Obsidian

This Obsidian MCP server lets Claude Desktop read from and write to your Obsidian vault through the Model Context Protocol (MCP). Once running, Claude can summarize notes, generate new ideas, draft content, and perform searches across your vault, enabling AI-assisted notetaking and knowledge management without leaving your Obsidian environment. The server is launched via npx using the obsidian-mcp package and requires your vault path and an API key generated from the Local REST API plugin in Obsidian. In Claude Desktop, configure the Obsidian MCP server entry so Claude can start and manage the server on demand, providing continuous access to your vault for both read and write operations.

Prerequisites:

• Node.js (version 20 or higher) installed on your system
• Obsidian installed with a vault ready for AI integration
• Claude Desktop (or equivalent) to connect to the MCP server

Installation steps:

1. Ensure Node.js is installed and accessible from your command line:
   • Windows: in PowerShell, run node -v
   • macOS/Linux: run node -v
2. Install the Obsidan MCP server package globally or use npx to run it directly. This guide uses npx to avoid global installs:
   • npx -y obsidian-mcp
3. Prepare Obsidian for external access:
   • Open Obsidian > Settings > Community Plugins
   • Install and enable the Local REST API plugin
   • Generate an API key in the Local REST API settings and copy it securely for use with Claude Desktop
4. Create or update Claude Desktop config to include the Obsidian MCP server (see mcp_config in this document). Ensure the vault path is the absolute path to your Obsidian vault and that the API key is placed in the OBSIDIAN_API_KEY environment variable.
5. Start Claude Desktop and verify the Obsidian MCP server appears as an available server and connects successfully.

Tips and notes:

• Use an absolute path for your Obsidian vault in the MCP config to avoid path resolution issues.
• Keep your Obsidian API key secret; treat it like a password.
• If you encounter 'Address already in use' errors, confirm there are no other MCP instances running and that Claude Desktop is not trying to start multiple servers with the same name.
• Ensure the Local REST API plugin is configured and the API key has sufficient permissions to access your vault.
• If Claude Desktop cannot detect the server, re-check the JSON syntax in claude_desktop_config.json and ensure the mcpServers section is properly formatted and saved.
• The Obsidian MCP server uses the obsidian-mcp package; if you switch vaults, update the YOUR_OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH_HERE accordingly.