Obsidian

You can run Obsidian MCP Server to let AI assistants read, create, edit, and manage notes and tags inside your Obsidian vaults. This server exposes a set of tools to interact with vault content safely, with a clear warning to back up your data before enabling read/write actions.

How to use

Use the Obsidian MCP Server with your MCP client to perform common note tasks. Start by configuring the MCP server in your client, then connect to the server so you can read notes, create new notes and directories, edit existing notes, move or delete notes, and manage tags. You can also search vault contents and list available vaults in multi-vault setups. Always back up your vault before enabling write capabilities.

How to install

Prerequisites you need before installing:

• Node.js 20 or higher
• An Obsidian vault ready to connect to the MCP server Choose one of the installation methods below.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "obsidian-mcp", "/path/to/your/vault", "/path/to/your/vault2"]
    }
  }
}

Replace "/path/to/your/vault" with the absolute path to your Obsidian vault. Examples for absolute paths:

• macOS/Linux: "/Users/username/Documents/MyVault"
• Windows: "C:\Users\username\Documents\MyVault"

Restart the client after saving the configuration. You should see the hammer icon indicating the server is connected. If you encounter connection issues, review logs at the specified paths below for clues.

MacOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
Windows: %APPDATA%\\Claude\\logs\\mcp*.log

Installing via Smithery

If you prefer automatic installation via Smithery (note: this method is not endorsed by the maintainer), you can run the following command to install the Obsidian MCP for Claude Desktop.

npx -y @smithery/cli install obsidian-mcp --client claude

Development

For local development and testing, you can clone the project, install dependencies, and build the project. Then wire up Claude Desktop to use the locally built server.

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/StevenStavrakis/obsidian-mcp
cd obsidian-mcp

# Install dependencies
npm install

# Build
npm run build

Starting a local development server from build

After building, configure Claude Desktop to run the built server locally. Use the absolute path to the built main.js and point it to your vaults.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["<absolute-path-to-obsidian-mcp>/build/main.js", "/path/to/your/vault", "/path/to/your/vault2"]
    }
  }
}

Security

This MCP server requires access to your Obsidian vault directory. To keep your data safe, only grant access to the vaults you intend to manage, and review tool actions before proceeding.

Troubleshooting

Common issues and fixes include:

1. Server not showing up in your MCP client. Ensure the configuration is correct and the vault path is absolute and exists. Restart the client after saving changes.
2. Permission errors. Confirm the vault directory is readable and writable by the user running the MCP server.
3. Tool execution failures. Check your client’s logs for details about failed operations and verify vault permissions.

Log locations to inspect for issues:

• macOS: ~/Library/Logs/Claude/mcp*.log
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\logs\mcp*.log

Notes

Tools offered by the server include reading, creating, editing, moving, and deleting notes; managing directories; performing searches; and handling tags (add, remove, rename, and list). Backup your vault before enabling write features to prevent data loss during experiments or development.

Available tools

read-note

Read the contents of a note by referencing its path or identifier.

create-note

Create a new note at a specified path with optional content and metadata.

edit-note

Edit the content of an existing note, including its title and body.

delete-note

Delete a note from the vault by path or identifier.

move-note

Move a note to a different directory or path within the vault.

create-directory

Create a new directory within the vault.

search-vault

Search the vault for notes, titles, or tags based on a query.

add-tags

Add one or more tags to a note.

remove-tags

Remove one or more tags from a note.

rename-tag

Rename a tag across all notes in the vault.

manage-tags

List and organize tags across the vault.

list-available-vaults

List all accessible Obsidian vaults for multi-vault setups.