MCP Obsidian vs Obsidian MCP
A side-by-side look at the MCP Obsidian and Obsidian 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 Obsidian MCP 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 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.
Choose Obsidian MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
vault_stats, read_note, search_notes.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 48/100 · Fair | 51/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | API key required | Not declared |
| Pricing | Free | Not declared |
| Required env vars | OBSIDIAN_API_KEY | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 4,525 | 1 |
| Directory activity | 15 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | Not listed | 12 |
| Full listing | View MCP Obsidian | View Obsidian MCP |
Tools & capabilities
MCP Obsidian tools
No tool names declared yet. Check the project README from the listing page.
Obsidian MCP tools 12
vault_statsOverview: total notes, tags, links, orphans, components, top tags/hubsread_noteFull content + frontmatter + links + backlinks + sectionssearch_notesFilter by tags, folder, frontmatter, keyword. All combinablegraph_neighborsDirect links + backlinks for a notegraph_traverseBFS/DFS from a note, N hops deep with tag filteringgraph_shortest_pathShortest link chain between two notesgraph_analyzeComponents, orphans, bridges, hubs, dead linkscreate_noteCreate with content + frontmatterpatch_noteAppend, prepend, or replace a section. Update frontmattermove_noteRename/move + auto-update all backlinks across vaultdelete_noteDelete + report broken linksmanage_tagsAdd/remove/rename tags (vault-wide rename supported)
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": {
"markuspfundstein-mcp-obsidian": {
"command": "uvx",
"args": [
"mcp-obsidian"
],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "YOUR_OBSIDIAN_API_KEY_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Obsidian MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"obsidian-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
MCP Obsidian is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Obsidian MCP belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick MCP Obsidian for knowledge & memory work and Obsidian 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.
MCP Obsidian is listed as free. Auth: api key required. Obsidian 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 markuspfundstein-mcp-obsidian and obsidian-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 48/100 (Fair) with 15 views, 0 installs and 4,525 GitHub stars. Obsidian MCP has 51/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars.