Obsidian Semantic Search MCP Server

by dalecbio.github.DalecB/obsidian-semantic-mcpv0.2.1

Read-only semantic search MCP server for Obsidian vaults using local Ollama embeddings.

1Node.jsstdioofficial registry

context tax

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security

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cold start

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freshness

Maintained2mo ago

Install Obsidian Semantic Search MCP server

claude mcp add obsidian-semantic -e OBSIDIAN_VAULT_ROOT='<obsidian-vault-root>' -- npx -y @dalecb/obsidian-semantic-mcp

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-semantic": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@dalecb/obsidian-semantic-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_VAULT_ROOT": "<obsidian-vault-root>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json (global) or .cursor/mcp.json (project).

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-semantic": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@dalecb/obsidian-semantic-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_VAULT_ROOT": "<obsidian-vault-root>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Settings → Developer → Edit Config (claude_desktop_config.json), then restart.

{
  "servers": {
    "obsidian-semantic": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@dalecb/obsidian-semantic-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_VAULT_ROOT": "<obsidian-vault-root>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to .vscode/mcp.json in your workspace.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-semantic": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@dalecb/obsidian-semantic-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_VAULT_ROOT": "<obsidian-vault-root>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add to ~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.json.

Configuration

Variable	Required	Secret	Description
OBSIDIAN_VAULT_ROOT	yes	—	Absolute path to the local Obsidian vault.
OBSIDIAN_SEMANTIC_MCP_HOME	—	—	Directory for the external SQLite index, logs, and cache.
OBSIDIAN_EMBED_MODEL	—	—	Ollama embedding model name. Defaults to bge-m3.
OLLAMA_BASE_URL	—	—	Ollama API base URL. Defaults to http://localhost:11434.
OBSIDIAN_SEMANTIC_STARTUP_INDEX	—	—	Set to true to run incremental indexing when the server starts.
OBSIDIAN_SEMANTIC_ALLOW_SENSITIVE	—	—	Set to true to allow include_sensitive tool calls.
OBSIDIAN_SEMANTIC_EXCLUDE	—	—	Comma- or newline-separated folders to always exclude from indexing, search, and read.
OBSIDIAN_SEMANTIC_SENSITIVE_PATHS	—	—	Comma- or newline-separated folders treated as sensitive (blocked unless unlocked). Defaults to 08_PersonalInfo/.

Freshness

Maintained — last maintenance signal 2mo ago. The newest of the signals below sets the band.

Last commit (default branch)
2026-08-06 · 2mo ago · GitHub
Latest release
no data · GitHub
Package published
no data · npm/PyPI
Registry entry updated
2026-06-03 · 4mo ago · official registry · v0.2.1

FAQ

›How do I install the Obsidian Semantic Search MCP server in Claude Code?

Run: claude mcp add obsidian-semantic -e OBSIDIAN_VAULT_ROOT='<obsidian-vault-root>' -- npx -y @dalecb/obsidian-semantic-mcp. For Cursor, VS Code, Claude Desktop and Windsurf, use the install tabs above.

›Does Obsidian Semantic Search require an API key?

Yes. It expects OBSIDIAN_VAULT_ROOT.

›Can I use Obsidian Semantic Search as a remote (hosted) MCP server?

No hosted endpoint is published; it runs locally over stdio.

›Is Obsidian Semantic Search in the official MCP registry?

Yes, as io.github.DalecB/obsidian-semantic-mcp.