Mcp Obsidian

What is Mcp Obsidian about?

Mcp Obsidian creates a bridge between an Obsidian vault and AI tools using the Model Context Protocol. It runs a local REST API client that talks to the Obsidian Local REST API and offers three primary tools – get_note_content, obsidian_search, and obsidian_semantic_search – together with a URI‑based resource for direct note access.

How to use Mcp Obsidian?

1. Enable the Local REST API in the Obsidian desktop application and obtain the API key.
2. Install the MCP server with npm (preferred via npx):

   npx -y @oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian
   

   Set the required environment variables, e.g.

   export API_KEY="<YOUR_OBSIDIAN_API_KEY>"
   export API_URLS='["https://127.0.0.1:27124"]'
   

3. Add the server to your AI CLI (Claude, Gemini, Codex, etc.) using the provided configuration snippets.
4. Invoke the tools from the AI assistant, for example: claude "Search my Obsidian vault for monitoring tools".

Key features of Mcp Obsidian

• Fast and lightweight: Re‑implemented with Bun for reduced footprint.
• Automatic failover via API_URLS – tests multiple URLs in parallel and selects the fastest.
• Multiple transports: default stdio, optional HTTP JSON‑RPC with SSE streaming.
• Health endpoint (/health) for monitoring server status.
• Docker images available for isolated deployment.
• Rich tooling: ready‑made configurations for Claude, Gemini, OpenCode, Kilo Code, Codex, and GitHub Copilot.

Use cases of Mcp Obsidian

• Knowledge retrieval: AI assistants can fetch specific notes or metadata during a conversation.
• Dynamic research assistance: Perform keyword or semantic searches across a personal knowledge base.
• Automated summarisation: Generate reports, tables, or briefs by pulling relevant vault content.
• IDE integration: Provide context‑aware code suggestions using notes stored in Obsidian.
• Cross‑platform workflow: Works in WSL2, Docker, macOS, Linux, and Windows environments.

FAQ

Q: Do I need to run Obsidian on the same machine? A: The Local REST API can be accessed from any network interface, so Docker containers, WSL2, or remote hosts can connect as long as the firewall allows port 27124.

Q: How is authentication handled? A: The API key from Obsidian is passed via the API_KEY environment variable. For HTTP transport, an optional bearer token (MCP_HTTP_TOKEN) can be configured.

Q: Can I use the server without Docker? A: Yes. The npm package can be executed directly with npx, which runs the Bun‑based server locally.

Q: What if the primary URL is down? A: When API_URLS is set, the server automatically fails over to the next reachable endpoint.

Q: How do I monitor the server? A: Call http://localhost:3000/health or use the built‑in getHealthStatus() function for detailed metrics.

mcp-obsidian

Deployed / Usage

CI/CD Status

• mcp-obsidian
  • Deployed / Usage
  • CI/CD Status
  • MCP Tools & Resources
    • Tools
    • Resources
    • Quick Test
  • Configure MCP
    • Multi-URL Configuration (Recommended)
    • HTTP Transport Configuration
      • Decoupled Configuration with Authentication
    • Stdio Transport Configuration
    • Legacy Single-URL Configuration
    • Health Endpoint
  • CLI Tools Configuration
    • Claude Code CLI
    • Gemini CLI
    • OpenCode CLI
    • Kilo Code CLI
    • Codex CLI
    • GitHub Copilot CLI
    • Quick Reference
  • Setup and Troubleshooting
    • Setup
    • Verify that the Obsidian REST API is running (Windows Host, MacOS, Linux)
    • WSL2, Docker hosted on Ubuntu
    • Verify Windows Firewall
    • Disable/Enable Firewall
    • Verify Connectivity on BusyBox Container
  • Dockerized Obsidian

MCP Tools & Resources

This MCP server exposes the following tools and resources to AI assistants:

Tools

Resources

Quick Test

# 1. Set your Obsidian API key
export OBSIDIAN_API_KEY="your-obsidian-rest-api-key"

# 2. Add MCP server and test (Claude Code)
claude mcp add obsidian -- bunx -y @oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian
claude "Search my Obsidian vault for monitoring tools, summarize findings"

# 2. Alternative: Codex CLI
codex mcp add obsidian --command "bunx -y @oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian"
codex "Find notes about logging frameworks and create a comparison table"

Example use-case: "Find all tools in my Obsidian vault for tracking logs and metrics, make a summary report" — the AI searches your vault, finds notes about OpenTelemetry, Datadog, Prometheus, etc., and generates a structured summary.

