Obsidian MCP vs Obsidian MCP Server
A side-by-side look at the Obsidian MCP and Obsidian MCP Server MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Obsidian MCP for knowledge & memory work as a local process; choose Obsidian MCP Server 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 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.
Choose Obsidian MCP Server 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, OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_COMMANDS, OBSIDIAN_READ_PATHS, OBSIDIAN_DENY_PATHS, OBSIDIAN_DELETE_ELICITATION. - You want tools like
obsidian_get_note, obsidian_list_notes, obsidian_list_tags.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Knowledge & Memory | Knowledge & Memory |
| Quality signal | 51/100 · Good | 68/100 · Great |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | API key required |
| Pricing | Not declared | Free |
| Required env vars | None listed | OBSIDIAN_API_KEYOBSIDIAN_ENABLE_COMMANDSOBSIDIAN_READ_PATHSOBSIDIAN_DENY_PATHSOBSIDIAN_DELETE_ELICITATION |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 1 | 702 |
| Directory activity | 2 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 10 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 12 | 14 |
| Full listing | View Obsidian MCP | View Obsidian MCP Server |
Tools & capabilities
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)
Obsidian MCP Server tools 14
obsidian_get_noteRead a note as raw content, full structured form, document map, or a single sectionobsidian_list_notesList notes and folders under a vault path, recursively, with extension and name filtersobsidian_list_tagsList vault tags with usage counts, most-used firstobsidian_search_notesSearch by text, JSONLogic, or BM25-ranked Omnisearch when that plugin is reachableobsidian_write_noteCreate a note, replace one section, or overwrite a whole file with `overwrite: trueobsidian_append_to_noteAppend to a note (creating it if missing) or to one heading, block, or frontmatter fieldobsidian_patch_noteAppend, prepend, or replace against one heading, block reference, or frontmatter fieldobsidian_replace_in_noteLiteral or regex search-replace inside one note, body-only by defaultobsidian_manage_frontmatterGet, set, or delete one frontmatter keyobsidian_manage_tagsAdd, remove, or list a note's tags in frontmatter, inline, or bothobsidian_delete_notePermanently delete a note, optionally after the user confirms (`OBSIDIAN_DELETE_ELICITATION`)obsidian_open_in_uiOpen a file in the Obsidian app, optionally in a new pane- +2 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.
Obsidian MCP
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian-mcp": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"obsidian-mcp"
]
}
}
}
Obsidian MCP Server
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian-mcp-server": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"obsidian-mcp-server"
],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "YOUR_OBSIDIAN_API_KEY_HERE",
"OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_COMMANDS": "YOUR_OBSIDIAN_ENABLE_COMMANDS_HERE",
"OBSIDIAN_READ_PATHS": "YOUR_OBSIDIAN_READ_PATHS_HERE",
"OBSIDIAN_DENY_PATHS": "YOUR_OBSIDIAN_DENY_PATHS_HERE",
"OBSIDIAN_DELETE_ELICITATION": "YOUR_OBSIDIAN_DELETE_ELICITATION_HERE"
}
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Obsidian MCP is categorized under Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Obsidian MCP Server belongs to Knowledge & Memory and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Obsidian MCP for knowledge & memory work and Obsidian MCP Server 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 MCP has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Obsidian MCP Server 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 obsidian-mcp and obsidian-mcp-server as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Obsidian MCP has a quality signal of 51/100 (Good) with 2 views, 0 installs and 1 GitHub stars. Obsidian MCP Server has 68/100 (Great) with 10 views, 0 installs and 702 GitHub stars.