What is the key difference between Central Intelligence and Obsidian MCP?

Central Intelligence belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution, while Obsidian MCP belongs to the Knowledge & Memory category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Central Intelligence or Obsidian MCP in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Central Intelligence and Obsidian MCP free or paid?

Central Intelligence operates under a Freemium model (API Key required). Obsidian MCP operates under a BYOK (Pay Provider Direct) model (OAuth 2.0).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Central Intelligence lists 6 tools with 2 views and 3 GitHub stars. Obsidian MCP lists 6 tools with 2 views and 12 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Central Intelligence and Obsidian MCP together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Central Intelligence vs Obsidian MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Central Intelligence and Obsidian MCP MCP servers. Compare execution transports, security boundaries, tool capabilities, quality scores, and ready-to-paste client installation snippets for Claude, Cursor, Windsurf, and VS Code.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Central Intelligence

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 49/100 (Fair) | Auth: API Key required

Obsidian MCP

Knowledge & Memory · Local stdio

Quality: 47/100 (Fair) | Auth: OAuth 2.0

Verdict Summary: Choose Central Intelligence if you need specialized Knowledge & Memory tools running via a local process. Choose Obsidian MCP if your workspace requires Knowledge & Memory integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Central Intelligence when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Freemium).
You have access to required keys: CI_API_KEY.
Primary tools included: Five MCP tools: remember, recall, context, forget, share, Semantic search via vector embeddings, Agent, user, and organization scoped memory.

Explore Central Intelligence Details

Choose Obsidian MCP when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: OAuth 2.0 (BYOK (Pay Provider Direct)).
You have access to required keys: .

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Central Intelligence AlekseiMarchenko Knowledge & Memory	Obsidian MCP maxkuminov Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Persistent memory for AI agents. Five tools (remember, recall, context, forget, share) with semantic search via vector embeddings and agent/user/org scoping. Works with Claude Code, Cursor, Windsurf, and any MCP client.	Self-hosted MCP server for Obsidian with semantic + full-text search over PostgreSQL/pgvector, wikilink graph traversal, atomic note CRUD, OAuth 2.0, and a self-describing vault guide.
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Central Intelligence Tools (6)

Five MCP tools: remember, recall, context, forget, share

Semantic search via vector embeddings

Agent, user, and organization scoped memory

Verbatim memory retrieval without rewriting

Cross-tool memory integration with AI coding platforms

Open-source with Apache 2.0 license

Obsidian MCP Tools (6)

Semantic and full-text search via PostgreSQL with pgvector

Ready-to-Paste Client Configurations

Paste either (or both) of these JSON server blocks into your client config file (e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json).

Central Intelligence Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "alekseimarchenko-central-intelligence": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "central-intelligence-local"
      ],
      "env": {
        "CI_API_KEY": "YOUR_CI_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Obsidian MCP Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "maxkuminov-obsidian-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "maxkuminov-obsidian-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "DATABASE_URL": "YOUR_DATABASE_URL_HERE",
        "OAUTH_CLIENT_ID": "YOUR_OAUTH_CLIENT_ID_HERE",
        "OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET": "YOUR_OAUTH_CLIENT_SECRET_HERE",
        "OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI": "YOUR_OAUTH_REDIRECT_URI_HERE",
        "EMBEDDING_PROVIDER": "YOUR_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER_HERE",
        "OPENAI_API_KEY": "YOUR_OPENAI_API_KEY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Central Intelligence is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, Obsidian MCP belongs to Knowledge & Memory using local stdio subprocess. Select Central Intelligence when you need capabilities focused on knowledge & memory and Obsidian MCP when you require tools for knowledge & memory.

More alternatives to Central Intelligence More alternatives to Obsidian MCP Knowledge & Memory category hub