How to connect Obsidian to Claude

Which way should you connect Obsidian to Claude?

Every way to connect Obsidian to Claude that we could verify, official and community.

• Claude Code in your vault folder: The simplest option. Claude Code reads your notes as ordinary files, so there is nothing to install and Obsidian can stay closed. Claude asks before it changes anything.
• Local REST API with MCP (plugin): The best choice for Claude Desktop. Since version 4.0 the plugin includes its own MCP server, so you don't need a separate one. Obsidian has to stay open while you use it.
• obsidian-mcp: Good if you'd rather not install a plugin. It works on your note files directly, with no API key, and Obsidian can stay closed.
• obsidian-mcp-server: Good if you want limits. You can keep Claude to certain folders, or let it read but not write.
• mcp-obsidian: The most popular Obsidian MCP server, but partly broken with the current plugin. Claude can read notes, add to them and rewrite them, but can't edit just part of a note (issue #158).
• obsidian-skills: Not a connection by itself. Add it to Claude Code so Claude writes proper Obsidian links, properties, Bases and Canvas files. Made by Obsidian's CEO, Steph Ango, but published on his personal GitHub rather than by Obsidian.

How to connect Obsidian to Claude Code (no plugin)

Recommended · Claude Code · uses Claude Code in your vault folder

1. 1

   Install Claude Code if you don't have it yet, by following the quickstart at code.claude.com/docs.

2. 2

   Find your vault: it's the folder you chose when you created it in Obsidian. Every note in it is a .md file.

3. 3

   Open a terminal, go into the vault folder and start Claude Code.

   TerminalCopy

   cd "/path/to/your/vault"
   claude

4. 4

   Ask about your notes in plain English. Claude reads files without asking, and asks before it edits or creates one.

5. 5

   Already working in another project? Add the vault as an extra directory instead of switching folders.

   TerminalCopy

   claude --add-dir "/path/to/your/vault"

6. 6

   Optional: install Steph Ango's Obsidian skills so Claude writes valid wikilinks, properties, Bases and Canvas files. Run these inside Claude Code.

   Claude CodeCopy

   /plugin marketplace add kepano/obsidian-skills
   /plugin install obsidian@obsidian-skills

We tested it

Checked against the source on Oct 5, 2026.

How to connect Obsidian to Claude Desktop with MCP

Alternative · Claude Code and Claude Desktop · uses Local REST API with MCP (plugin)

1. 1

   In Obsidian, open Settings, then Community plugins. Browse for Local REST API with MCP, then install and enable it.

2. 2

   Open Settings, then Local REST API, and copy your API key. Obsidian must stay open while Claude uses the vault.

3. 3

   For Claude Code, add the server. Replace <your-api-key> with the key you copied.

   TerminalCopy

   claude mcp add --transport http obsidian https://127.0.0.1:27124/mcp/ \
     --header "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>"

4. 4

   For Claude Desktop, add this to claude_desktop_config.json (macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/, Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\), then quit and reopen Claude Desktop. It needs Node.js for npx.

   claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "obsidian": {
         "command": "npx",
         "args": [
           "mcp-remote@latest",
           "https://127.0.0.1:27124/mcp/",
           "--header",
           "Authorization: Bearer <your-api-key>"
         ]
       }
     }
   }

5. 5

   Check the connection: in Claude Code, run /mcp and look for obsidian. If it fails with a certificate error, see Troubleshooting below.

Checked against the source on Oct 5, 2026.

Access and permissions

Folder route

Claude Code can read any file in the folder you started it in, and in folders added with --add-dir. It asks before every edit unless you switch to a mode that accepts edits. Nothing is installed in Obsidian, and closing Claude Code ends its access.

Plugin route

The API key gives full read and write access to the vault, including deleting and moving notes. By default the plugin only listens on your own computer (127.0.0.1), and its MCP server refuses to touch the .obsidian settings folder.

Revoking access

Run claude mcp remove obsidian in Claude Code, delete the obsidian entry from claude_desktop_config.json, or turn the plugin off in Obsidian's Community plugins settings.

Claude.ai on the web

Custom connectors on Claude.ai connect from Anthropic's servers and must be reachable over the public internet, so they can't reach a vault on your computer. Use Claude Code or Claude Desktop.

What can you do after connecting Obsidian to Claude?

• “List every open task in this vault, grouped by note.”

  Copy

  Claude finds every unchecked - [ ] item, groups them by note, and points out which daily-note tasks belong to which project.

• “Summarize my daily notes from the last week: what did I decide and what is still open?”

  Copy

  Claude reads the week's daily notes and the notes they link to, then lists decisions and open items. It also flags where two notes disagree.

• “Find every note that links to [[Priya]] and tell me what I owe her.”

  Copy

  Claude follows backlinks to a person's note and pulls out open tasks that mention them. Swap in any note name.

• “Which notes have no links to or from any other note?”

  Copy

  Claude checks links in both directions and lists orphan notes, with a table of how the rest connect.

• “Create a note in Projects called 'Q4 Plan' that links to every project with status active, using Obsidian [[wikilinks]].”

  Copy

  Claude reads the status property on each project, then writes a new note with wikilinks to the active ones. It asks before creating the file.

Troubleshooting

Claude says it can't find my notes

Claude Code only sees the folder it was started in. Quit, cd into the vault and run claude again, or start it with --add-dir "/path/to/your/vault". Source

Certificate or TLS error when connecting to https://127.0.0.1:27124/mcp/

The plugin signs its HTTPS certificate with its own authority, which your system doesn't trust yet. Download it from https://127.0.0.1:27124/obsidian-local-rest-api.crt and trust it. Or turn on "Enable non-encrypted (HTTP) server" in the plugin settings and use http://127.0.0.1:27123/mcp/ instead. Source

Connection refused

The plugin only runs while Obsidian is open. Open Obsidian, check the plugin is enabled, and confirm the port matches the plugin settings (27124 for HTTPS by default). Source

spawn uvx ENOENT in Claude Desktop (mcp-obsidian)

Claude Desktop can't find uv. Install it, or run which uvx in a terminal and put that full path in the command field of the config. Source

obsidian_patch_content fails with error 40084 (mcp-obsidian)

Version 5 of the plugin needs a header that mcp-obsidian doesn't send yet. Use the plugin's built-in MCP server instead, or have Claude append to or rewrite the whole note. Source

FAQ

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