What is the key difference between Obsidian Semantic Search and Srclight?

Obsidian Semantic Search belongs to the Databases category with local stdio execution, while Srclight belongs to the Databases category with local stdio execution.

How do I install Obsidian Semantic Search or Srclight 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 Srclight free or paid?

Obsidian Semantic Search operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required). Srclight operates under a Free / Open Source model (No auth required).

Which MCP server has more tools and community activity?

Obsidian Semantic Search lists 4 tools with 0 views and 0 GitHub stars. Srclight lists 6 tools with 0 views and 53 GitHub stars.

Can I use both Obsidian Semantic Search and Srclight 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.

How do I install Obsidian Semantic Search or Srclight in Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf?

Both servers follow the standard Model Context Protocol configuration format. Simply copy the JSON block from the configuration section above and paste it into your AI client's mcpServers configuration object (for instance in claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json ), then completely restart or refresh the application.

Are Obsidian Semantic Search and Srclight free to use, or do they require API keys?

Obsidian Semantic Search is listed under a Free / Open Source model with No auth required . Srclight operates under a Free / Open Source model with No auth required . If environment variables are required (such as API keys), be sure to define them under the env key in your MCP client's configuration file.

Can I run both Obsidian Semantic Search and Srclight at the same time in my AI client?

Yes! MCP clients support multi-server orchestration. You can include both obsidian-semantic-search and srclight-srclight as distinct keys inside the single mcpServers object in your configuration file. Your AI assistant will automatically select and call the appropriate tool from either server during chat sessions.

Which MCP server has higher directory engagement and quality ratings?

On AllMCPs, Obsidian Semantic Search has a Quality Score of 51 /100 ( Good ) with 0 views, 0 installs, and 0 GitHub stars. Srclight holds a Quality Score of 45 /100 ( Fair ) with 0 views, 0 installs, and 53 GitHub stars.

Side-by-Side Model Context Protocol Comparison

Obsidian Semantic Search vs Srclight

In-depth architectural comparison of the Obsidian Semantic Search and Srclight 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: 51/100 (Good) | Auth: No auth required

Srclight

Databases · Local stdio

Quality: 45/100 (Fair) | Auth: No auth required

Verdict Summary: Choose Obsidian Semantic Search if you need specialized Databases tools running via a local process. Choose Srclight 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 Srclight 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: Incremental indexing with SQLite FTS5 and tree-sitter, Hybrid search combining keyword and embedding results, Support for 11 programming languages and 10 document formats.

Explore Srclight Details

Feature & Specification Comparison

Specification	O Obsidian Semantic Search Databases	Srclight srclight Databases
Summary	Read-only semantic search MCP server for Obsidian vaults using local Ollama embeddings.	Deep code indexing MCP server with SQLite FTS5, tree-sitter, and embeddings. 29 tools for symbol search, call graphs, git intelligence, and hybrid semantic search.
Category & Scope	Databases	Databases

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.

Srclight Tools (6)

Incremental indexing with SQLite FTS5 and tree-sitter

Hybrid search combining keyword and embedding results

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"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Srclight Configuration

mcpServers (Claude Desktop / Cursor)

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "srclight-srclight": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "srclight"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Frequently Asked Questions

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

More alternatives to Obsidian Semantic Search More alternatives to Srclight Databases category hub