kObsidian — Claude Code MCP server: setup
kObsidian gives an AI agent filesystem access to Obsidian vaults and adds an LLM-Wiki layer. Use it to maintain notes and inspect knowledge links.
claude mcp add --env OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH=<OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH> --env OBSIDIAN_API_URL=<OBSIDIAN_API_URL> --env OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS=<OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS> --env OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY=<OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY> --transport stdio kobsidian -- npx -y kobsidian-mcpWhat kObsidian does
kObsidian works against the vault on disk, so Obsidian does not need to be open for 55+ of its 66 tools. The server covers notes, links, tags, tasks, Canvas, Kanban, Dataview, templates, and fenced blocks. Its vault.list and vault.select tools let an agent discover known vaults and change the active one during a session.
The LLM-Wiki layer ingests sources, refreshes an index and searchable log, then checks for orphan pages, broken links, and stale content. Proposed cross-references pass through proposedEdits, keeping each write visible in the transcript. The server supports stdio and Streamable HTTP. OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH must point to the vault; OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY is needed for workspace.*, commands.*, and live dataview.query* requests.
What it helps with
- maintain notes in an Obsidian vault
- switch between vaults during one session
- refresh a wiki index and activity log
- find orphan pages and broken links
- query tasks, tags, and Dataview data
Example prompts for the agent
- Use
vault.listto show the available vaults, then select the right one withvault.select. - Ingest this source into the wiki, refresh its index, and show the proposed cross-references.
- Inspect the vault for orphan pages, broken links, and stale content.
How to install kObsidian
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH=<OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH> --env OBSIDIAN_API_URL=<OBSIDIAN_API_URL> --env OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS=<OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS> --env OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY=<OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY> --transport stdio kobsidian -- npx -y kobsidian-mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
codex mcp add kobsidian --env OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH=<OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH> --env OBSIDIAN_API_URL=<OBSIDIAN_API_URL> --env OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS=<OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS> --env OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY=<OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY> -- npx -y kobsidian-mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"kobsidian": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"kobsidian-mcp"
],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "<OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH>",
"OBSIDIAN_API_URL": "<OBSIDIAN_API_URL>",
"OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS": "<OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS>",
"OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY": "<OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"kobsidian": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"kobsidian-mcp"
],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH": "<OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH>",
"OBSIDIAN_API_URL": "<OBSIDIAN_API_URL>",
"OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS": "<OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS>",
"OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY": "<OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH=<OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH> -e OBSIDIAN_API_URL=<OBSIDIAN_API_URL> -e OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS=<OBSIDIAN_API_VERIFY_TLS> -e OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY=<OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY> kobsidian npx -y kobsidian-mcpReplace <…> with your own values
Step by step, with commands for each platform: How to add an MCP server to Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, VS Code, Gemini CLI and more
Questions about kObsidian
How do I install kObsidian in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add kobsidian-mcp -e OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH=<OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH> -e OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY=<OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY> -- npx -y kobsidian-mcp.
What does kObsidian do?
It exposes Obsidian vault operations to an agent and adds an LLM-Wiki workflow for indexing sources, tracking changes, and checking page relationships.
Do I need the Obsidian REST API key?
OBSIDIAN_REST_API_KEY is required for workspace.*, commands.*, and live dataview.query* requests. Filesystem-first tools use the vault path.