For other CLI tools (Gemini, OpenCode, Kilo Code, Copilot), see Manual Testing Guide.

Configure MCP

Multi-URL Configuration (Recommended)

Use API_URLS for automatic failover and self-healing. The server tests all URLs in parallel, selects the fastest one, and automatically reconnects on failure.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--name", "mcp-obsidian",
        "--rm",
        "-i",  // Keep STDIN open for stdio transport
        "-p", "3000:3000",
        "-e", "API_KEY",
        "-e", "API_URLS",
        "-e", "DEBUG", // for logs
        "ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<secret_key>",
        // JSON array - automatically tests and selects fastest URL
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://127.0.0.1:27124\",\"https://172.26.32.1:27124\",\"https://host.docker.internal:27124\"]",
        "DEBUG": "mcp:*"
      }
    }
  }
}

Self-Healing Features:

• ✅ Parallel URL testing on startup
• ✅ Automatic selection of fastest URL
• ✅ Health monitoring every 30 seconds
• ✅ Automatic failover on connection loss
• ✅ Exponential backoff to prevent thrashing

Available transports:

• stdio - Standard input/output (default, best for local MCP clients)
• http - HTTP JSON-RPC with SSE streaming (best for remote access)

WSL2 Example:

# Automatically determine WSL gateway IP
export WSL_GATEWAY_IP=$(ip route show | grep -i default | awk '{ print $3}')

# Configure with multiple fallback URLs
API_URLS='["https://127.0.0.1:27124", "https://'$WSL_GATEWAY_IP':27124", "https://host.docker.internal:27124"]'

HTTP Transport Configuration

The MCP server supports HTTP transport for remote access with automatic URL failover:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-http": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--name", "mcp-obsidian-http",
        "--rm",
        "-p", "3000:3000",
        "-e", "API_KEY",
        "-e", "API_URLS",
        "-e", "MCP_HTTP_PATH",
        "ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<secret_key>",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://127.0.0.1:27124\",\"https://172.26.32.1:27124\",\"https://host.docker.internal:27124\"]",
        "MCP_HTTP_PATH": "/mcp" // endpoint path (default is: /mcp)
      }
    }
  }
}

Decoupled Configuration with Authentication

# Automatically determine WSL gateway IP
export WSL_GATEWAY_IP=$(ip route show | grep -i default | awk '{ print $3}')

# Configure with multiple fallback URLs
API_URLS='["https://127.0.0.1:27124", "https://'$WSL_GATEWAY_IP':27124", "https://host.docker.internal:27124"]'

# run MCP server on docker separately from IDE
docker run --name mcp-obsidian-http --rm \
  -p 3000:3000 \
  -e API_KEY="<secret_key>" \
  -e API_URLS="${API_URLS}" \
  -e MCP_HTTP_TOKEN=<your-secret-token-here> \
  ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-secret-token-here>"
      }      
    }
  }
}

Clients must include the Authorization header:

Authorization: Bearer your-secret-token-here

Stdio Transport Configuration

For local development with stdio transport (default):

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--name", "mcp-obsidian-windsurf",
        "--interactive",
        "--rm",
        "-e", "API_KEY",
        "-e", "API_URLS",
        "-e", "DEBUG",
        "ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<secret_key>",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://127.0.0.1:27124\",\"https://172.26.32.1:27124\"]",
        "DEBUG": "mcp:*" // default: disabled logs
      }
    }
  }
}

• --rm - Automatically remove the container and its associated anonymous volumes when it exits

• -i, --interactive - Keep STDIN open

• -e, --env - Set environment variables

• --name string - Assign a name to the container

• -p, --publish - Publish container port to host

• NPM Package Releases

• Docker Image Releases

Legacy Single-URL Configuration

For backward compatibility, you can still use single-URL configuration with API_HOST and API_PORT:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": [
        "run",
        "--name", "mcp-obsidian",
        "--rm",
        "-i",
        "-e", "API_KEY",
        "-e", "API_HOST",
        "-e", "API_PORT",
        "ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<secret_key>",
        "API_HOST": "https://172.26.32.1",  // single URL without failover
        "API_PORT": "27124"
      }
    }
  }
}

Note: Single-URL configuration does not provide automatic failover or health monitoring. Use API_URLS for production deployments.

