Obsidian Sync MCP

Name: Obsidian Sync MCP
Author: es617

by es617version 0.5.2i★ –iRuns on your computer

Registry nameio.github.es617/obsidian-sync-mcp

Install

Overview

Description from the maker (original English)

Give AI agents access to your Obsidian vault via local files or Self-hosted LiveSync.

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

These three are never merged into one score: opinions, measurements and popularity are different things.

User voiceiNo reviews yetReviews open together with accounts in a later step
Our basic checksi1 of 1 passedChecked from public information; code not scanned yet
UsageiNot measured yet★ –

What you can do with it

We have not written a plain-language summary for this one yet. Below are the facts we read from the registry.

Connection: Runs on your computer
Transport: Streamable HTTP
Category: Docs, sheets & office work
You need to fill in: COUCHDB_PASSWORD, COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE, MCP_AUTH_TOKEN

Install

Pick the AI app you use, then copy the settings.

Before you install

Basic checks: 1 of 1 passed
Runs on your computer with your user’s permissions (files, network, apps).
You fill in yourself: VAULT_PATH, COUCHDB_URL, COUCHDB_USER, COUCHDB_PASSWORD, COUCHDB_DATABASE, COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE, COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES, VAULT_NAME, MCP_AUTH_TOKEN, BASE_URL, PORT

Values marked secret are keys to your account. Never share them or paste them into a chat.

You need

npmNode.js installed (for the npx command)

Which app do you use?

ClaudeClaude CodeCursorVS CodeChatGPT

Pick your app above. We remember it, so next time the button says “Install in …”.

Open Claude Desktop → Settings → Developer → Edit Config, and paste this into claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-sync": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "obsidian-sync-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "VAULT_PATH": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_URL": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_USER": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_PASSWORD": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_DATABASE": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES": "your-value",
        "VAULT_NAME": "your-value",
        "MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "BASE_URL": "your-value",
        "PORT": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Run this in your terminal

claude mcp add obsidian-sync --env VAULT_PATH=your-value --env COUCHDB_URL=your-value --env COUCHDB_USER=your-value --env COUCHDB_PASSWORD=your-value --env COUCHDB_DATABASE=your-value --env COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE=your-value --env COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES=your-value --env VAULT_NAME=your-value --env MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=your-value --env BASE_URL=your-value --env PORT=your-value -- npx -y obsidian-sync-mcp

Fill in the empty values before running it.

Open in Cursor

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .cursor/mcp.json in your project, or ~/.cursor/mcp.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-sync": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "obsidian-sync-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "VAULT_PATH": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_URL": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_USER": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_PASSWORD": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_DATABASE": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES": "your-value",
        "VAULT_NAME": "your-value",
        "MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "BASE_URL": "your-value",
        "PORT": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

Open in VS Code

Or copy the settings yourself

Paste into .vscode/mcp.json in your project

{
  "servers": {
    "obsidian-sync": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "obsidian-sync-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "VAULT_PATH": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_URL": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_USER": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_PASSWORD": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_DATABASE": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE": "your-value",
        "COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES": "your-value",
        "VAULT_NAME": "your-value",
        "MCP_AUTH_TOKEN": "your-value",
        "BASE_URL": "your-value",
        "PORT": "your-value"
      }
    }
  }
}

Your browser asks to open the app, then the app shows the settings and asks you to confirm. Key values are left empty for you to fill in.

This one runs on your computer, and ChatGPT can only connect to servers on the internet. Pick another app.

Your choice stays on this device in a cookie; no account needed.

Values you fill in

VAULT_PATH env
Path to your Obsidian vault directory (filesystem mode)
COUCHDB_URL env
CouchDB server URL (CouchDB mode)
COUCHDB_USER env
CouchDB username
COUCHDB_PASSWORD secret env
CouchDB password (required in CouchDB mode)
COUCHDB_DATABASE env
CouchDB database name
COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE secret env
LiveSync E2E encryption passphrase (must match plugin setting)
COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES env
Set to 'true' if 'Obfuscate Properties' is enabled in LiveSync (obfuscates file paths, sizes, dates)
VAULT_NAME env
Vault name for deep links and index storage
MCP_AUTH_TOKEN secret env
Password for OAuth authentication
BASE_URL env
Public URL for OAuth callbacks (required when using a tunnel)
PORT env
HTTP port

These settings are generated from the maker’s registry entry. If the README says otherwise, follow the README.

What it can do

Runs on your computer; the tool list appears in your AI app after you install it.

