obsidian-mcp-server

Obsidian MCP Server

       

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants like Claude to interact with your Obsidian vault. Access your notes, create content, manage tags, and search your knowledge base through natural conversation.

Features

Note Management

• CRUD Operations: Create, read, update, and delete notes (with safety confirmation)
• Write Modes: Overwrite, append, or prepend content
• Batch Reading: Read multiple notes in a single request
• File Info: Get metadata without reading content (efficient for large vaults)
• Move/Duplicate: Reorganize your vault structure
• Section Operations: Read, append, or replace specific sections by heading

Frontmatter & Tags

• Frontmatter Parsing: Get/set YAML frontmatter as structured JSON (powered by gray-matter)
• Tag Management: Add/remove tags (frontmatter or inline)
• Tag Auditing: Find notes missing required tags
• Tag Search: List all tags with usage counts

Search & Links

• Full-Text Search: Search content and filenames with context
• Backlinks: Find all notes linking to a specific note
• Broken Links: Detect wiki-links that don't resolve
• Find & Replace: Bulk text replacement with regex support

Directory Operations

• Create/Delete/Rename: Full directory management
• List Contents: Browse vault structure

Performance

• Token Optimization: Optional compact response mode (40-60% smaller responses)
• Efficient Scanning: Get file info without reading content
• SSE Transport: Remote access without local installation

Quick Start

npx (Quickest)

Run directly without installation:

VAULT_PATH=/path/to/your/vault npx @smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server

With options:

VAULT_PATH=/path/to/vault PORT=3001 COMPACT_RESPONSES=true npx @smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server

Docker (Recommended for Production)

Using the pre-built image from GitHub Container Registry:

docker run -d \
  --name obsidian-mcp \
  -v /path/to/your/vault:/vault:rw \
  -p 3001:3000 \
  -e VAULT_PATH=/vault \
  ghcr.io/smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server:latest

Or with Docker Compose:

1. Create a docker-compose.yml:

   version: '3.8'
   services:
     obsidian-mcp:
       image: ghcr.io/smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server:latest
       container_name: obsidian-mcp
       restart: unless-stopped
       volumes:
         - /path/to/your/vault:/vault:rw
       ports:
         - "3001:3000"
       environment:
         - VAULT_PATH=/vault

1. Start the server

   docker-compose up -d

1. Verify it's running

   curl http://localhost:3001/health

Local Development

1. Install dependencies

   npm install

1. Set environment variables

   export VAULT_PATH=/path/to/your/vault
   export PORT=3000

1. Start the server

   npm start
   # Or with auto-reload:
   npm run dev

AI Assistant Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Option 1: Local server (via mcp-remote) ``json { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://localhost:3001/sse"] } } } ``

Option 2: Remote server with HTTPS ``json { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-domain.com/sse"] } } } ``

Option 3: Direct npx (runs server locally) ``json { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server"], "env": { "VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/your/vault", "PORT": "3001" } } } } ``

Cursor

Add to your Cursor MCP settings (Settings → MCP):

Option 1: Connect to running server ``json { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "http://localhost:3001/sse"] } } } ``

Option 2: Run server directly ``json { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server"], "env": { "VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/your/vault", "PORT": "3001" } } } } ``

Other MCP Clients

Any MCP-compatible client can connect using mcp-remote:

npx mcp-remote http://localhost:3001/sse

Or connect directly to the SSE endpoint at http://localhost:3001/sse.

Available Tools

Note Operations

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | read-note | Read note contents (supports frontmatterOnly for efficiency) | | read-multiple-notes | Batch read multiple notes | | create-note | Create a new note | | edit-note | Replace note contents | | write-note | Write with modes: overwrite, append, or prepend | | delete-note | Delete a note (requires confirmation) | | move-note | Move/rename a note | | duplicate-note | Copy a note to a new location | | get-notes-info | Get file metadata without reading content |

Directory Operations

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | list-vault | List files and directories | | create-directory | Create a new directory | | delete-directory | Delete a directory (with recursive option) | | rename-directory | Rename/move a directory |

Frontmatter & Tags

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | get-frontmatter | Get YAML frontmatter as JSON | | update-frontmatter | Update frontmatter fields | | add-tags | Add tags to frontmatter or inline | | remove-tags | Remove tags from note | | list-tags | List all tags with counts | | find-notes-by-tag | Find notes with a specific tag | | search-missing-tag | Find notes missing a tag | | audit-tags | Audit folder for required tags |

Search & Links

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | search-vault | Full-text search with context | | get-backlinks | Find notes linking to a note | | find-broken-links | Find unresolved wiki-links | | find-replace | Bulk find and replace |

Section Operations

| Tool | Description | |------|-------------| | read-section | Read content under a heading | | append-to-section | Append to a section | | replace-section | Replace section content | | append-to-file | Append to end of file | | insert-at-marker | Insert at a text marker | | list-headings | List all headings in a note |

Architecture

┌─────────────────┐     HTTPS/SSE      ┌──────────────────┐
│  Claude Desktop │ ◄────────────────► │   MCP Server     │
└─────────────────┘                    │   (Express.js)   │
                                       └────────┬─────────┘
                                                │
                                       ┌────────▼─────────┐
                                       │   VaultManager   │
                                       │   (File System)  │
                                       └────────┬─────────┘
                                                │
                                       ┌────────▼─────────┐
                                       │  Obsidian Vault  │
                                       │   (Markdown)     │
                                       └──────────────────┘

