Obsidian MCP vs Smart Connections MCP

In-depth architectural comparison of the Obsidian MCP and Smart Connections 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?

O

Choose Obsidian 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).
• Primary tools included: vault_stats, read_note, search_notes.

Explore Obsidian MCP Details

Choose Smart Connections 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 Smart Connections MCP Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	O Obsidian MCP Knowledge & Memory	Smart Connections MCP Knowledge & Memory
Summary	Turns Obsidian vaults into AI-queryable knowledge graphs with 12 tools	Give Claude semantic search + knowledge graphs over your Obsidian vault (Smart Connections)
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-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "obsidian-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smart-connections-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "smart-connections-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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