What is Obsidian MCP?

Turns Obsidian vaults into AI-queryable knowledge graphs with 12 tools

How do I install Obsidian MCP?

Clone Obsidian MCP from https://github.com/seynurmammad0v/obsidian-mcp and configure it as an MCP server in your client (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or VS Code).

Is Obsidian MCP open source?

Yes, Obsidian MCP is open source under the MIT license. Source code is available at https://github.com/seynurmammad0v/obsidian-mcp.

What category does Obsidian MCP belong to?

Obsidian MCP is listed under AI & ML MCP servers on MCPFind.

Obsidian MCP — MCP Server for AI & ML

obsidian-mcp

MCP server that turns any Obsidian vault into an AI-queryable knowledge graph.

What makes this different from the 24+ existing Obsidian MCP servers:

Graph-first — BFS, shortest path, connected components, bridge detection via [[wikilinks]]
Zero infrastructure — No database, no Obsidian running, no API keys
Vault-agnostic — Works with any existing vault, no required structure
Backlink-aware writes — move_note auto-updates all references across the vault
Tiny — 4 runtime dependencies, ~42KB bundle

Quick Start

npx obsidian-mcp --vault ~/my-obsidian-vault

Claude Desktop

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

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

Claude Code

claude mcp add obsidian -- npx -y obsidian-mcp --vault /path/to/vault

Tools (12)

Reading & Discovery

Tool	Description
`vault_stats`	Overview: total notes, tags, links, orphans, components, top tags/hubs
`read_note`	Full content + frontmatter + links + backlinks + sections
`search_notes`	Filter by tags, folder, frontmatter, keyword. All combinable

Graph Traversal

Tool	Description
`graph_neighbors`	Direct links + backlinks for a note
`graph_traverse`	BFS/DFS from a note, N hops deep with tag filtering
`graph_shortest_path`	Shortest link chain between two notes
`graph_analyze`	Components, orphans, bridges, hubs, dead links

Writing & Manipulation

Tool	Description
`create_note`	Create with content + frontmatter
`patch_note`	Append, prepend, or replace a section. Update frontmatter
`move_note`	Rename/move + auto-update all backlinks across vault
`delete_note`	Delete + report broken links
`manage_tags`	Add/remove/rename tags (vault-wide rename supported)

Configuration

Zero-config by default. Optional .obsidian-mcp.json in vault root:

{
  "ignore": ["templates/", "daily-notes/", ".trash/"],
  "watchDebounce": 100,
  "maxTraversalDepth": 10,
  "maxSearchResults": 500
}

CLI Flags

--vault <path>       Path to Obsidian vault (required)
--verbose            Enable debug logging
--log-level <level>  error | warn | info | debug (default: info)

How It Works

On startup, scans all .md files and builds an in-memory graph (~1-3s for 1k notes)
File watcher detects changes and updates the graph incrementally (~5ms per change)
Claude queries the graph via MCP tools — no re-scanning needed
Write operations update both the filesystem and the graph atomically

Hardcoded exclusions: .obsidian/, .trash/, node_modules/

Development

npm install
npm test              # Run 66 tests
npm run build         # Build to dist/
npm run dev -- --vault test/fixtures/vault  # Dev mode

License

MIT

Set up in your AI client

AI clientOperating system

Merge this template into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json. Keep existing servers. Add any arguments, credentials, and permissions required by the maintainer; this template has not been install-tested.

json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "io-github-seynurmammad0v-obsidian-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@smammadov/obsidian-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect. Confirm the server appears connected in the client’s tool list, then try a read-only example from its documentation.

Claude Desktop setup reference

Compatible MCP Clients

Obsidian MCP works with any MCP-compatible client. Copy the config snippet from the Configuration section above and add it to the file shown for your client, then restart the application.

Claude Desktop~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.jsonRestart Claude Desktop completely for changes to take effect.

Cursor~/.cursor/mcp.jsonRestart Cursor for changes to take effect.

VS Code.vscode/mcp.jsonReload VS Code window for changes to take effect.

Windsurf~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonRestart Windsurf for changes to take effect.

Claude Code.mcp.jsonSave at the project root, then start Claude Code in that project and review the MCP server approval prompt. Keep real credentials out of shared files.

Obsidian MCP