Basic checksi

We check information anyone can see; we have not read the code. Checks that do not apply are left out of the count. · Checked Nov 7, 2026

✓ Pass
Maker matches the repo
The registry name was verified with the GitHub account es617, which owns the repo
… Not checked yet
Still maintained
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
… Not checked yet
Has a licence
We have not read this repo from GitHub yet
– Not applicable
Endpoint responds
This one runs on your computer; there is no internet endpoint
– Not applicable
Sign-in with OAuth
Runs on your computer and uses local settings instead
… Not checked yet
No hidden instructions in tool descriptions
Runs on your computer; we can only read tool lists from internet endpoints

Compared with others in Docs, sheets & office worki

More stars than 0% of the other 2197 servers in this category
Published to the registry more recently than 6% of the other 2197 servers in this category
Basic checks equal to or better than 100% of the other 2197 servers in this category

Compared with every active server in this category in the registry. Stars count only when the publisher owns the repo.

Common questions

Is Obsidian Sync MCP safe?

It passed 1 of 1 applicable basic checks. We have not read the code. Before adding a key or token, see what access the server asks for and use a key with only the permissions you need.

What keys or codes does it need?

You need to fill in: COUCHDB_PASSWORD, COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE, MCP_AUTH_TOKEN

Does it run on my computer or in the cloud?

It runs on your computer. Your AI app starts it when needed, and data does not pass through the maker’s servers (unless it calls an online service itself).

Is it still maintained?

The GitHub repo last changed –, and the latest version (0.5.2) reached the registry 7 months ago.

Which apps can use it?

Apps that support MCP, such as Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor and VS Code. You also need Node.js on your computer.

What can I use instead?

In the same category: Agent-Native Calendar, Excel MCP Server, MCP Server for Excel

Alternatives

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Reading a card:★ GitHub starsiThree pillars: reviews · checks · usageiUpdated = latest version published to the registryi

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Install

README from the maker

Open the README

Copied from the maker’s repo as written. PopNx MCP has not reviewed or endorsed it. HTML, images and scripts are removed. Links lead off this site.

Obsidian Sync MCP

Give any AI agent access to your Obsidian vault over MCP. Run it locally against your vault files, or pair it with Self-hosted LiveSync and deploy to the cloud so it works even when your machine is off.

Example: From your phone, ask your AI: "What's in my daily note for today?" — and get the full content back, with a link to open it in Obsidian.

How it works

The server connects to your vault in two ways:

Filesystem mode — reads .md files directly from your vault folder. No database needed.
CouchDB mode — reads from a CouchDB database, locally or in the cloud. Your vault syncs to CouchDB via Self-hosted LiveSync, the community Obsidian plugin (600k+ downloads). The MCP server reads from CouchDB directly using livesync-commonlib — the same library that powers the plugin — for proper chunk handling and E2E encryption support.

Both modes expose the same MCP tools over HTTP, so any MCP-compatible agent can connect: Claude, Copilot, custom agents, anything that speaks the Model Context Protocol.

Choose your setup

Need it always available?	Have LiveSync?	Go to
Yes	Yes	Setup A — add MCP alongside your existing CouchDB
Yes	No	Setup B — CouchDB + MCP + LiveSync from scratch
No	—	Setup C — filesystem or CouchDB, npx or Docker

A. Deploy MCP to the cloud

You already have LiveSync and CouchDB on an always-on server. You just need the MCP server deployed alongside it.

Using Fly.io setup script (macOS/Linux, or WSL on Windows):

git clone https://github.com/es617/obsidian-sync-mcp.git

cd obsidian-sync-mcp ./deploy/setup.sh # choose option 2 (MCP only)

The script asks for your CouchDB connection details, vault name, and encryption passphrase.

Or run the Docker image on any always-on server:

docker run -p 8787:8787 \

-v mcp-data:/data -e DATA_DIR=/data \ -e COUCHDB_URL=https://your-couchdb:5984 \ -e COUCHDB_USER=admin -e COUCHDB_PASSWORD=yourpassword \ -e COUCHDB_DATABASE=obsidian -e VAULT_NAME=MyVault \ -e COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE=your-encryption-passphrase \ -e COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES=false \ -e MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=yourpassword \ -e BASE_URL=https://your-server-url \ ghcr.io/es617/obsidian-sync-mcp:latest

Set COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE if you use E2E encryption in LiveSync. Set COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES=true if "Obfuscate Properties" is also enabled in your LiveSync settings. For an existing vault the server detects the actual setting from the database at startup and corrects a mismatch with a warning; only for a brand-new empty database does the value need to match your LiveSync settings. If the vault was created with LiveSync 1.0.33+ and path obfuscation, also set COUCHDB_ID_DERIVATION_KEY to your LiveSync recovery code (sls-id-v1:..., from "Show current recovery code") so the server can resolve note paths. Set BASE_URL to your public URL (required for OAuth callbacks when agents connect over HTTPS).

