Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lets Claude Desktop or any MCP client read & search an Obsidian (Markdown) vault.
https://github.com/smithery-ai/mcp-obsidianYour Obsidian vault contains years of accumulated knowledge—meeting notes, project documentation, research findings, code snippets, and architectural decisions. But when you're working in Claude Desktop, all that context sits locked away in another app.
mcp-obsidian bridges this gap by giving Claude direct read and search access to your entire Obsidian vault. No more copying and pasting note contents or trying to remember where you documented that specific implementation detail.
Every developer knows the workflow: you're deep in a Claude conversation about a technical problem, realize you documented a similar solution months ago, tab over to Obsidian, hunt through notes, copy relevant sections, and paste them back into Claude. Your flow is broken, and you've lost precious context.
With mcp-obsidian, Claude can directly search and read your vault. Ask "What did I document about implementing rate limiting?" and Claude searches your notes instantly. Reference your architecture decisions, code patterns, and project retrospectives without leaving the conversation.
Instant Knowledge Retrieval: Claude searches across your entire vault using the same powerful full-text search you rely on in Obsidian. No indexing delays, no manual organization required.
Direct Note Access: Claude reads any note by path, pulling in your markdown content with full formatting preserved. Your code blocks, tables, and cross-references work exactly as expected.
Workflow Integration: Works with your existing Obsidian setup—no migration, no new note-taking habits. Point it at your vault directory and you're running.
Architecture Reviews: "Based on my previous system design notes, what are the potential scaling bottlenecks in this new service?" Claude reviews your documented patterns and provides informed recommendations.
Code Pattern Reuse: "I know I solved a similar authentication flow before—find those implementation notes and help me adapt them." Claude locates your previous work and helps you iterate on proven solutions.
Project Context: Starting work on a project you haven't touched in months? "Summarize my notes about the payment service refactoring project." Claude reads through your documentation and brings you up to speed.
Decision Documentation: "What were the key factors in choosing Postgres over MongoDB for our analytics pipeline?" Claude finds your decision records and explains the reasoning for new team members.
The fastest path is through Smithery:
npx @smithery/cli install mcp-obsidian --client claude
Restart Claude Desktop and you'll see the Obsidian tools available immediately. For manual setup, it's a simple NPM install with your vault path configured.
Works with VS Code's MCP integration too—one-click install buttons handle the configuration automatically.
Despite the name, this works with any directory of markdown files. Your project documentation, technical notes, or knowledge base—if it's markdown, Claude can read and search it.
The 954 stars and active community development mean you're adopting a tool that's proven in production environments and continuously improved.
Your knowledge shouldn't be siloed in separate applications. mcp-obsidian transforms your personal documentation into Claude's working memory, making every conversation more informed and every solution more grounded in your accumulated expertise.