Obsidian MCP Server

Overview

Obsidian MCP Module is a lightweight server that bridges the gap between AI assistants and personal knowledge bases stored in Obsidian vaults. By exposing a simple, well‑defined set of tools and resources, it lets Claude or other MCP‑compatible assistants read, search, and retrieve notes directly from a vault without leaving the chat interface. This eliminates the need for manual copy‑paste or external file explorers, streamlining knowledge retrieval in real time.

The core problem this server solves is the lack of native support for Obsidian vaults in many AI tools. While some clients, such as VS Code, only support tools, others expose resources. Obsidian MCP provides both, ensuring maximum compatibility across environments. The server relies on the Obsidian Metadata Extractor plugin to generate a index, which gives fast access to note titles, tags, and file paths. Once the server is running, developers can call two primary operations:

• search-notes – Query the vault by keyword or topic and receive a list of matching note titles and snippets.
• get-note – Fetch the full markdown content of a selected note.

These operations are implemented as MCP tools, so they can be invoked directly from within an AI conversation. For example, a developer could ask the assistant to “find all notes about dependency injection” and immediately get a list of relevant files, then request the content of any one file with a follow‑up prompt.

Key Features

• Dual tool/resource support – Works in both VS Code and Claude Desktop environments.
• Fast indexing – Uses a pre‑generated metadata file for quick lookups, avoiding costly on‑the‑fly parsing.
• Secure sandboxing – Runs under Deno with read permissions only, ensuring the assistant can access vault files without exposing system resources.
• Extensible command line – The server accepts a argument, making it easy to point at any Obsidian vault or share the same server across multiple projects.

Use Cases

• Knowledge‑base querying – Quickly surface relevant documentation or research notes while coding.
• Documentation generation – Automate the creation of README files or changelogs by pulling content from specific vault sections.
• Learning aid – Students can ask an AI tutor to fetch lecture notes or study guides directly from their Obsidian vault.
• Productivity workflows – Pair the server with IDE extensions to auto‑populate code comments or TODO lists from markdown notes.

Integration into AI Workflows

Developers simply add a (VS Code) or configuration (Claude Desktop). Once the server is registered, any AI assistant that supports MCP can list available tools and invoke them with natural language. The assistant handles the JSON payloads behind the scenes, returning human‑readable results that can be displayed inline or used as inputs for further tasks. This tight integration means developers spend less time switching contexts and more time iterating on code or documentation.

Standout Advantages

• Cross‑platform compatibility – Works seamlessly in both VS Code and Claude Desktop, ensuring a consistent experience regardless of the editor.
• Zero‑code configuration – No need to write custom plugins; the server’s simple command line interface makes setup straightforward.
• Security‑first design – By limiting Deno to read permissions, the server protects the rest of the system while still providing full vault access.

Overall, Obsidian MCP Module turns a static collection of markdown files into an interactive knowledge source that AI assistants can query on demand, dramatically improving productivity for developers who rely on Obsidian for notes, research, or documentation.