Your MCP endpoint is https://your-app.fly.dev/mcp (Fly.io) or https://your-server:8787/mcp (Docker behind HTTPS).

See Cost for Fly.io pricing.

Requires flyctl for the Fly.io path:

curl -L https://fly.io/install.sh | sh

export PATH="$HOME/.fly/bin:$PATH" # add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc fly auth login

B. Deploy everything to the cloud

Starting fresh — no LiveSync yet. Deploy CouchDB and MCP together, then set up LiveSync in Obsidian.

Using Fly.io setup script (macOS/Linux, or WSL on Windows):

git clone https://github.com/es617/obsidian-sync-mcp.git

cd obsidian-sync-mcp ./deploy/setup.sh # choose option 1 (CouchDB + MCP)

The script generates credentials, creates the database, and deploys. Save the credentials it prints.

Or with Docker Compose on any always-on server:

git clone https://github.com/es617/obsidian-sync-mcp.git

cd obsidian-sync-mcp

cat > .env <<EOF COUCHDB_PASSWORD=changeme MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=changeme-too VAULT_NAME=MyVault EOF

docker compose up -d

After deployment:

In Obsidian, install Self-hosted LiveSync and configure it with the credentials from the setup output
Your MCP endpoint is https://your-app.fly.dev/mcp (Fly.io). With Docker Compose the MCP port is published on localhost:8787 only; to reach it from other machines, put an HTTPS tunnel or reverse proxy in front (see remote access) and set BASE_URL to its public URL
The MCP_AUTH_TOKEN is the password you enter when an agent connects

Always-on server

├── CouchDB + persistent storage └── MCP server ↑ ↑ Obsidian + LiveSync AI agents

Requires flyctl for the Fly.io path:

curl -L https://fly.io/install.sh | sh

export PATH="$HOME/.fly/bin:$PATH" # add to ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc fly auth login

Cost (Fly.io)

Applies to both Setup A and Setup B.

Component	Cost
CouchDB + MCP VM (shared, 512MB)	~$3-4/month (kept alive by LiveSync)
MCP-only VM (shared, 256MB)	~$0-2/month (suspends when idle)
1GB persistent volume	~$0.15/month

As of March 2026, Fly.io may waive charges under $5/month, which could make this effectively free with a shared IPv4. Either way, cheaper than Obsidian Sync ($4/month) and you own the data.

C. Run on your machine

Run the MCP server locally. Works with filesystem mode (reads vault files directly) or CouchDB mode (if you have LiveSync). Machine must stay on for agents to reach it.

Filesystem mode (simplest):

VAULT_PATH=~/Documents/MyVault \

VAULT_NAME=MyVault \ npx obsidian-sync-mcp

CouchDB mode (if you have LiveSync):

COUCHDB_URL=http://localhost:5984 \

COUCHDB_USER=admin \ COUCHDB_PASSWORD=yourpassword \ COUCHDB_DATABASE=obsidian \ COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE=your-encryption-passphrase \ COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES=false \ VAULT_NAME=MyVault \ npx obsidian-sync-mcp

Omit COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE if you don't use E2E encryption in LiveSync. Set COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES=true if "Obfuscate Properties" is also enabled in your LiveSync settings. For an existing vault the server detects the actual setting from the database at startup and corrects a mismatch with a warning; only for a brand-new empty database does the value need to match your LiveSync settings. If the vault was created with LiveSync 1.0.33+ and path obfuscation, also set COUCHDB_ID_DERIVATION_KEY to your LiveSync recovery code (sls-id-v1:...) so the server can resolve note paths.

Or with Docker:

docker run -p 127.0.0.1:8787:8787 \

-v mcp-data:/data -e DATA_DIR=/data \ -e VAULT_PATH=/vault -v ~/Documents/MyVault:/vault \ -e VAULT_NAME=MyVault \ ghcr.io/es617/obsidian-sync-mcp:latest

Your MCP endpoint is http://localhost:8787/mcp.

Want remote access? Add a tunnel (machine must stay on):

cloudflared tunnel --url http://localhost:8787    # free

tailscale funnel 8787 # or Tailscale ngrok http 8787 # or ngrok

Set BASE_URL to the tunnel URL when using authentication.

