Obsidian

Turn Obsidian into a private MCP server that lets local AI tools read, search, and write your notes without leaving your machine. This setup keeps your data secure on localhost while providing convenient access for supported MCP clients.

How to use

You connect your MCP client to the Obsidian MCP Server to access your vault locally. The server runs inside Obsidian and exposes an MCP endpoint on localhost. Use this to enable tools like Claude Desktop or Antigravity to query, search, and write in your notes. To verify a connection, look for the status indicator that shows MCP: On and open the Dashboard from the server ribbon icon.

How to install

Prerequisites: you need Obsidian installed with the Obsidian MCP Server Plugin. The plugin is either installed manually or via BRAT until it becomes available in the standard list.

Step 1: Install the plugin.

Step 2: Enable the plugin.

Step 3: Start the server.

Step 4: Confirm the server is running.

Step 5: Open the Dashboard to manage and verify the MCP server.

Additional configuration and usage notes

To connect a client, you typically use the local MCP URL with a common streaming or SSE type. Here is a representative configuration you can place in a client config to connect to your local server.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "url": "http://127.0.0.1:51234/mcp",
      "type": "sse"
    }
  }
}

Security and usage tips

Write access is off by default. To allow writing, navigate to Settings > Obsidian MCP Server and set Write Mode to Generate prompts like "Confirm each write" so you review before each change.

If you run into connection issues, use the Self-Test in the Dashboard to verify the server responds correctly.

You can limit AI access to specific folders by setting up Folder Restrictions in the Obsidian Settings tab, ensuring tools only read from permitted directories.

Troubleshooting

Check the MCP status indicator in the bottom-right of the window to confirm MCP: On. If it blinks, an activity event is occurring (a tool is reading or writing). Use the Self-Test feature to diagnose connectivity.

Available tools

Connection Helper

One-click generation of exact configuration JSON for Claude or Antigravity to connect to your local MCP server.

Self-Test

Run diagnostics from the Dashboard to verify the server is responding and to troubleshoot connection issues.

Activity Indicator

The status bar pulses when an AI tool reads or accesses your notes, indicating active data usage.

Folder Restriction

Configure access limits to restrict AI tooling to specific folders within your vault.