obsidian-mcp-server 0.2.0

MCP server giving Claude Code read/write access to Obsidian vaults

Obsidian MCP Server

An MCP (Model Context Protocol) server that gives Claude Code read/write access to your Obsidian vault.

Features

• Read & write notes - Create, edit, and append to markdown files
• Search - Full-text search across your vault
• Daily notes - Read or append to daily notes with configurable date format
• Browse - List files and folders in your vault
• Secure - Only accesses your configured vault directory

Installation

Via pip

pip install obsidian-mcp-server

Via pipx (recommended for CLI tools)

pipx install obsidian-mcp-server

From source

git clone https://github.com/bbdaniels/obsidian-mcp-server.git
cd obsidian-mcp-server
pip install -e .

Configure Claude Code

Add the MCP server to Claude Code:

claude mcp add obsidian -- python3 -m obsidian_mcp.server

Or if installed via pipx:

claude mcp add obsidian -- obsidian-mcp

Then restart Claude Code.

First-Time Setup

Once configured, tell Claude:

"Configure obsidian vault at /path/to/your/vault"

Claude will run obsidian_configure to set up the vault path. Your configuration is stored at ~/.config/obsidian-mcp/config.json.

Available Tools

Tool	Description
obsidian_configure	Set vault path and daily notes settings
obsidian_status	Show current configuration and vault stats
obsidian_read	Read a note's contents
obsidian_write	Create or overwrite a note
obsidian_append	Append to a note (optionally under a heading)
obsidian_search	Search notes by content
obsidian_list	Browse vault structure
obsidian_daily	Read/append to daily notes

Built-in Prompts

The server includes MCP prompts that provide structured workflows for common note-taking patterns. These show up as invocable prompts in Claude Code.

Prompt	Description
session-start	Review daily notes and project context before starting work
session-end	Document accomplishments, decisions, and open questions at end of session
project-checkin	Review and update a specific project's documentation

Each prompt accepts an optional project argument to focus on a specific project folder.

Automatic Instructions

When this server is connected, Claude automatically receives guidance about when and how to use the Obsidian tools -- no CLAUDE.md configuration needed. The built-in instructions tell Claude to:

• Check for project context at the start of sessions
• Document decisions as they're made (not just at the end)
• Update daily notes with session summaries
• Search for existing notes before creating new ones

Example Usage

Once configured, you can ask Claude things like:

• "Search my notes for authentication patterns"
• "Read my project architecture note"
• "Append today's session summary to my daily note"
• "Create a new note at Projects/my-project/decisions.md"
• "List all notes in my Work folder"

Configuration

Config is stored at ~/.config/obsidian-mcp/config.json:

{
  "vault_path": "/path/to/your/vault",
  "daily_notes_folder": "Daily Notes",
  "daily_notes_format": "%Y-%m-%d"
}

Options

Option	Default	Description
vault_path	(required)	Absolute path to your Obsidian vault
daily_notes_folder	Daily Notes	Folder for daily notes
daily_notes_format	%Y-%m-%d	Date format for daily note filenames

Customizing Claude Instructions (Optional)

The server includes built-in instructions that guide Claude's note-taking behavior automatically. For additional customization, you can add to ~/.claude/CLAUDE.md:

## Obsidian Note-Taking

### Project Notes
- Vault uses project folders (e.g., MyProject/) with notes like Technical Notes.md, Overview.md
- Always update BOTH daily notes AND project-specific notes
- Include commit hashes and file references in technical notes

License

MIT