MCPVault

A local MCP server that lets compatible clients read, search, and edit notes in an Obsidian vault. MCPVault works directly with vault files, restricts file operations to the configured vault root, and preserves formatting for unchanged frontmatter fields.

Supported clients

Configuration examples are available for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, ChatGPT Desktop (Enterprise+), OpenCode, Gemini CLI, OpenAI Codex, IntelliJ IDEA 2025.1+, Cursor, Windsurf, and Ontheia. Other clients can use MCPVault if they support local stdio MCP servers.

https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/657ac4c6-1cd2-4cc3-829f-fd095a32f71c

Quick start

1. Install Node.js runtime:

   # Download from https://nodejs.org (v22.12.0 or later)
   # or use a package manager like nvm, brew, apt, etc.
   

2. Test the server:

   If using the published package:

   npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest /path/to/your/vault
   

3. Configure your AI client:

   Claude Desktop - Copy this to claude_desktop_config.json:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "obsidian": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest", "/path/to/your/vault"]
       }
     }
   }
   

   Claude Code - Copy this to ~/.claude.json:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "obsidian": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": ["@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest", "/path/to/your/vault"],
         "env": {}
       }
     }
   }
   

   OpenCode - Copy this to ~/.config/opencode/opencode.json

   {
     "mcp": {
       "obsidian": {
         "type": "local",
         "command": [
           "npx",
           "@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest",
           "/path/to/your/vault/"
         ],
         "enabled": true
       }
     }
   }
   

   Replace /path/to/your/vault with your actual Obsidian vault path.

   For other platforms, see detailed configuration guides below.

4. Test with your AI:

   • "List files in my Obsidian vault"
   • "Read my note called 'project-ideas.md'"
   • "Create a new note with today's date"

To verify the connection, ask your client to list MCPVault tools or read a known note.

How it connects

An MCP client starts MCPVault as a local stdio process and passes the vault path. MCPVault exposes the same tools to each supported client, so the server is not tied to one AI provider. Obsidian does not need to be running, and no Obsidian plugin is required.

Features

• AST-aware frontmatter updates preserve formatting for unchanged YAML fields.
• Path checks block traversal, symlink escapes, dotfiles, .obsidian, .git, and node_modules.
• Eighteen MCP tools cover note and file operations:
  • File operations: read_note, write_note, patch_note, delete_note, move_note, move_file
  • Partial reads: get_note_outline, read_note_lines
  • Directory and batch reads: list_directory, read_multiple_notes
  • Search: search_notes with multi-word matching and BM25 reranking
  • Metadata and tags: get_frontmatter, update_frontmatter, get_notes_info, get_vault_stats, manage_tags, list_all_tags
  • Wiki links: wiki_link resolves names and returns alternative paths when a name is ambiguous
• write_note supports overwrite, append, and prepend modes.
• delete_note and move_file require matching confirmation paths.
• Path arguments are trimmed before validation.
• Search and batch tools return compact fields by default; set prettyPrint: true for expanded output.
• The package exports TypeScript declarations and public types.
• MCPVault requires no Obsidian plugin.

Prerequisites

• Node.js runtime (v22.12.0 or later)
• An Obsidian vault (local directory with .md, .markdown, .txt, .base, or .canvas files)
• MCP-compatible AI client (Claude Desktop, ChatGPT Desktop, Claude Code, etc.)

Installation

For end users

npx downloads and runs the package:

npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest /path/to/your/obsidian/vault

If you omit the vault path, the server uses your current working directory as the vault root.