Health Endpoint

When HTTP transport is enabled, the server exposes a health check endpoint at /health:

curl http://localhost:3000/health

Response:

{
  "status": "healthy",
  "timestamp": "2025-01-12T12:00:00.000Z",
  "transport": "http",
  "authEnabled": false
}

For comprehensive health status including Obsidian API connection and all transports, you can use the getHealthStatus() function which returns:

{
  "healthy": true,
  "obsidian": {
    "connected": true,
    "url": "https://obsidian:27124",
    "lastCheck": 1705065600000
  },
  "transports": {
    "stdio": { "running": true, "enabled": true },
    "http": { "running": true, "enabled": true }
  },
  "uptime": 3600,
  "timestamp": 1705065600000
}

CLI Tools Configuration

This section shows how to configure popular AI CLI tools to use the MCP Obsidian server.

# MacOs or Linux
curl -fsSL https://bun.sh/install | bash

# Windows
powershell -c "irm bun.sh/install.ps1 | iex"

Claude Code CLI

Docker:

# Create mcp.json configuration
cat > mcp.json << 'EOF'
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--rm", "-i", "-e", "API_KEY", "-e", "API_URLS", "ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-api-key>",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://host.docker.internal:27124\"]"
      }
    }
  }
}
EOF

# Run Claude with MCP config
claude --mcp-config ./mcp.json

NPX/Bunx:

cat > mcp.json << 'EOF'
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": ["-y", "@oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-api-key>",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://127.0.0.1:27124\"]"
      }
    }
  }
}
EOF

claude --mcp-config ./mcp.json

Gemini CLI

Docker:

gemini mcp add \
  -e API_KEY=<your-obsidian-api-key> \
  -e API_URLS='["https://host.docker.internal:27124"]' \
  obsidian \
  docker run --rm -i ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest

NPX/Bunx:

gemini mcp add \
  -e API_KEY=<your-obsidian-api-key> \
  -e API_URLS='["https://127.0.0.1:27124"]' \
  obsidian \
  bunx -y @oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian

HTTP Transport (remote server):

gemini mcp add --transport http obsidian-http http://localhost:3000/mcp

List and manage servers:

gemini mcp list
gemini mcp remove obsidian

OpenCode CLI

Create opencode.json in your project root:

Docker:

{
  "mcp": {
    "obsidian": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["docker", "run", "--rm", "-i",
        "-e", "API_KEY", "-e", "API_URLS",
        "ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest"],
      "environment": {
        "API_KEY": "{env:API_KEY}",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://host.docker.internal:27124\"]"
      },
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

NPX/Bunx:

{
  "mcp": {
    "obsidian": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": ["bunx", "-y", "@oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian"],
      "environment": {
        "API_KEY": "{env:API_KEY}",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://127.0.0.1:27124\"]"
      },
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

HTTP Transport:

{
  "mcp": {
    "obsidian-http": {
      "type": "remote",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
      "enabled": true
    }
  }
}

Kilo Code CLI

Create .kilocode/mcp.json in your project or ~/.kilocode/cli/global/settings/mcp_settings.json globally:

Docker:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--rm", "-i", "-e", "API_KEY", "-e", "API_URLS",
        "ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-api-key>",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://host.docker.internal:27124\"]"
      }
    }
  }
}

NPX/Bunx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": ["-y", "@oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-api-key>",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://127.0.0.1:27124\"]"
      }
    }
  }
}

HTTP Transport:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-http": {
      "type": "streamable-http",
      "url": "http://localhost:3000/mcp",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer <your-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Codex CLI

Docker:

# Register MCP server
codex mcp add obsidian \
  --command "docker run --rm -i -e API_KEY -e API_URLS ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest" \
  --env API_KEY=<your-obsidian-api-key> \
  --env 'API_URLS=["https://host.docker.internal:27124"]'

NPX/Bunx:

codex mcp add obsidian \
  --command "bunx -y @oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian" \
  --env API_KEY=<your-obsidian-api-key> \
  --env 'API_URLS=["https://127.0.0.1:27124"]'

GitHub Copilot CLI

Create ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json (or .copilot/mcp-config.json in repo root):

Docker:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "docker",
      "args": ["run", "--rm", "-i", "-e", "API_KEY", "-e", "API_URLS",
        "ghcr.io/oleksandrkucherenko/obsidian-mcp:latest"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${OBSIDIAN_API_KEY}",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://host.docker.internal:27124\"]"
      },
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

NPX/Bunx:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "type": "local",
      "command": "bunx",
      "args": ["-y", "@oleksandrkucherenko/mcp-obsidian"],
      "env": {
        "API_KEY": "${OBSIDIAN_API_KEY}",
        "API_URLS": "[\"https://127.0.0.1:27124\"]"
      },
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

Note: Copilot CLI v0.0.340+ requires ${VAR} syntax for environment variable expansion. Set OBSIDIAN_API_KEY in your shell before running.

