Obsidian MCP Server: Connect Claude Code, Codex and Claude Desktop

The easiest Obsidian MCP server today is the one built into the Local REST API community plugin: it lets Claude Code, Codex, Claude Desktop and other MCP apps read, search and edit your vault through Obsidian. But you may not need MCP at all. Claude Code and Codex can work on your vault folder directly, and Claude Desktop can use the plain filesystem server.

This guide covers each way to connect an AI app to an Obsidian vault, which one fits which need, and the setup steps. We make SystemSculpt, an Obsidian plugin, so its options are listed too, with what they can and cannot reach.

Checked on November 2, 2026 on a Mac with Obsidian 1.13.7, Local REST API 5.5.2, Claude Code 2.1.316 and mcp-remote 0.16.0.

What an MCP server is

MCP, the Model Context Protocol, is a standard way for an AI app to use outside tools. An MCP server offers tools such as "read a note" or "search the vault". The app (Claude Code, Codex, Claude Desktop, Cursor and others) connects to it and lets the model call those tools, usually after asking you.

For Obsidian, an MCP server is the bridge between the AI app and your notes. Whatever a tool returns, such as the text of a note, goes to the app and its model provider.

Which option fits

No MCP: Claude Code or Codex in your vault folder

An Obsidian vault is a folder of Markdown files. Claude Code and Codex already read, search and edit files in the folder they start in, so they need no MCP server for your notes:

cd ~/path/to/your-vault
claude

Use codex the same way. What you don't get this way is Obsidian itself: its search index, the note you have open, and its commands. For those, add the Local REST API server below.

If you'd rather stay in Obsidian, the free SystemSculpt plugin runs your own signed-in Claude Code or Codex in a chat pane, in your vault folder, on desktop. It starts them with their own settings, so MCP servers you added to Claude Code or Codex are there too. It needs no SystemSculpt account or plan. See Claude Code in Obsidian and Codex in Obsidian.

Local REST API: Obsidian's most used MCP server

Local REST API, with 831,376 downloads, now ships a built-in MCP server; its directory listing is named Local REST API with MCP. It runs inside Obsidian, so Obsidian must be open while you use it. Its tools include reading, writing, appending and patching notes under a heading, Obsidian's search, a tag list, the open note, and running any Obsidian command. Deleting a note moves it to trash by default.

1. Install it. In Obsidian, open Settings, then Community plugins, then Browse. Search for Local REST API, then Install and Enable.

2. Copy your API key. Open Settings, then Local REST API. The key gives full read and write access to your vault, so keep it private.

3. Save the plugin's certificate. The server runs at https://127.0.0.1:27124/mcp/ with a certificate the plugin made itself. Save it once:

curl -k -o ~/obsidian-local-rest-api.crt https://127.0.0.1:27124/obsidian-local-rest-api.crt

4. Connect through mcp-remote. Claude Code 2.1.316 can't connect to that address directly: it rejects the certificate with UNSUPPORTED_CONSTRAINT_TYPE, even when given the saved file. The route that works is mcp-remote, a small bridge that runs on Node.js and trusts the saved certificate. You need Node.js installed. Replace you with your Mac user name and YOUR_API_KEY with the key.

For Claude Desktop, open Settings, then Developer, then Edit Config, add this server to claude_desktop_config.json, then quit and reopen Claude Desktop:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote@latest", "https://127.0.0.1:27124/mcp/", "--header", "Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}"],
      "env": {
        "NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS": "/Users/you/obsidian-local-rest-api.crt",
        "AUTH_HEADER": "Bearer YOUR_API_KEY"
      }
    }
  }
}

For Claude Code, add the same server for every project:

claude mcp add obsidian --scope user \
  -e NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS="$HOME/obsidian-local-rest-api.crt" \
  -e AUTH_HEADER="Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -- npx -y mcp-remote@latest https://127.0.0.1:27124/mcp/ --header 'Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}'

If you set it up in Claude Desktop first, claude mcp add-from-claude-desktop copies it into Claude Code.

For Codex, the same bridge:

codex mcp add obsidian \
  --env NODE_EXTRA_CA_CERTS="$HOME/obsidian-local-rest-api.crt" \
  --env AUTH_HEADER="Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
  -- npx -y mcp-remote@latest https://127.0.0.1:27124/mcp/ --header 'Authorization:${AUTH_HEADER}'

5. Try it. Start a new session and ask something only your vault knows, such as "Search my vault for the launch date." The app should ask to use the obsidian tools, then answer from your note.

