MCP server · Notes
Obsidian MCP server
Let your AI read, search, and update your Obsidian notes for you.
This is a small helper that connects your AI assistant to your Obsidian notes. Once it is set up, you can ask your AI to read a note, search your whole vault, or add something to a note, and it will do it. It is handy for anyone who keeps their notes, meeting minutes, or research in Obsidian.
What is an MCP server? The 30-second version
On its own, your AI can only chat with you. An MCP server is a small helper program that gives your AI a new skill or a connection to an app, and here it connects your AI to Obsidian. It talks to Obsidian through a plugin that runs a small web service inside your Obsidian app. So when you ask your AI something about your notes, the AI asks this helper, and the helper fetches or changes the notes for you.
What this MCP server does
You ask your AI something about your Obsidian notes, like reading a file or searching for a word. The AI sends that request to this helper program running quietly in the background. The helper talks to Obsidian through the Local REST API plugin, which is a small add-on you install inside Obsidian. Obsidian sends back the note contents or search results, and the helper passes them to your AI. Your AI then answers you in the chat, or writes the change back into your vault if you asked it to.
Click to zoomWhat you can do with it
- List all files and folders in your Obsidian vault
- Read the full contents of any note
- Search every note for a word or phrase
- Add new content to an existing note
- Insert text under a specific heading or block
- Create a new note with content in it
- Delete a file or folder from your vault
Try asking your AI
- “Get the contents of the last architecture call note and summarize them”
- “Search for all files where Azure CosmosDb is mentioned and quickly explain the context”
- “Summarize the last meeting notes and put them into a new note called summary meeting.md”
- “Add a short intro to my project plan note so I can send it by email”
What it gives back to you
You get answers in the chat: summaries of notes, lists of files, or search results with the surrounding text. When you ask it to write, it tells you what it changed, like which note was updated or created. If you asked for a new note, that note appears in your vault right away. Everything shows up as normal text in the conversation, so you can copy it or ask follow-up questions.
Before you start
What you need
- The Obsidian app with the Local REST API community plugin installed and enabled
- The API key from that plugin's settings
- Python 3.11 or newer, or Docker if you prefer not to install Python
- An AI app that supports MCP servers, like the Claude desktop app
Good to know
It can change or delete notes in your vault, so keep backups and double-check before letting it remove anything.
Install it with your AI
Add Obsidian MCP server to your AI, no technical skills needed
You don't install anything by hand. You copy one prompt, paste it into an AI that can work on your computer, and it checks, installs and connects the server for you, asking you when it needs something.
Sign in to get the install prompt
Members get a ready-made prompt that lets the Claude desktop app check Obsidian MCP server, install it and connect it for them, step by step. You don't need any technical skills: you copy, paste and answer a few questions. Your connected AI can also find and install any of the 4,066 MCP servers here for you.
Who it's for
People who keep their notes, meeting minutes, or research in Obsidian and want their AI to read and update them without copying and pasting.
