Obsidian CLI MCP vs Obsidian Vault MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Obsidian CLI MCP and Obsidian Vault 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.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Obsidian CLI MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Obsidian CLI MCP Details

Choose Obsidian Vault MCP when:

• You need dedicated capabilities in the Knowledge & Memory domain.
• You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
• Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).

Explore Obsidian Vault MCP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Obsidian CLI MCP Knowledge & Memory	Obsidian Vault MCP Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Local MCP server for Obsidian Desktop via the official Obsidian CLI.	Local Zotero, MinerU, Obsidian literature workflow with transactional Analysis notes.
Category & Scope	Knowledge & Memory	Knowledge & Memory

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

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).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-cli-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "--yes"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-vault-mcp": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "--from"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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