For developers

1. Clone this repository
2. Use the correct Node.js version:

nvm use  # Uses Node 24 from .nvmrc

3. Install dependencies with npm:

npm install  # Corepack automatically uses npm 10.9.0

4. Test locally with MCP inspector:

npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector npm start /path/to/your/vault

Use MCP Inspector to test the server before adding it to a client:

# Install globally for easier access
npm install -g @modelcontextprotocol/inspector

# Test with any vault
mcp-inspector npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest /path/to/your/vault

Usage

Running the Server

End users:

npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest
npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest /path/to/your/obsidian/vault
npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest ./Vault

Developers:

npm start
npm start /path/to/your/obsidian/vault
npm start ./Vault

AI Client Configuration

Claude Desktop

Add to your Claude Desktop configuration file:

Single Vault:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest",
        "/Users/yourname/Documents/MyVault"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Multiple Vaults:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-personal": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest",
        "/Users/yourname/Documents/PersonalVault"
      ]
    },
    "obsidian-work": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest",
        "/Users/yourname/Documents/WorkVault"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Read-only mode:

Add --read-only after the vault path to expose only read tools. Mutating tools are omitted from discovery and rejected if called directly.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-read-only": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest",
        "/Users/yourname/Documents/ResearchVault",
        "--read-only"
      ]
    }
  }
}

The CLI also accepts --read-only true and --read-only=true for configuration systems that require explicit values. Omit the option, or set it to false, to keep normal read/write access.

Default search and listing exclusions:

Repeat --exclude <subtree> to hide vault-relative folders from search_notes and list_directory in every session. Per-call excludePaths add to these defaults. Direct read and write tools remain available for excluded paths.

"args": [
  "@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest",
  "/Users/yourname/Documents/ResearchVault",
  "--exclude", "Archive",
  "--exclude", "Snapshots/Old"
]

MCPVault does not read Obsidian's .obsidian/app.json; exclusions stay explicit in the MCP server configuration.

Configuration File Locations:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: C:\Users\{username}\AppData\Roaming\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

You can also access this through Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config

ChatGPT Desktop

Requirements: ChatGPT Enterprise, Education, or Team subscription (not available for individual Plus users)

ChatGPT uses MCP through Deep Research and developer mode. Configuration is done through the ChatGPT interface:

1. Access ChatGPT developer mode (beta feature)
2. Configure MCP servers through the built-in MCP client
3. Create custom connectors for your organization

Note: ChatGPT Desktop's MCP integration is currently limited to enterprise subscriptions and uses a different setup process than file-based configuration.

Claude Code

Claude Code uses .claude.json configuration file:

User-scoped (recommended): Edit ~/.claude.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest", "/path/to/your/vault"],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Project-scoped: Edit .claude.json in your project or add to the projects section:

{
  "projects": {
    "/path/to/your/project": {
      "mcpServers": {
        "obsidian": {
          "command": "npx",
          "args": ["@bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest", "/path/to/your/vault"]
        }
      }
    }
  }
}

Using Claude Code CLI:

claude mcp add obsidian --scope user npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault /path/to/your/vault

Goose Desktop

On Goose Desktop settings, click Add custom extension, and on the command field add:

npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault@latest /path/to/your/vault

Other MCP-Compatible Clients (2025)

Confirmed MCP Support:

• IntelliJ IDEA 2025.1+ - Native MCP client support
• Cursor IDE - Built-in MCP compatibility
• Windsurf IDE - Full MCP integration
• Ontheia - Self-hosted, open-source AI agent platform
• Zed, Replit, Codeium, Sourcegraph - In development
• Microsoft Copilot Studio - Native MCP support with one-click server connections

Most modern MCP clients use similar JSON configuration patterns. Refer to your specific client's documentation for exact setup instructions.

Examples

Ask your AI assistant about your notes:

• "What files are in my Obsidian vault?"
• "Read my note called 'project-ideas.md'"
• "Show me all notes with 'AI' in the title"

Have your AI assistant help with note management:

• "Create a new note called 'meeting-notes.md' with today's date in the frontmatter"
• "Append today's journal entry to my daily note"
• "Prepend an urgent task to my todo list"
• "Add the tags 'project' and 'urgent' to my task note"
• "List all tags in my research note"
• "Remove the 'draft' tag from my completed article"
• "List all markdown files in my 'Projects' folder"
• "Delete the old draft note 'draft-ideas.md' (with confirmation)"

Example workflows

• "Summarize my research notes tagged with 'machine-learning' from the last month"
• "Update the status in my project notes to 'completed' and add today's date"
• "Find notes that mention 'API design' and draft a guide from them"
• "Review my untagged notes and suggest tags based on their content"

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"command not found: npx"

