mcp-obsidian-cli

mcp-obsidian-cli

MCP server that wraps the Obsidian CLI, giving AI assistants full access to Obsidian's native API — search index, wikilink resolution, tasks, properties, daily notes, backlinks, and 80+ commands — through the Model Context Protocol.

Why this exists

Every existing Obsidian MCP server takes one of two approaches: the Local REST API plugin (requires API keys, HTTP overhead, limited command surface) or raw filesystem access (no Obsidian awareness — no search index, no wikilink resolution, no task queries). Both miss the point.

mcp-obsidian-cli wraps the Obsidian CLI plugin, which talks directly to the running Obsidian instance via IPC. This means full access to Obsidian's internal APIs with zero configuration — no API keys, no REST plugins, no token management.

Quick start

npx mcp-obsidian-cli

Claude Desktop config

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-obsidian-cli"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_VAULT": "my-vault"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requirements

• Obsidian running with the CLI plugin active
• obsidian-cli on your PATH (typically /Applications/Obsidian.app/Contents/MacOS/obsidian-cli on macOS)
• Node.js >= 18

How it works

The server exposes Obsidian CLI commands as MCP tools. A generic pass-through tool handles the full CLI surface (80+ commands), plus typed convenience tools for common operations:

Tool	Description
obsidian	Generic pass-through — run any CLI command (ships intent→verb cheatsheet, pre-call manifest validation, reload detection)
obsidian_help	Manifest-backed help — list verbs by category, or look up a single verb / doc topic
obsidian_daily_read	Read today's daily note
obsidian_daily_append	Append to daily note
obsidian_read	Read a note by name or path
obsidian_search	Full-text search with context
obsidian_tags	List tags with counts
obsidian_tasks	Query tasks (daily, todo, done)
obsidian_properties	Read frontmatter properties
obsidian_create	Create a new plain note (no Templater expansion)
obsidian_create_from_template	Create a note from a Templater template (expands <% ... %> placeholders)
obsidian_property_set	Set a frontmatter property
obsidian_backlinks	List backlinks to a note
obsidian_files	List vault files
obsidian_recents	Recently opened files

The generic obsidian tool means the MCP server never falls behind the CLI — new CLI commands work immediately without a server update.

Environment variables

Variable	Default	Description
OBSIDIAN_VAULT	(none)	Target vault by name
OBSIDIAN_CLI_PATH	obsidian-cli	Path to CLI binary
OBSIDIAN_TIMEOUT_MS	15000	Command timeout
XDG_CONFIG_HOME	~/.config	Base path for config file

Config file

The server can read settings from a YAML config file:

• Default: ~/.config/mcp-obsidian-cli/config.yaml
• With XDG_CONFIG_HOME: $XDG_CONFIG_HOME/mcp-obsidian-cli/config.yaml

Config file format:

vault: "my-vault"
cliPath: "obsidian-cli"
timeoutMs: 15000

Config precedence: env vars > config file > hardcoded defaults

Compared to alternatives

	mcp-obsidian-cli	REST API servers	Filesystem servers
Search index	Yes	Yes	No
Wikilink resolution	Yes	Partial	No
Task queries	Yes	No	No
Property types	Yes	Partial	No
Daily notes	Yes	No	No
Backlinks	Yes	Yes	No
API keys	None	Required	None
Obsidian plugins	CLI plugin	REST API plugin	None
Commands	80+	~10	~6

Bugs / requests

File an issue: https://github.com/stonematt/mcp-obsidian-cli/issues/new/choose. Bug template asks for version, MCP client, tool call, and response — quick to fill, fast to act on.

License

MIT

Maintained by @stonematt Licensed under the MIT License

Trademark Notice: "Obsidian" is a trademark of Obsidian Publishing, Inc. This project is not affiliated with or endorsed by Obsidian Publishing.