Obsidian Sync MCP - install, status & alternatives [2026]

01 · Install Obsidian Sync MCP

before you install - you'll need

Set COUCHDB_PASSWORD, VAULT_NAME, VAULT_PATH, COUCHDB_URL, COUCHDB_USER, COUCHDB_DATABASE, COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE, COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES before connecting. MCP_AUTH_TOKEN, DATA_DIR, BASE_URL are optional or environment-specific per the README.

Claude Code

claude mcp add es617-obsidian-sync-mcp -- npx -y obsidian-sync-mcp

Claude Desktop / Cursor / VS Code - add to config

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "es617-obsidian-sync-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "obsidian-sync-mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Same JSON for Cursor. For VS Code, rename the top-level key from `mcpServers` to `servers`.

Using another client? Same JSON, different key

Claude Desktop · mcpServers

Cursor · mcpServers

VS Code · servers

Windsurf · mcpServers

Zed · context_servers

Cline · mcpServers

Roo Code · mcpServers

Continue · mcpServers

LibreChat · mcpServers

Gemini CLI · mcpServers

Codex CLI · mcp_servers

Full setup guides: every client.

02 · Evidence

Security posture

What to check before giving this server access to your agent - from the registry, GitHub, and our own probes. We don't score safety; we show what's verifiable.

runs as local process (stdio) - runs on your machine with your user's permissions

license MIT - declared in the repository

npm package obsidian-sync-mcp - unscoped; check the name against the project README before installing

registry namespace io.github.es617 is GitHub-verified and matches the repo owner

03 · What Obsidian Sync MCP can do

Prose above is summarized from the project's README and registry record - no invented capabilities.

What you can build

With this server connected, an agent can read a note's markdown content by path, create or overwrite a note (replaces entire content), edit a note without rewriting it - append, prepend (after frontmatter), or replace exact text, and list all folders in the vault with note counts - use to discover folder names.

Capability map

Tools grouped from the project's README - what Obsidian Sync MCP lets an agent do.

read & search

5 tools - e.g. Read a note's markdown content by path; List all folders in the vault with note counts - use to discover folder names; List all tags in the vault with counts - use to discover tags before filtering

read_note · list_folders · list_tags · list_notes · get_note_metadata

update

2 tools - e.g. Edit a note without rewriting it - append, prepend (after frontmatter), or replace exact text; Move or rename a note - works across folders, creates destination folders automatically

edit_note · move_note

create & write

1 tool - e.g. Create or overwrite a note (replaces entire content)

write_note

delete

1 tool - e.g. Delete a note

delete_note

Latest releases

v0.6.3 · 2026-08-22

Fixes · /oauth/register now honors token_endpoint_auth_method: "none" (RFC 7591): public clients registering with "none" no longer receive an unused client_secret, and the registration response reports the method…

v0.6.2 · 2026-08-15

Fixes · OAuth client registrations are no longer evicted when their tokens expire (#13). AI clients cache their client_id and present it again after the 14-day refresh-token expiry; the periodic cleanup used to delete…

v0.6.1 · 2026-08-02

Changes · Switch the vendored livesync-commonlib to upstream main (0.1.1): the enumerate-metaonly fix is now merged upstream (vrtmrz/livesync-commonlib#22), so the fork pin is retired. Also picks up upstream's…

04 · Who maintains Obsidian Sync MCP

obsidian-sync-mcp is maintained by es617. We track 4 MCP servers from es617 - 4 actively maintained, 92 combined GitHub stars, oldest repo from Feb 2026. Full record: all servers from es617.

05 · Facts

repository: github.com/es617/obsidian-sync-mcp
category: productivity - ranked #22 of 139 actively-maintained productivity servers as of 2026-08-25.
release cadence: 9 releases in the last 90 days (latest 2026-08-22)
registry: io.github.es617/obsidian-sync-mcp (active, first published 2026-03-27 · 2 versions)
packages: npm:obsidian-sync-mcp

06 · Obsidian Sync MCP FAQ

Is Obsidian Sync MCP still maintained?

Yes - as of 2026-08-25, its last commit was 2026-08-22 and it shipped 9 releases in the last 90 days. We re-verify nightly.

What can Obsidian Sync MCP do?

With this server connected, an agent can read a note's markdown content by path, create or overwrite a note (replaces entire content), edit a note without rewriting it - append, prepend (after frontmatter), or replace exact text, and list all folders in the vault with note counts - use to discover folder names.

How do I install Obsidian Sync MCP?

Run `npx -y obsidian-sync-mcp`. The README documents 11 environment variables (COUCHDB_PASSWORD, VAULT_NAME, VAULT_PATH…) to set first. Set COUCHDB_PASSWORD, VAULT_NAME, VAULT_PATH, COUCHDB_URL, COUCHDB_USER, COUCHDB_DATABASE, COUCHDB_PASSPHRASE, COUCHDB_OBFUSCATE_PROPERTIES before connecting. MCP_AUTH_TOKEN, DATA_DIR, BASE_URL are optional or environment-specific per the README. You can also paste the ready-made client config above.

Does Obsidian Sync MCP run locally?

Yes - it's a stdio server: it runs on your machine (via npx) with your user's permissions. Your data stays local unless the server itself calls external APIs.

07 · Alternatives to Obsidian Sync MCP

Alternatives to Obsidian Sync MCP

Maintained productivity servers if Obsidian Sync MCP isn't the fit.

Pairs well with

Servers that cover what Obsidian Sync MCP doesn't - only shown when the pairing reason fits the companion.

More productivity MCP servers · LTD MCP · Dida365 · Memex (evan-moon) · Stellavault · Obsidian Hybrid Search

More TypeScript MCP servers · Esa · Vscode Demo Time · Parallel Browser MCP · Open Brand · Icon Composer MCP · see all