Honcho vs MCP Obsidian
A side-by-side look at the Honcho and MCP Obsidian MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Honcho for knowledge & memory work as a local process; choose MCP Obsidian 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 Honcho when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You have the keys it needs:
HONCHO_API_KEY, HONCHO_URL.
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: API key required.
- You have the keys it needs:
OBSIDIAN_API_KEY.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 48/100 · Fair | 48/100 · Fair |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | HONCHO_API_KEYHONCHO_URL | OBSIDIAN_API_KEY |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 7,700 | 4,482 |
| Directory activity | 1 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 6 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | Not listed |
| Full listing | View Honcho | View MCP Obsidian |
Tools & capabilities
Honcho tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
MCP Obsidian 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.
Honcho
{
"mcpServers": {
"honcho": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"honcho-ai"
],
"env": {
"HONCHO_API_KEY": "YOUR_HONCHO_API_KEY_HERE",
"HONCHO_URL": "YOUR_HONCHO_URL_HERE"
}
}
}
}
MCP Obsidian
{
"mcpServers": {
"markuspfundstein-mcp-obsidian": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcp-obsidian"
],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "YOUR_OBSIDIAN_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Honcho is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. MCP Obsidian belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Honcho for knowledge & memory work and MCP Obsidian 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.
Honcho has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. MCP Obsidian is listed as free. Auth: api key required. 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 honcho and markuspfundstein-mcp-obsidian as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Honcho has a quality signal of 48/100 (Fair) with 1 views, 0 installs and 7,700 GitHub stars. MCP Obsidian has 48/100 (Fair) with 6 views, 0 installs and 4,482 GitHub stars.