The plugin also offers a plain HTTP address on port 27123, which you can turn on under Settings, then Local REST API. It avoids the certificate, but anything on your computer that has the key can then reach your vault without encryption. See the plugin's MCP setup notes.

Filesystem server for Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop can't open your vault folder on its own. The reference filesystem MCP server gives it read and write access to the folders you list, without Obsidian running. In Settings, then Developer, then Edit Config, add:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "vault": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/you/path/to/your-vault"]
    }
  }
}

Quit and reopen Claude Desktop. It sees plain files only: no Obsidian search, links panel or commands. Skip it in Claude Code: Claude Code 2.1.316 gives the server its own project folder, which replaces the path you list, and it can read that folder anyway. The official walkthrough covers logs and fixes if it doesn't connect.

Other community MCP options

The Obsidian plugin directory lists dozens of plugins with MCP in their description. The most installed after Local REST API, as of November 2, 2026:

• MCP Connector (56,798 downloads): an MCP server for Claude Desktop, Claude Code and Cline with semantic search and templates.
• Vault as MCP (13,115 downloads): runs an MCP server inside Obsidian with read, search and edit tools.
• mcp-obsidian and obsidian-mcp-server: separate servers you install outside Obsidian that talk to it through Local REST API.

The older MCP Tools plugin's repository was archived in May 2026. Local REST API's own docs say third-party servers are no longer needed now that it has one built in.

SystemSculpt's hosted MCP: your account, not your vault

SystemSculpt runs its own MCP server at https://systemsculpt.com/mcp. It is for your SystemSculpt account: plan, credits, usage and captures, the text and voice notes you send to SystemSculpt. It cannot see your vault or other files on your computer. A capture reaches your vault only when the Obsidian plugin syncs it.

You sign in once in the browser and choose what the app may do; there is no key to copy. Connecting is free, and an unpaid account can use every tool except sending and processing captures, which use credits.

claude mcp add --transport http systemsculpt https://systemsculpt.com/mcp

Then run /mcp in Claude Code, choose systemsculpt and Authenticate. In Codex, run codex mcp add systemsculpt --url https://systemsculpt.com/mcp, then codex mcp login systemsculpt. In Claude or Claude Desktop, add a custom connector with the address https://systemsculpt.com/mcp/claude. The agent setup docs list every tool and permission.

Where SystemSculpt fits

If what you want is Claude Code or Codex working on your notes while you're in Obsidian, install SystemSculpt and choose Claude Code or Codex below the message box. That part is free and needs no account.

Its hosted features cost credits: audio transcription, related-note search across your vault, document processing, captures, and chat on mobile, where Claude Code doesn't run. Eligible new accounts can claim 500 one-time starter credits with no card. Paid plans are $9 a month or $90 a year and include a monthly credit allowance. Compare plans.

Before you connect anything

• An MCP server can do whatever its tools allow. Local REST API and the filesystem server can both change and delete notes, so read each tool request before you approve it.
• Notes the AI reads go to its model provider, the same as anything you paste into a chat.
• A shared or synced vault is shared with the AI too. Point a server at a test vault first if you're unsure.

Common questions

Is there an official Obsidian MCP server? No. Obsidian has an official command line tool (Obsidian 1.12 and later), but no MCP server of its own. Local REST API is the most installed community option.

Do I need an MCP server to use Claude Code with Obsidian? No. Start Claude Code in your vault folder, or run it inside Obsidian with SystemSculpt. Add Local REST API only if you want Obsidian's search, the open note or its commands.

Can Claude Desktop read my Obsidian vault? Yes, through a local MCP server: Local REST API through mcp-remote, or the filesystem server. A custom connector can't reach your computer, so it can't read local notes.

Does the MCP server work on iPhone or Android? No. These servers run on a desktop computer next to the app that uses them. In Obsidian on a phone, SystemSculpt's chat uses its hosted AI instead.

Does SystemSculpt's MCP server read my notes? No. It reads and changes your SystemSculpt account and captures on SystemSculpt's servers only.

Sources

• Local REST API with MCP README, version 5.5.2
• Obsidian community plugin directory and download counts
• Connect to local MCP servers, Model Context Protocol docs
• Filesystem MCP server README
• mcp-remote on npm
• Obsidian CLI help
• Connect an AI agent to your SystemSculpt account