Obsidian Codex MCP vs Obsidian Brain
A side-by-side look at the Obsidian Codex MCP and Obsidian Brain MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Obsidian Codex MCP for knowledge & memory work; choose Obsidian Brain for knowledge & memory as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Obsidian Codex MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- Its auth model fits you: No auth required.
- You have the keys it needs:
OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH, OBSIDIAN_READ_ONLY, OBSIDIAN_BACKUP_ON_WRITE. - You want tools like
configure_vault, get_note, create_note.
Choose Obsidian Brain when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
VAULT_PATH.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 55/100 · Good | 45/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | No auth required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATHOBSIDIAN_READ_ONLYOBSIDIAN_BACKUP_ON_WRITE | VAULT_PATH |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 17 | 12 |
| Directory activity | 3 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 17 | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Obsidian Codex MCP | View Obsidian Brain |
Tools & capabilities
Obsidian Codex MCP tools 17
configure_vaultset or change the vault pathget_noteread one markdown note by vault-relative pathcreate_notecreate a new markdown note with optional metadataupdate_noteupdate note content and/or frontmatterdelete_notedelete a markdown notelist_noteslist notes in the vault or a foldersearch_notessearch note title, content, and tagsget_all_tagslist unique tags from frontmatter and inline tagsget_backlinksfind notes that link to a noteget_note_linksextract wikilinks from a notecreate_foldercreate a folder inside the vaultget_folder_structurereturn the vault folder tree- +5 more on the listing page
Obsidian Brain tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from 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.
Obsidian Codex MCP
No confirmed install command for Obsidian Codex MCP yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Obsidian Brain
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian-brain": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"cache"
],
"env": {
"VAULT_PATH": "YOUR_VAULT_PATH_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Obsidian Codex MCP is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Obsidian Brain belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Obsidian Codex MCP for knowledge & memory work and Obsidian Brain 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. Obsidian Codex MCP has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Obsidian Codex MCP is listed as free. Auth: no auth required. Obsidian Brain 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 dot-realitytest-obsidian-codex-mcp and obsidian-brain as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Obsidian Codex MCP has a quality signal of 55/100 (Good) with 3 views, 0 installs and 17 GitHub stars. Obsidian Brain has 45/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 12 GitHub stars.