Smart Connections

MCP server for Obsidian Smart Connections. Semantic search using your vault's embeddings.

Quick Install

Automated & IDE Setup

Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code

Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾

Client Config & Setup

Choose your client or environment

Target File:~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

claude_desktop_config.json

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

💡 Paste the JSON block into your client's configuration file under mcpServers, then restart the application.

Documentation Overview

Smart Connections MCP Server

A security-first MCP server for Smart Connections. Read-only. Path-validated. Auditable.

Exposes Smart Connections embeddings to Claude Code and other MCP clients for semantic search of your Obsidian vault.

Why This Exists

We needed semantic search of our Obsidian vault from Claude Code. Existing options have problems:

No path validation - User input passed directly to file operations
Write access - Some expose mutation tools we don't need
Heavy dependencies - PyTorch/transformers for what's essentially vector math

This implementation:

Minimal dependencies - MCP SDK + Transformers.js (for text search)
Fail-closed security - path validation with realpath, symlink detection
Auditable - small TypeScript codebase you can actually read

Features

Text search - query with plain text, not just note paths
Semantic search using Smart Connections embeddings
Local inference - uses Transformers.js (same model as Smart Connections)
Read-only - no write operations, no shell execution
Secure - strict path validation, bounded responses
Offline - works without Obsidian running

Security Model

Property	Guarantee
Path confinement	All file access validated against vault root
No traversal	`../` and symlink attacks blocked
Read-only	No write operations exposed
Bounded responses	Capped results (50), content length (10KB)
Fail closed	Errors deny access, never bypass
Audit logging	Security events logged with context

Installation

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
Obsidian with Smart Connections plugin installed
Embeddings built (open vault in Obsidian, let Smart Connections index)

Setup

bash

git clone https://github.com/gogogadgetbytes/smart-connections-mcp
cd smart-connections-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configure Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code config:

Terminal

claude mcp add smart-connections \
  -e VAULT_PATH="/path/to/your/obsidian/vault" \
  -- node /path/to/smart-connections-mcp/dist/index.js

Or manually add to ~/.claude.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smart-connections": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/smart-connections-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/your/obsidian/vault"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code to load the server.

Usage

Once configured, Claude Code can use these tools:

Search by Text

Code

"Search my vault for notes about backup strategies"
→ Uses search_by_text tool

Search Similar Notes

Code

"Find notes similar to Topics/Claude_Code.md"
→ Uses search_similar tool

Get Note Content

Code

"Show me the content of Topics/Obsidian.md"
→ Uses get_note tool

List Indexed Notes

Code

"What notes are indexed in my vault?"
→ Uses list_indexed tool

Tools

Tool	Description
`search_by_text`	Search using freeform text (computes embedding locally)
`search_similar`	Find notes semantically similar to a given note
`search_by_embedding`	Search using a raw embedding vector
`get_note`	Get content of a specific note (path validated)
`get_model_info`	Get embedding model configuration
`list_indexed`	List all indexed notes

Configuration

Variable	Required	Description
`VAULT_PATH`	Yes	Absolute path to Obsidian vault

Limitations

Single vault - Configure one vault per MCP server instance
Index from Smart Connections - Note embeddings come from the plugin; text queries are embedded locally
No write access - By design; use Obsidian for edits
First run downloads model - ~50MB model cached in ~/.cache/huggingface/

Development

bash

# Build
npm run build

# Test with MCP Inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Security-focused PRs welcome.

Security

To report security vulnerabilities, please email gogogadgetcode@proton.me. Do not open public issues for security concerns.

License

MIT - see LICENSE

Credits

Smart Connections by Brian Petro
Model Context Protocol by Anthropic

Read the full README →View source on GitHub →

Related MCP Servers

View all in Knowledge & Memory View all alternatives

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how this listing worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Smart Connections

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers: "mcpServers": { "smart-connections": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "smart-connections"] } }

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Full Badge Customizer

Showcase your server listing on GitHub or your project documentation. Embed this dynamic SVG badge to highlight official listing status and live engagement.