• Solution: Install Node.js runtime from nodejs.org
• Alternative: Use global install: npm install -g @bitbonsai/mcpvault

"File not found" when paths look correct

• Cause: The server is using the wrong vault root
• Solution: Either run the command from your vault directory or pass the vault path explicitly

"Permission denied" errors

• Cause: Insufficient file system permissions
• Solution: Ensure the vault directory is readable/writable by your user

"Path traversal not allowed"

• Cause: Trying to access files outside the vault
• Solution: All file paths must be relative to the vault root

AI client not recognizing the server

1. Check the configuration file path is correct for your OS
2. Ensure JSON syntax is valid (use a JSON validator)
3. Restart your AI client after configuration changes
4. Check your AI client's logs for error messages
5. Verify your AI client supports MCP (Model Context Protocol)

".obsidian files still showing up"

• Expected: The path filter automatically excludes .obsidian/** patterns
• If still seeing them: The filter is working as designed for security

Debug Mode

Run with error logging:

npx @bitbonsai/mcpvault /path/to/vault 2>debug.log

Getting Help

• Open an issue on GitHub
• Include your OS, Node.js version, and error messages
• Provide the vault directory structure (without sensitive content)

Testing

Run the test suite:

npm test

API Methods

read_note

Read a note from the vault with parsed frontmatter.

Request:

{
  "name": "read_note",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "project-ideas.md",
    "prettyPrint": false
  }
}

Compact response:

{
  "fm": {
    "title": "Project Ideas",
    "tags": ["projects", "brainstorming"],
    "created": "2023-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
  },
  "content": "# Project Ideas\n\n## AI Tools\n- MCP server for Obsidian\n- Voice note transcription\n\n## Web Apps\n- Task management system"
}

Response (with prettyPrint: true):

{
  "fm": {
    "title": "Project Ideas",
    "tags": ["projects", "brainstorming"],
    "created": "2023-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
  },
  "content": "# Project Ideas\n\n## AI Tools\n- MCP server for Obsidian\n- Voice note transcription\n\n## Web Apps\n- Task management system"
}

write_note

Write a note to the vault with optional frontmatter and write mode.

Write Modes:

• overwrite (default): Replace entire file content
• append: Add content to the end of existing file
• prepend: Add content to the beginning of existing file

Request (Overwrite):

{
  "name": "write_note",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "meeting-notes.md",
    "content": "# Team Meeting\n\n## Agenda\n- Project updates\n- Next milestones",
    "frontmatter": {
      "title": "Team Meeting Notes",
      "date": "2023-12-01",
      "tags": ["meetings", "team"]
    },
    "mode": "overwrite"
  }
}

Request (Append):

{
  "name": "write_note",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "daily-log.md",
    "content": "\n\n## 3:00 PM Update\n- Completed project review\n- Started new feature",
    "mode": "append"
  }
}

Response:

{
  "message": "Successfully wrote note: meeting-notes.md (mode: overwrite)"
}

patch_note

Replace an exact string inside an existing note without rewriting the full file.

Request:

{
  "name": "patch_note",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "meeting-notes.md",
    "oldString": "- Next milestones",
    "newString": "- Next milestones (owner: Alex)",
    "replaceAll": false
  }
}

Response (success):

{
  "success": true,
  "path": "meeting-notes.md",
  "message": "Successfully replaced 1 occurrence",
  "matchCount": 1
}

Response (multiple matches with replaceAll=false):

{
  "success": false,
  "path": "meeting-notes.md",
  "message": "Found 3 occurrences of the string. Use replaceAll=true to replace all occurrences, or provide a more specific string to match exactly one occurrence.",
  "matchCount": 3
}

list_directory

List files and directories in the vault.

Note: this includes non-note filenames (for example pdf, png, jpg) so AI assistants can see vault structure, but note tools like read_note and write_note still operate on note files only (.md, .markdown, .txt, .base, .canvas).

Request:

{
  "name": "list_directory",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "Projects",
    "prettyPrint": false
  }
}

Compact response:

{
  "dirs": ["AI-Tools", "Web-Development"],
  "files": ["project-template.md", "roadmap.md"]
}

delete_note

Delete a note from the vault (requires confirmation for safety).

