Obsidian MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that enables AI assistants to interact with your Obsidian vault.

Features

1. Note Reading & Summarization

• Read any note in your vault
• Generate quick summaries of notes
• Extract metadata (tags, word count, dates)

2. Note Organization

• Move notes between folders
• Add tags to notes automatically
• Search notes by title, content, or tags

3. Daily "Most Valuable Notes"

• Automatically identifies your most important notes based on:
  • Recent modifications (last 7 days)
  • Note length and depth
  • Tag organization
• Perfect for daily reviews and prioritization

Installation

1. Create Project Directory

mkdir obsidian-mcp-server
cd obsidian-mcp-server

2. Initialize Project

Copy the following files into your project:

• src/index.ts (the main server code)
• package.json
• tsconfig.json

3. Install Dependencies

npm install

4. Build the Server

npm run build

Configuration

Environment Variables

Set the path to your Obsidian vault:

macOS/Linux:

export OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH="/path/to/your/obsidian/vault"

Windows (PowerShell):

$env:OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH="C:\path\to\your\obsidian\vault"

Windows (CMD):

set OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH=C:\path\to\your\obsidian\vault

Claude Desktop Configuration

Add this to your Claude Desktop config file:

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/absolute/path/to/obsidian-mcp-server/build/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/your/obsidian/vault"
      }
    }
  }
}

Available Tools

1. read_note

Read the content of a specific note.

{
  "path": "folder/note-name.md"
}

2. search_notes

Search for notes by title, content, or tags.

{
  "query": "machine learning",
  "searchInContent": true
}

3. create_note

Create a new note in your vault.

{
  "path": "folder/new-note.md",
  "content": "# New Note\n\nContent here..."
}

4. summarize_note

Generate a summary of a note.

{
  "path": "folder/long-note.md"
}

5. organize_note

Move a note to a different folder.

{
  "path": "old-folder/note.md",
  "targetFolder": "new-folder"
}

6. add_tags

Add tags to a note's frontmatter.

{
  "path": "folder/note.md",
  "tags": ["important", "project-x"]
}

7. get_most_valuable_notes

Get your top 10 most valuable notes for today.

{}

Usage Examples

Once configured, you can ask Claude in the desktop app:

• "Show me my most valuable notes for today"
• "Search my vault for notes about Python"
• "Summarize my note called 'Project Ideas'"
• "Move my note 'Draft.md' to the 'Archive' folder"
• "Add tags 'urgent' and 'work' to my note 'Meeting Notes.md'"
• "Create a new note in 'Daily Notes' called 'Today.md' with today's date"

Development

Watch Mode

For development, run TypeScript in watch mode:

npm run dev

Testing

Test the server directly:

export OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH="/path/to/vault"
npm start

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH environment variable not set"

• Make sure you've set the environment variable correctly
• Use absolute paths, not relative paths
• Check for typos in the path

"Permission denied" errors

• Ensure the build/index.js file is executable: chmod +x build/index.js
• Check that Node.js has read/write permissions to your vault

Claude Desktop doesn't see the server

• Restart Claude Desktop after editing the config file
• Check the config file syntax (valid JSON)
• Use absolute paths in the config file
• Check Claude Desktop logs for errors

Future Enhancements

Potential features to add:

• Link analysis and graph visualization
• Automated note templates
• Batch operations
• Daily note automation
• Integration with calendar and tasks
• AI-powered note suggestions