Badge Style:

Live Dynamic SVG Preview

Smart Connections AllMCPs Directory Badge

Markdown (GitHub README)

[![AllMCPs](https://allmcps.com/api/badge/smart-connections?style=directory)](https://allmcps.com/mcp/smart-connections)

HTML Embed

<a href="https://allmcps.com/mcp/smart-connections"><img src="https://allmcps.com/api/badge/smart-connections?style=directory" alt="Smart Connections on AllMCPs" /></a>

Technical Specs & Signals

CategoryKnowledge & Memory

27Quality signal: Emerging · 27/100How this signal is calculated ▾

Server availabilityNot measured

Not scored for repo-hosted servers — we can't reach the running server, only its GitHub page. Hosted MCP endpoints are health-checked live.

Verified ownership8/20

Documentation & tools11/30

Adoption & activity1/15

Community engagement0/10

A guidance signal from public completeness & health data — not a user rating. New listings start lower and rise as they add docs, get verified, and grow adoption. Signals we can't observe for a listing are skipped, not counted against it.

★ Featured

Moxie Docs MCP

MCP & Agent Skills for Automated Documentation, and codebase conventions + context

Explore Server →

Own this project?

This directory is pre-filled from public sources. Claim via GitHub README, site badge, or DNS TXT to unlock edit access and the Official badge and attach your website — proof is checked automatically, then reviewed by our team.

Free dofollow backlink: add your website and place the AllMCPs badge on it — no claim needed. We detect it automatically and keep it verified as long as the badge stays live.

Claim & get free dofollow

Share & Embed

Add our SVG badge (dark/light directory styles) or embeddable widget to your site.

Explore more

More in 🧠 Knowledge & Memory →Best MCP servers for Memory & Knowledge →Alternatives to Smart Connections →Install in Claude Desktop Install in Cursor Install in VS Code

Smart Connections

MCP server for Obsidian Smart Connections. Semantic search using your vault's embeddings.

Quick Install

Automated & IDE Setup

Copy the AI prompt to install this server into Claude Code, Cursor, or another agent — or use 1-click editor setup below.

Add to Cursor Add to VS Code

Manual Client & Custom JSON ConfigExpand JSON ▾

Client Config & Setup

Choose your client or environment

Target File:~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

claude_desktop_config.json

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

💡 Paste the JSON block into your client's configuration file under mcpServers, then restart the application.

Documentation Overview

Smart Connections MCP Server

A security-first MCP server for Smart Connections. Read-only. Path-validated. Auditable.

Exposes Smart Connections embeddings to Claude Code and other MCP clients for semantic search of your Obsidian vault.

Why This Exists

We needed semantic search of our Obsidian vault from Claude Code. Existing options have problems:

No path validation - User input passed directly to file operations
Write access - Some expose mutation tools we don't need
Heavy dependencies - PyTorch/transformers for what's essentially vector math

This implementation:

Minimal dependencies - MCP SDK + Transformers.js (for text search)
Fail-closed security - path validation with realpath, symlink detection
Auditable - small TypeScript codebase you can actually read

Features

Text search - query with plain text, not just note paths
Semantic search using Smart Connections embeddings
Local inference - uses Transformers.js (same model as Smart Connections)
Read-only - no write operations, no shell execution
Secure - strict path validation, bounded responses
Offline - works without Obsidian running

Security Model

Property	Guarantee
Path confinement	All file access validated against vault root
No traversal	`../` and symlink attacks blocked
Read-only	No write operations exposed
Bounded responses	Capped results (50), content length (10KB)
Fail closed	Errors deny access, never bypass
Audit logging	Security events logged with context

Installation

Prerequisites

Node.js 18+
Obsidian with Smart Connections plugin installed
Embeddings built (open vault in Obsidian, let Smart Connections index)

Setup

bash

git clone https://github.com/gogogadgetbytes/smart-connections-mcp
cd smart-connections-mcp
npm install
npm run build

Configure Claude Code

Add to your Claude Code config:

Terminal

claude mcp add smart-connections \
  -e VAULT_PATH="/path/to/your/obsidian/vault" \
  -- node /path/to/smart-connections-mcp/dist/index.js

Or manually add to ~/.claude.json:

config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "smart-connections": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/smart-connections-mcp/dist/index.js"],
      "env": {
        "VAULT_PATH": "/path/to/your/obsidian/vault"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Code to load the server.

