Setting Up an Obsidian MCP Server for Claude Code

##### ###### ##### ### # # ### # # ###### ## ## ## ## ## ## ## # # # # # ## ##### #### ##### # # # # # # # #### ## # ## ## ## ## # # # # # ## ## # ###### ## ### # ### # ######

So far you've been pointing Claude Code at your vault as a plain directory. MCP (Model Context Protocol) servers give you structured tool access through dedicated commands instead of raw file reads.

You have $2$ main options:

$1.$ StevenStavrakis/obsidian-mcp is a Node.js server that reads vault files directly from disk. Obsidian doesn't need to be running. It gives you $12$ tools for full CRUD and tag management.

$2.$ iansinnott/obsidian-claude-code-mcp is an Obsidian plugin that runs an MCP server inside the app. Claude Code auto-discovers it via WebSocket on port $22360$ . Obsidian must stay open the entire time.

To set up the first option, add this to your Claude Code settings:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "obsidian-mcp", "/path/to/your/vault"]
    }
  }
}

I'd avoid Python-based MCP servers like MarkusPfundstein/mcp-obsidian in Claude Code CLI. They hit a known BrokenPipeError that kills the connection mid-session.

Each connected MCP server preloads its full tool manifest, so the $12$ tools from StevenStavrakis add token overhead to every request. Only connect the server when you're about to work with your vault.