Project Structure

obsidian-mcp-server/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts              # Express server entry point
│   ├── vault/
│   │   ├── VaultManager.ts   # Core vault operations
│   │   └── frontmatter.ts    # YAML parsing utilities
│   ├── tools/
│   │   ├── definitions.ts    # MCP tool schemas
│   │   ├── handlers.ts       # Tool execution logic
│   │   └── index.ts          # Tool exports
│   ├── server/
│   │   ├── mcp.ts            # MCP protocol handlers
│   │   └── middleware.ts     # Express middleware
│   └── types/
│       └── index.ts          # TypeScript type definitions
├── tests/                    # Vitest unit tests
├── Dockerfile
├── docker-compose.yml
├── package.json
└── README.md

Environment Variables

| Variable | Default | Description | |----------|---------|-------------| | PORT | 3000 | Server port | | VAULT_PATH | /vault | Path to Obsidian vault | | COMPACT_RESPONSES | false | Enable minified response keys for 40-60% smaller responses | | API_KEY | (none) | API key for authentication. When set, requires Bearer token or query param |

API Endpoints

| Endpoint | Method | Description | |----------|--------|-------------| | /health | GET | Health check | | /sse | GET | SSE endpoint for MCP | | /sse | POST | Direct MCP protocol calls | | /message | POST | SSE transport messages |

Authentication

The server supports optional API key authentication. When API_KEY is set, all /sse and /message endpoints require authentication. The /health endpoint remains public.

Enabling Authentication

Set the API_KEY environment variable:

# Docker
docker run -d \
  --name obsidian-mcp \
  -v /path/to/vault:/vault:rw \
  -p 3001:3000 \
  -e VAULT_PATH=/vault \
  -e API_KEY=your-secret-key \
  ghcr.io/smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server:latest

# npx
API_KEY=your-secret-key VAULT_PATH=/path/to/vault npx @smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server

Authentication Methods

Clients can authenticate using either method:

1. Authorization Header (recommended):

   Authorization: Bearer your-secret-key

1. Query Parameter:

   /sse?api_key=your-secret-key

Client Configuration with API Key

Claude Desktop / Cursor (via mcp-remote): ``json { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "npx", "args": [ "-y", "mcp-remote", "https://your-domain.com/sse?api_key=your-secret-key" ] } } } ``

Direct npx with API key: ``json { "mcpServers": { "obsidian": { "command": "npx", "args": ["@smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server"], "env": { "VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/your/vault", "API_KEY": "your-secret-key" } } } } ``

Security Considerations

• Generate strong keys: Use a random string of at least 32 characters
• HTTPS required: Always use HTTPS when exposing the server remotely to prevent key interception
• File Access: The server has full read/write access to the mounted vault
• CORS: Currently allows all origins. Restrict in production if needed
• Network security: Consider additional layers like VPN or firewall rules for sensitive vaults

Deployment with NGINX Proxy Manager

For remote access with SSL:

1. Add a Proxy Host:

• Domain: obsidian.yourdomain.com
• Forward Hostname: obsidian-mcp (container name)
• Forward Port: 3000
• Enable Websockets

1. SSL Tab: Request Let's Encrypt certificate

1. Advanced Tab (for SSE):

   proxy_buffering off;
   proxy_cache off;
   proxy_set_header Connection '';
   proxy_http_version 1.1;
   chunked_transfer_encoding off;

Troubleshooting

Container Issues

# View logs
docker-compose logs -f obsidian-mcp

# Restart
docker-compose restart

# Rebuild
docker-compose up -d --build

Vault Access

# Check host mount
ls -la /path/to/your/vault

# Check container access
docker exec obsidian-mcp ls -la /vault

SSE Connection

• Ensure websockets are enabled in your reverse proxy
• Check SSL certificate validity
• Verify firewall allows the port

Development

Quick Start

# Clone and install
git clone https://github.com/smith-and-web/obsidian-mcp-server.git
cd obsidian-mcp-server
make install

# Run with example vault
make dev

# Test connection
make test-connection

Available Commands

Run make help to see all available commands:

Development:
  make install         Install dependencies
  make dev             Run server with hot-reload
  make start           Run server in production mode
  make test-connection Test server connectivity

Docker:
  make docker-build    Build Docker image
  make docker-up       Start Docker container
  make docker-down     Stop Docker container
  make docker-logs     View container logs
  make docker-restart  Restart container
  make docker-shell    Open shell in container

API Testing with Bruno

The repository includes a Bruno collection for testing all 31 tools.

1. Install Bruno (free, open-source API client)
2. Open the collection from ./bruno/obsidian-mcp
3. Select the local or remote environment
4. Run requests to test each tool

The collection is organized by category:

• health/ - Server health and tool listing
• notes/ - Note CRUD operations
• directories/ - Directory operations
• frontmatter/ - Frontmatter operations
• tags/ - Tag management
• search/ - Search and find-replace
• links/ - Backlinks and broken links
• sections/ - Section-based operations

Example Vault

An example vault is included in ./examples/test-vault/ for development and testing. It includes sample notes with tags, links, and sections to test all features.

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md for guidelines.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE for details.

Related Projects

• Model Context Protocol - Protocol specification
• Obsidian - Knowledge base application
• Claude - AI assistant by Anthropic