What it does

Reads, writes, and edits notes via Obsidian's Local REST API plugin, including targeted edits rather than whole-file replacement. The targeted edit matters: a full rewrite loses formatting and links. Requires the plugin running locally, which is a real setup step the README undersells.

Install

Terminal

npx -y obsidian-mcp-server

Client configuration

Paste this into your MCP client config (Claude Desktop, Cursor, or any client that reads mcpServers), then restart the client.

mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "obsidian-mcp-server"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Use it for

Reading and surgically editing notes in an existing vault

Skip it if

Bulk rewrites; a vault is a hierarchy someone will notice

When to use it

Reach for this when the task needs notes inside the agent loop. Skip it if a plain shell command or a one-off script is enough — every server you add costs context and adds a failure mode.

Other TypeScript servers

Filesystem — Gives an agent scoped read, write, and search access to directories you explicitly allow
Memory — A persistent knowledge graph stored in a local JSON file, exposed through entities, relations, and observations
Sequential Thinking — Gives the model a scratchpad for structured, revisable reasoning: numbered thoughts that can branch, revise, and conclude

Obsidian MCP