Obsidian Turbocharged — Claude Code MCP server: governed vault access
An MCP server that lets an agent read and edit an Obsidian vault through one channel: retrieval, memory and a human check on risky writes.
claude mcp add --env OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG=<OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG> --env OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT=<OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT> --transport stdio obsidian-turbocharged -- npx -y obsidian-tcWhat Obsidian Turbocharged does
Every tool call takes the same route: authentication, folder restrictions, a switch that forces read-only mode, and a person confirming anything destructive. Log entries record what was called. Alongside this, the server runs fused retrieval over note text, vectors and links, plus a memory layer of episodes that decay and get forgotten. That memory sits inside the vault and obeys the same folder limits as ordinary notes.
Try it with no install: npx obsidian-tc /path/to/vault. Note tools and word-level search come up straight away, while authentication and folder limits stay off — acceptable only on your own machine. Several vaults or real access control call for a config file: npm install -g obsidian-tc, then obsidian-tc ./obsidian-tc.config.json. Node 24 or newer is required, or Bun 1.1 and up.
Semantic search needs an embedding provider. The bundled local one is left out of a global install; add it at the matching version with npm install -g @the-40-thieves/obsidian-tc-embedder-local@<same version>. Ollama and hosted providers need nothing local. With no embedder the semantic half is off, and everything else keeps working.
The license is AGPL-3.0, so exposing the server over a network brings its copyleft terms into play for your service. One person reading one vault is better served by Obsidian's Local REST API plugin; this project brings access governance and memory, which is why setup is heavier than usual.
What it helps with
- point an agent at years of notes without handing it the whole disk
- retrieve a note by meaning instead of an exact word
- keep agent memory inside the vault under the same folder limits
- confirm a note deletion or overwrite before it happens
- restrict an agent to certain folders and log its calls
Example prompts for the agent
- Connect the vault using
./obsidian-tc.config.jsonand list the tools you can call. - Find my notes about last quarter's budgeting in the vault.
- Save today's architecture discussion to memory, but leave the
archivefolder alone.
How to install Obsidian Turbocharged
Platform CLI
claude mcp add --env OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG=<OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG> --env OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT=<OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT> --transport stdio obsidian-turbocharged -- npx -y obsidian-tcReplace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
codex mcp add obsidian-turbocharged --env OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG=<OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG> --env OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT=<OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT> -- npx -y obsidian-tcReplace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"mcpServers": {
"obsidian-turbocharged": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"obsidian-tc"
],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG": "<OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG>",
"OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT": "<OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Config file
{
"servers": {
"obsidian-turbocharged": {
"type": "stdio",
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"obsidian-tc"
],
"env": {
"OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG": "<OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG>",
"OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT": "<OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT>"
}
}
}
}Replace <…> with your own values
Platform CLI
gemini mcp add -e OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG=<OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG> -e OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT=<OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT> obsidian-turbocharged npx -y obsidian-tcReplace <…> 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 Obsidian Turbocharged
How do I install Obsidian Turbocharged in Claude Code?
Run claude mcp add obsidian-tc -e OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG=<OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG> -- npx -y obsidian-tc. To set a default vault as well, use `claude mcp add --env OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG=<OBSIDIAN_TC_CONFIG> --env OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT=<OBSIDIAN_TC_DEFAULT_VAULT> --transport stdio obsidian-turbocharged -- npx -y obsidian-tc`.
What does Obsidian Turbocharged do?
It routes each tool call an agent makes through one gate with access checks and a human confirmation step. It also adds hybrid retrieval over the vault and a memory tier kept in the same place.
Do I need a separate model for semantic search?
The bundled local embedder ships as its own package, pinned to the server's version. Ollama and hosted embedding providers work without anything installed locally.
