open note in Obsidian.
Inputs: content (required).
Upload an attachment (image, PDF, audio, video) to the vault from a local file path. After uploading, embed it in a note using ![[filename]] syntax.
Inputs: localPath (required), vaultPath (required).
Recent tool additions, removals, and schema changes observed during successful MCP inspections.
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Scored across 22 tools
The tool set includes many similarly purposed tools, such as append_to_note vs. append_to_active_note and patch_note vs. patch_active_note, which could confuse an agent about which to use. However, the distinction between note-specific operations and active-note operations is clearly described, mitigating some ambiguity.
Most tools follow a consistent verb_noun pattern (e.g., get_active_note, append_to_note). A few tools like execute_command and search_dataview deviate slightly, but overall the naming is predictable and readable.
With 22 tools, the set is on the heavy side for an Obsidian MCP server. While many tools are justified, the presence of both generic and active-note variants for note operations inflates the count unnecessarily.
The tool set covers a wide range of operations including note creation, reading, updating, deletion, search, and periodic notes, which is fairly complete for Obsidian workflows. However, some operations like moving or renaming notes are missing, which could cause workarounds.
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