Request:

{
  "name": "delete_note",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "old-draft.md",
    "confirmPath": "old-draft.md",
    "trashMode": "local"
  }
}

Response (Success):

{
  "success": true,
  "path": "old-draft.md",
  "message": "Successfully moved note to vault trash: old-draft.md"
}

Trash modes:

• none (default): permanent delete
• local: move to .trash inside the vault, preserving folder structure
• system: move to the OS trash/recycle bin

Response (Confirmation Failed):

{
  "success": false,
  "path": "old-draft.md",
  "message": "Deletion cancelled: confirmation path does not match. For safety, both 'path' and 'confirmPath' must be identical."
}

Confirmation: confirmPath must exactly match path before deletion proceeds.

get_frontmatter

Extract only the frontmatter from a note without reading the full content.

Request:

{
  "name": "get_frontmatter",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "project-ideas.md",
    "prettyPrint": false
  }
}

Compact response, returning frontmatter directly:

{
  "title": "Project Ideas",
  "tags": ["projects", "brainstorming"],
  "created": "2023-01-15T10:30:00.000Z"
}

manage_tags

Add, remove, or list tags in a note. Tags are managed in the frontmatter and inline tags are detected.

Request (List Tags):

{
  "name": "manage_tags",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "research-notes.md",
    "operation": "list"
  }
}

Request (Add Tags):

{
  "name": "manage_tags",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "research-notes.md",
    "operation": "add",
    "tags": ["machine-learning", "ai", "important"]
  }
}

Request (Remove Tags):

{
  "name": "manage_tags",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "research-notes.md",
    "operation": "remove",
    "tags": ["draft", "temporary"]
  }
}

Response:

{
  "path": "research-notes.md",
  "operation": "add",
  "tags": ["research", "ai", "machine-learning", "important"],
  "success": true,
  "message": "Successfully added tags"
}

search_notes

Search for notes in the vault by content or frontmatter with multi-word matching and BM25 relevance reranking.

Request:

{
  "name": "search_notes",
  "arguments": {
    "query": "machine learning",
    "limit": 5,
    "searchContent": true,
    "searchFrontmatter": false,
    "caseSensitive": false,
    "prettyPrint": false
  }
}

Compact response:

[
  {
    "p": "ai-research.md",
    "t": "AI Research Notes",
    "ex": "...machine learning...",
    "mc": 2,
    "ln": 15,
    "uri": "obsidian://open?vault=MyVault&file=ai-research.md"
  }
]

Field names:

• p = path
• t = title
• ex = excerpt (21 chars context)
• mc = match count
• ln = line number
• uri = Obsidian deep link for quick opening

move_note

Move or rename a note in the vault (.md, .markdown, .txt, .base, .canvas).

Request:

{
  "name": "move_note",
  "arguments": {
    "oldPath": "drafts/article.md",
    "newPath": "published/article.md",
    "overwrite": false
  }
}

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "oldPath": "drafts/article.md",
  "newPath": "published/article.md",
  "message": "Successfully moved note from drafts/article.md to published/article.md"
}

move_file

Move or rename any file in the vault with binary-safe file operations (file-only; not recursive directory moves). For safety, this tool requires confirmation of both source and destination paths.

Request:

{
  "name": "move_file",
  "arguments": {
    "oldPath": "Miro/attachments/Pasted image 20250812140124.png",
    "newPath": "assets/images/Pasted image 20250812140124.png",
    "confirmOldPath": "Miro/attachments/Pasted image 20250812140124.png",
    "confirmNewPath": "assets/images/Pasted image 20250812140124.png",
    "overwrite": false
  }
}

Response:

{
  "success": true,
  "oldPath": "Miro/attachments/Pasted image 20250812140124.png",
  "newPath": "assets/images/Pasted image 20250812140124.png",
  "message": "Successfully moved file from Miro/attachments/Pasted image 20250812140124.png to assets/images/Pasted image 20250812140124.png"
}

Confirmation: confirmOldPath must match oldPath, and confirmNewPath must match newPath.

read_multiple_notes

Read multiple notes in a batch (maximum 10 files).