Usage

Once configured, Claude Code can use these tools:

Search by Text

Code

"Search my vault for notes about backup strategies"
→ Uses search_by_text tool

Search Similar Notes

Code

"Find notes similar to Topics/Claude_Code.md"
→ Uses search_similar tool

Get Note Content

Code

"Show me the content of Topics/Obsidian.md"
→ Uses get_note tool

List Indexed Notes

Code

"What notes are indexed in my vault?"
→ Uses list_indexed tool

Tools

Tool	Description
`search_by_text`	Search using freeform text (computes embedding locally)
`search_similar`	Find notes semantically similar to a given note
`search_by_embedding`	Search using a raw embedding vector
`get_note`	Get content of a specific note (path validated)
`get_model_info`	Get embedding model configuration
`list_indexed`	List all indexed notes

Configuration

Variable	Required	Description
`VAULT_PATH`	Yes	Absolute path to Obsidian vault

Limitations

Single vault - Configure one vault per MCP server instance
Index from Smart Connections - Note embeddings come from the plugin; text queries are embedded locally
No write access - By design; use Obsidian for edits
First run downloads model - ~50MB model cached in ~/.cache/huggingface/

Development

bash

# Build
npm run build

# Test with MCP Inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js

Contributing

See CONTRIBUTING.md. Security-focused PRs welcome.

Security

To report security vulnerabilities, please email gogogadgetcode@proton.me. Do not open public issues for security concerns.

License

MIT - see LICENSE

Credits

Smart Connections by Brian Petro
Model Context Protocol by Anthropic

Read the full README →View source on GitHub →

Related MCP Servers

View all in Knowledge & Memory View all alternatives

Reviews

No reviews yet — be the first to share how this listing worked for you.

Frequently Asked Questions about Smart Connections

Add the following block to your claude_desktop_config.json under mcpServers: "mcpServers": { "smart-connections": { "command": "npx", "args": ["-y", "smart-connections"] } }

AllMCPs Directory Badge

Full Badge Customizer

Showcase your server listing on GitHub or your project documentation. Embed this dynamic SVG badge to highlight official listing status and live engagement.

Badge Style:

Live Dynamic SVG Preview

Markdown (GitHub README)

[![AllMCPs](https://allmcps.com/api/badge/smart-connections?style=directory)](https://allmcps.com/mcp/smart-connections)

HTML Embed

<a href="https://allmcps.com/mcp/smart-connections"><img src="https://allmcps.com/api/badge/smart-connections?style=directory" alt="Smart Connections on AllMCPs" /></a>

Technical Specs & Signals

CategoryKnowledge & Memory

27Quality signal: Emerging · 27/100How this signal is calculated ▾

Server availabilityNot measured

Not scored for repo-hosted servers — we can't reach the running server, only its GitHub page. Hosted MCP endpoints are health-checked live.

Verified ownership8/20

Documentation & tools11/30

Adoption & activity1/15

Community engagement0/10

★ Featured

Moxie Docs MCP

MCP & Agent Skills for Automated Documentation, and codebase conventions + context

Explore Server →

Own this project?

Free dofollow backlink: add your website and place the AllMCPs badge on it — no claim needed. We detect it automatically and keep it verified as long as the badge stays live.

Claim & get free dofollow

Share & Embed

Add our SVG badge (dark/light directory styles) or embeddable widget to your site.

Explore more

More in 🧠 Knowledge & Memory →Best MCP servers for Memory & Knowledge →Alternatives to Smart Connections →Install in Claude Desktop Install in Cursor Install in VS Code