Quick Reference

For detailed testing and verification, see Manual Testing Guide.

Setup and Troubleshooting

Setup

• Run Obsidian Desktop Application and enable Local REST API in Settings.

This setting will allow you to connect to the Local REST API from any network interface (not only localhost, which is critical for WSL2 setup).

• Copy the API Key from Obsidian Settings; you will need it for the MCP configuration.

• Verify that the Obsidian Local REST API is running and accessible from your machine.

• Next Step is always to verify the network setup on your machine (firewall rules, etc).

Verify that the Obsidian REST API is running (Windows Host, MacOS, Linux)

Run in Windows CMD terminal:

# windows CMD, verify that port is listening (that rest api is running)
netstat -an | findstr 27124
# Expected output:
#   TCP    0.0.0.0:27124           0.0.0.0:0               LISTENING

# Verify that Obsidian Local REST API is working
curl --insecure https://localhost:27124
wget --no-check-certificate -S https://localhost:27124
http --verify=no https://localhost:27124

Expected REST API response:

{
  "status": "OK",
  "manifest": {
    "id": "obsidian-local-rest-api",
    "name": "Local REST API",
    "version": "3.2.0",
    "minAppVersion": "0.12.0",
    "description": "Get, change or otherwise interact with your notes in Obsidian via a REST API.",
    "author": "Adam Coddington",
    "authorUrl": "https://coddingtonbear.net/",
    "isDesktopOnly": true,
    "dir": ".obsidian/plugins/obsidian-local-rest-api"
  },
  "versions": {
    "obsidian": "1.8.10",
    "self": "3.2.0"
  },
  "service": "Obsidian Local REST API",
  "authenticated": false
}

WSL2, Docker hosted on Ubuntu

Run inside the WSL2 Ubuntu Terminal:

export WSL_GATEWAY_IP=$(ip route show | grep -i default | awk '{ print $3}')
echo $WSL_GATEWAY_IP # expected something like: 172.26.32.1

# Verify that Obsidian Local REST API is working 
curl --insecure https://$WSL_GATEWAY_IP:27124
wget --no-check-certificate -S https://$WSL_GATEWAY_IP:27124
http --verify=no https://$WSL_GATEWAY_IP:27124

Verify Windows Firewall

Run GUI and Setup Manual The Rules:

# Windows Defender Firewall / Inbound Rules. Press Win+R and type WF.msc or firewall.cpl
WF.msc
firewall.cpl # and then press 'Advanced settings'

Or Run in Windows PowerShell as Administrator:

# Add firewall rule to allow port 27124 (Run in Admin PowerShell)
New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "WSL2 Obsidian REST API" -Direction Inbound -LocalPort 27123,27124 -Protocol TCP -Action Allow

Or Run in Windows CMD terminal:

# check firewall rules (CMD) that manage 27124 port
netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name=all | findstr /C:"Rule Name" /C:"LocalPort" /C:"RemotePort" | findstr /C:"27124"

# display rules that has WSL2 keyword in own name
netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name=all | grep -A 13 WSL2

# display rule definition by port number (4 line after, 9 lines before)
netsh advfirewall firewall show rule name=all | grep -A 4 -B 9 27124

Disable/Enable Firewall

Execute in Windows PowerShell as Administrator:

# Temporarily turn off firewall (for testing ONLY, not recommended for regular use)
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled False

# Restore Firewall state
Set-NetFirewallProfile -Profile Domain,Public,Private -Enabled True

Verify Connectivity on BusyBox Container

These steps allow us to confirm that the network setup is correct and the container can connect to the Local REST API.

Execute inside the WSL2 Ubuntu terminal:

export WSL_GATEWAY_IP=$(ip route | grep default | awk '{print $3}')
echo "Windows host IP from WSL2: $WSL_GATEWAY_IP"
# Output:
#   Windows host IP from WSL2: 172.26.32.1

# run docker container to verify the connectivity from Docker inside
docker run --rm -it --network=host busybox sh

# inside the container run:
which wget
# /bin/wget

export WINDOWS_HOST_IP="172.26.32.1"
echo $WINDOWS_HOST_IP
# 172.26.32.1

# try to connect to the Local REST API
wget -qO- --no-check-certificate "https://$WINDOWS_HOST_IP:27124"
wget -qO- --no-check-certificate https://172.26.32.1:27124

Dockerized Obsidian

Obsidian Dockerized