Request:

{
  "name": "read_multiple_notes",
  "arguments": {
    "paths": ["note1.md", "note2.md", "note3.md"],
    "includeContent": true,
    "includeFrontmatter": true,
    "prettyPrint": false
  }
}

Compact response:

{
  "ok": [
    {
      "path": "note1.md",
      "frontmatter": { "title": "Note 1" },
      "content": "# Note 1\n\nContent here..."
    }
  ],
  "err": [{ "path": "note2.md", "error": "File not found" }]
}

Field names:

• ok = successful reads
• err = failed reads

update_frontmatter

Update frontmatter of a note without changing content.

Request:

{
  "name": "update_frontmatter",
  "arguments": {
    "path": "research-note.md",
    "frontmatter": {
      "status": "completed",
      "updated": "2025-09-23"
    },
    "merge": true
  }
}

Response:

{
  "message": "Successfully updated frontmatter for: research-note.md"
}

get_notes_info

Get metadata for notes without reading full content.

Request:

{
  "name": "get_notes_info",
  "arguments": {
    "paths": ["note1.md", "note2.md"],
    "prettyPrint": false
  }
}

Compact response, returning an array directly:

[
  {
    "path": "note1.md",
    "size": 1024,
    "modified": 1695456000000,
    "hasFrontmatter": true
  }
]

get_vault_stats

Get high-level vault statistics without reading note contents.

Request:

{
  "name": "get_vault_stats",
  "arguments": {
    "recentCount": 5,
    "prettyPrint": false
  }
}

Compact response:

{
  "notes": 1248,
  "folders": 76,
  "size": 18349210,
  "recent": [
    {
      "path": "Daily/2026-02-27.md",
      "modified": 1772188800000,
      "size": 2814
    }
  ]
}

Security boundaries

MCPVault applies these checks before file operations:

Path Security

• Path Traversal Protection: All file paths are validated to prevent access outside the vault
• Relative Path Enforcement: Paths are normalized and restricted to the vault directory
• Symbolic Link Safety: Resolved paths are checked against vault boundaries

File Filtering

• Automatic Exclusions: .obsidian, .git, node_modules, and system files are filtered
• Extension Whitelist: Only .md, .markdown, .txt, .base, and .canvas files are accessible by default
• Hidden File Protection: Dot files and system directories are automatically excluded

Content Validation

• YAML Frontmatter Validation: Frontmatter is parsed and validated before writing
• Function/Symbol Prevention: Dangerous JavaScript objects are blocked from frontmatter
• Data Type Checking: Only safe data types (strings, numbers, arrays, objects) allowed

Best Practices

• Least Privilege: Server only accesses the specified vault directory
• Read-Only Mode: Run with --read-only for sensitive vaults; mutating tools are hidden and rejected
• Backup Recommended: Always backup your vault before using write operations
• Network Isolation: Server uses stdio transport (no network exposure)

What's NOT Protected

• File Content: The server can read/write any allowed file content
• Vault Structure: Directory structure is visible to AI assistants
• File Metadata: Creation times, file sizes, etc. are accessible

Only grant write access to clients and conversations you trust. Use --read-only when the client does not need to modify notes.

Architecture

• server.ts - MCP server entry point
• src/cli.ts - CLI option parsing for vault path, read-only mode, and default exclusions
• src/createServer.ts - MCP tool registration, request routing, and discovery defaults
• src/frontmatter.ts - YAML frontmatter handling with gray-matter, preserving formatting and CRLF line endings; executable JavaScript frontmatter stays inert as note content
• src/filesystem.ts - File operations with path validation
• src/pathfilter.ts - Directory and file filtering
• src/search.ts - Note search functionality with content and frontmatter support
• src/uri.ts - Obsidian URI generation for deep links
• src/types.ts - TypeScript type definitions

Contributing

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch: git checkout -b feature-name
3. Make your changes and add tests
4. Ensure all tests pass: npm test
5. Submit a pull request

Maintainers: production publishing is driven by GitHub Releases. See RELEASING.md.

License

MIT