Obsidian Diary MCP Server

Establish a daily journaling habit that'll unlock superpowers in your career and life. AI analyzes your entries to generate personalized prompts while keeping everything local.

What it enables: Daily reflection • Smart prompts • Complete privacy

What You Need

Software:

• uv (Python installer)
• Ollama (runs AI locally, ~5GB)
• A CLI that works with MCP

For Obsidian:

• A dedicated Obsidian vault that only contains diary entries
• Read/write access to that vault

Quick Start

1. Clone the repo:

git clone https://github.com/madebygps/obsidian-diary-mcp.git

2. Enter directory:

cd obsidian-diary-mcp

3. Install dependencies:

uv sync

4. Make script executable:

chmod +x start-server.sh

5. Install GitHub Copilot CLI:

npm install -g @github/copilot

6. Launch Copilot:

copilot

7. Add MCP server:

/mcp add

Provide these values:

• Name: diary,
• Command: /full/path/to/obsidian-diary-mcp/start-server.sh,
• Environment: DIARY_PATH=/path/to/your/diary-vault

How to Use

Best way: Use Copilot CLI interactively

1. Start Copilot CLI: copilot
2. In the interactive session, use natural prompts:
   • "create a diary entry for today"
   • "show me my recent entries"
   • "complete today's entry with backlinks"
   • "read my entry from October 3rd"

Alternative: Command line usage

• copilot "use create_diary_entry_file" - Make new entry
• copilot "use list_recent_entries" - See recent entries
• copilot "use complete_diary_entry" - Add backlinks when done
• copilot "use read_diary_entry for 2024-10-03" - Read specific entry

If It Breaks

Server problems:

• Check config: cat ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json
• Make script runnable: chmod +x start-server.sh
• Test it: ./start-server.sh
• Restart your CLI

Other problems:

• Check diary folder exists: ls -la $DIARY_PATH
• Check uv works: uv --version
• Check Ollama runs: curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags
• Test AI: ollama run llama3.1 "test"

Command problems:

• Be specific: copilot "use create_diary_entry_file tool"
• Check what's available: copilot "what MCP tools are available?"
• Use YYYY-MM-DD for dates

How It Works

• Prompts: Reads your old entries and makes new questions
• Links: Connects entries by date [[2024-10-03]] and topic #work-stress
• Fast: Caches stuff so it doesn't ask AI the same thing twice
• Adaptive: No hardcoded content, learns from your writing
• Obsidian: Works with backlinks, tags, and graph view

Entry Format

Files are stored as YYYY-MM-DD.md in your diary vault:

# Thursday, October 3, 2024

## Reflection Prompts
**How did work play out today?**
**What patterns am I noticing in my thinking?**
**What challenged me most today and why?**

## Brain Dump
Your thoughts and experiences...

---
## Memory Links
**Temporal:** [[2024-09-28]] • [[2024-09-30]]
**Topics:** #work-stress #personal-growth #decision-making

License: MIT • Requirements: Python 3.8+, FastMCP