MCP Obsidian vs TriliumNext (trilium Mcp)
A side-by-side look at the MCP Obsidian and TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose MCP Obsidian for knowledge & memory work as a local process; choose TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) for knowledge & memory. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose MCP Obsidian when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You want tools like
read_note, write_note, patch_note.
Choose TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You have the keys it needs:
TRILIUM_URL, TRILIUM_TOKEN, TRILIUM_HTTP_TIMEOUT_SECONDS, TRILIUM_MCP_LOG. - You want tools like
create_note, batch_create_notes, get_note.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 73/100 · Great | 43/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Not confirmed yet |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | — |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | TRILIUM_URLTRILIUM_TOKENTRILIUM_HTTP_TIMEOUT_SECONDSTRILIUM_MCP_LOG |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 1,702 | 5 |
| Directory activity | 11 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 18 | 16 |
| Full listing | View MCP Obsidian | View TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Obsidian tools 18
read_noteRead a note from the Obsidian vaultwrite_noteWrite a note to the Obsidian vaultpatch_noteEfficiently update part of a note by replacing a specific string. This is more efficient than rewriting the entire note for small changes.list_directoryList files and directories in the vault (includes non-note filenames, while read/write tools remain note-only)delete_noteDelete a note from the Obsidian vault (requires confirmation). Supports permanent delete, vault trash, or system trash.search_notesSearch for notes in the vault by content or frontmattermove_noteMove or rename a note in the vaultmove_fileMove or rename any file in the vault (binary-safe, file-only, requires confirmation)read_multiple_notesRead multiple notes in a batch (max 10 files)update_frontmatterUpdate frontmatter of a note without changing contentget_notes_infoGet metadata for notes without reading full contentget_frontmatterExtract frontmatter from a note without reading the content- +6 more on the listing page
TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) tools 16
create_noteCreate a note (optionally under a parent, with labels in one shot).batch_create_notesCreate many notes in one call — saves per-call schema overhead during restructuring.get_noteFetch note metadata; optionally include body content.get_note_subtreeRecursively fetch a note + descendants up to N levels as a nested tree — replaces N+1 `get_note` calls.update_notePartial update: include only the fields you want to change; omitted fields stay as-is.append_contentAppend text to the body with a configurable separator.delete_noteDelete a note and its subtree.batch_delete_notesDelete many notes; partial failures don't stop the rest.move_noteRe-parent a note in two ETAPI calls (vs the old read-recreate-delete dance).clone_noteAdd the note under an additional parent — Trilium-native multi-parent links.delete_branchRemove one parent-child link without deleting the note (un-clone).search_notesFull-power Trilium search (`#label`, `~relation`, `note.title %= "regex"`, ancestor scoping, etc.).- +4 more on the listing page
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
MCP Obsidian
{
"mcpServers": {
"bitbonsai-mcp-obsidian": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest"
]
}
}
}
TriliumNext (trilium Mcp)
No confirmed install command for TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Frequently asked questions
MCP Obsidian is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Pick MCP Obsidian for knowledge & memory work and TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) for knowledge & memory.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client. TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
MCP Obsidian is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add bitbonsai-mcp-obsidian and triliumnext-trilium-mcp as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, MCP Obsidian has a quality signal of 73/100 (Great) with 11 views, 0 installs and 1,702 GitHub stars. TriliumNext (trilium Mcp) has 43/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 5 GitHub stars.