Tools

Tool	Description
`read_note`	Read a note's markdown content by path
`write_note`	Create or overwrite a note (replaces entire content)
`edit_note`	Edit a note without rewriting it — append, prepend (after frontmatter), or replace exact text
`list_folders`	List all folders in the vault with note counts — use to discover folder names
`list_tags`	List all tags in the vault with counts — use to discover tags before filtering
`list_notes`	List notes with timestamps. Filter by folder, name, tag, or date. Sort by name or modified.
`search_notes`	Search note text for terms (OR, case-insensitive substrings); paths and frontmatter titles are searched first. Filter by folder, tag, or date. Returns paths with one context line each, never the note body, after a status line that states which CouchDB sequence the index is caught up with.
`delete_note`	Delete a note
`move_note`	Move or rename a note — works across folders, creates destination folders automatically
`get_note_metadata`	Get frontmatter, tags, outgoing links, backlinks, size, and timestamps — navigate the knowledge graph

Every tool response includes an Obsidian deep link (obsidian://open?vault=...&file=...) that works on Mac and iOS.

"Add a bullet point to my daily note." "Find my notes about the MCP server and fix the typo in the second one."

Authentication

Set MCP_AUTH_TOKEN to a password to enable authentication:

MCP_AUTH_TOKEN=mysecretpassword npx obsidian-sync-mcp

The server includes a self-contained OAuth 2.1 provider. When an agent connects:

A browser window opens with a password page
Enter the MCP_AUTH_TOKEN password
The agent gets an access token and refreshes it transparently

The session is shared across all your Claude interfaces (Desktop, Web, Mobile) and persists across server restarts. You'll need to re-enter the password after 14 days of inactivity (configurable via MCP_REFRESH_DAYS).

For non-OAuth clients (curl, MCP Inspector, custom agents), you can also pass the token directly as Authorization: Bearer .

Without MCP_AUTH_TOKEN, the server runs without authentication — suitable for local use or behind a private network.

Environment variables

Variable	Required	Default	Description
`VAULT_PATH`	Filesystem mode	—	Path to your Obsidian vault directory
`COUCHDB_URL`	CouchDB mode	—	CouchDB server URL
`COUCHDB_USER`	CouchDB mode	`admin`	CouchDB username
`COUCHDB_PASSWORD`	CouchDB mode	—	CouchDB password (required)
`COUCHDB_DATABASE`	CouchDB mode	`obsidian`	CouchDB database name. The server never creates it: if it doesn't exist, startup fails with an error
`COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE`	CouchDB mode	—	LiveSync E2E encryption passphrase (must match plugin setting)
`COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES`	CouchDB mode	`false`	Set to `true` if "Obfuscate Properties" is enabled in LiveSync (obfuscates file paths, sizes, dates in the database). For existing vaults the actual setting is auto-detected at startup; this value only decides the format for a brand-new empty database
`COUCHDB_ID_DERIVATION_KEY`	CouchDB mode	—	LiveSync "independent ID derivation" recovery code (`sls-id-v1:...`). Needed to read and write notes on vaults created with LiveSync 1.0.33+ that use path obfuscation; leave unset for older (passphrase-derived) vaults. Get it from LiveSync's "Show current recovery code"
`COUCHDB_CASE_SENSITIVE`	CouchDB mode	`false`	Set to `true` only if your LiveSync vault has "Handle filenames as case-sensitive" enabled. It must match the vault, or obfuscated document IDs won't resolve (the server fails to start with a clear message). Leave unset otherwise
`VAULT_NAME`	Both	`MyVault`	Vault name (used for deep links and index storage)

| MCP_AUTH_TOKEN | Optional | — | Password fo

Only the beginning is shown; read the rest in the repo

Obsidian Sync MCP

Overview

PopNx MCP’s three pillars

What you can do with it

Install

Before you install

Values you fill in

What it can do

Basic checksi

Maker matches the repo

Still maintained

Has a licence

Endpoint responds

Sign-in with OAuth

No hidden instructions in tool descriptions

Compared with others in Docs, sheets & office worki

Common questions

Alternatives

Agent-Native Calendar

Excel MCP Server

MCP Server for Excel

README from the maker

Obsidian Sync MCP

How it works

Choose your setup

A. Deploy MCP to the cloud

B. Deploy everything to the cloud

Cost (Fly.io)

C. Run on your machine

Tools

Authentication

Environment variables