What is the key difference between Obsidian Semantic Search and MCP Server Qdrant?

Obsidian Semantic Search belongs to the Databases category with local stdio execution, while MCP Server Qdrant belongs to the Databases category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Obsidian Semantic Search or MCP Server Qdrant in Claude Desktop or Cursor?

Copy the mcpServers JSON configuration snippet provided on this page into your claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json file and restart your AI client.

Are Obsidian Semantic Search and MCP Server Qdrant free or paid?

Obsidian Semantic Search operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). MCP Server Qdrant operates under a Free / Open Source model (API Key required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Obsidian Semantic Search lists 4 tools with 2 views and 1 GitHub stars. MCP Server Qdrant lists 4 tools with 4 views and 1,537 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Obsidian Semantic Search and MCP Server Qdrant together in the same MCP host?

Yes! MCP hosts like Claude Desktop, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and VS Code support configuring multiple servers under the mcpServers object simultaneously.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Obsidian Semantic Search vs MCP Server Qdrant

In-depth architectural comparison of the Obsidian Semantic Search and MCP Server Qdrant 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.

At a Glance & Executive Verdict

Obsidian Semantic Search

Databases · Local stdio

Quality: 49/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

MCP Server Qdrant

Databases · Local stdio

Quality: 81/100 (Excellent) | Auth: API Key required

Verdict Summary: Choose Obsidian Semantic Search if you need specialized Databases tools running via a local process. Choose MCP Server Qdrant if your workspace requires Databases integration with local subprocess execution. Both servers can be configured concurrently in your client's mcpServers manifest.

Which MCP Server Should You Choose?

Choose Obsidian Semantic Search when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Databases domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: No auth required (Free / Open Source).
Primary tools included: index_status, index_vault, search_notes.

Explore Obsidian Semantic Search Details

Choose MCP Server Qdrant when:

You need dedicated capabilities in the Databases domain.
You prefer local stdio subprocess transport architecture.
Your security boundary fits: API Key required (Free / Open Source).
You have access to required keys: QDRANT_URL, QDRANT_API_KEY, QDRANT_LOCAL_PATH, COLLECTION_NAME, EMBEDDING_PROVIDER, EMBEDDING_MODEL, QDRANT_SEARCH_LIMIT, QDRANT_READ_ONLY.
Primary tools included: information, metadata, collection_name.

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	Obsidian Semantic Search Databases	MCP Server Qdrant qdrant VerifiedDatabases
Summary	Read-only semantic search MCP server for Obsidian vaults using local Ollama embeddings.	An official Qdrant Model Context Protocol (MCP) server implementation
Category & Scope

Tools & Capabilities Breakdown

Obsidian Semantic Search Tools (4)

index_status

Returns index metadata and safety settings.

index_vault

Builds or updates the external SQLite index.

search_notes

Searches notes with hybrid semantic and keyword ranking.

read_note

Reads a note or line range by vault-relative path.

MCP Server Qdrant Tools (4)

information

metadata

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).

Obsidian Semantic Search Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-semantic-search": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "--package",
        "@dalecb/obsidian-semantic-mcp",
        "obsidian-semantic-mcp-setup"
      ]
    }
  }
}

MCP Server Qdrant Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "qdrant-mcp-server-qdrant": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "When"
      ],
      "env": {
        "QDRANT_URL": "YOUR_QDRANT_URL_HERE",
        "QDRANT_API_KEY": "YOUR_QDRANT_API_KEY_HERE",
        "QDRANT_LOCAL_PATH": "YOUR_QDRANT_LOCAL_PATH_HERE",
        "COLLECTION_NAME": "YOUR_COLLECTION_NAME_HERE",
        "EMBEDDING_PROVIDER": "YOUR_EMBEDDING_PROVIDER_HERE",
        "EMBEDDING_MODEL": "YOUR_EMBEDDING_MODEL_HERE",
        "QDRANT_SEARCH_LIMIT": "YOUR_QDRANT_SEARCH_LIMIT_HERE",
        "QDRANT_READ_ONLY": "YOUR_QDRANT_READ_ONLY_HERE"
      }
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

Obsidian Semantic Search is categorized under Databases and uses a local stdio subprocess. In contrast, MCP Server Qdrant belongs to Databases using local stdio subprocess. Select Obsidian Semantic Search when you need capabilities focused on databases and MCP Server Qdrant when you require tools for databases.

More alternatives to Obsidian Semantic Search More alternatives to MCP Server Qdrant Databases category hub