Connect Claude to Obsidian — Read and Search Your Vault, No Plugin
In short: Give Claude Desktop, ChatGPT or Cursor your Obsidian vault on Mac or Windows. LMCP reads the notes, tags, wikilinks and backlinks in the vault's Markdown files and can add new notes after you confirm. No community plugin, no API key, and Obsidian can stay closed.
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“The no-tokens part is huge. Setting up Graph API and dealing with auth flows is what usually kills these setups for me before I even start.”
Lisa S.“This is AMAZING! My daily work can all be managed from my key apps now. The OmniFocus integration was the missing piece.”
Steve H.
To connect Claude to Obsidian, install LMCP: it finds the vaults Obsidian knows on your computer and lets Claude read and search them. LMCP is a local MCP server for Mac and Windows. It works with the vault's Markdown files, so you do not install a plugin, start a server or keep Obsidian open.
What Claude Can Do with Your Vault
- Find your vaults — name, folder and number of notes (
obsidian_list_vaults) - Read a note — text, frontmatter, tags, outgoing [[wikilinks]] and backlinks (
obsidian_read_note) - Search the vault — by text in titles and notes, by tag (nested tags included), or both (
obsidian_search_notes) - Add to it — create a new note or append to one, after a preview and your confirmation; an existing note is never replaced (
obsidian_write_note)
LMCP executes local tools on your device. Cloud AI providers can receive the notes you ask for; their terms apply.
Obsidian is one of the apps LMCP connects on both systems: see its card in the integrations hub.
How to Install
Download LMCP for your computer:
- Mac — open
LMCP-Installer.dmgand double-click LMCP Installer inside it - Windows — run
LMCP-Setup.exe; no admin rights needed
Then quit Claude Desktop completely and open it again, so it picks up the new tools.
Example Prompts
- “What vaults do I have, and how many notes are in each?”
- “Find my notes tagged #project/launch and summarize the open questions”
- “Read my note Weekly Review and list every note it links to”
- “Which notes link back to Reading List?”
- “Append today's meeting notes to Projects/Plan.md” — you see the preview first
Claude on the Web and ChatGPT
The Obsidian tools also answer web AI apps that you connect to LMCP, such as Claude.ai and ChatGPT. Your vault stays in its folder: there is no sync step to set up. Steps for ChatGPT: Connect ChatGPT to your Obsidian vault.
Frequently Asked Questions
Do I need an Obsidian plugin?
No. LMCP reads the Markdown files of your vault directly, from the vaults Obsidian lists on your computer. Nothing is installed inside Obsidian, and Obsidian does not need to be running.
What are the risks of connecting Claude to Obsidian?
The notes Claude asks for are sent to your AI provider, whose terms apply, so ask about the notes you are happy to share. Writing is limited: obsidian_write_note creates a new note or appends to one, shows a preview first and writes only when you confirm; it never replaces an existing note and never touches Obsidian’s settings folder.
Can Claude follow my wikilinks and backlinks?
Yes. obsidian_read_note returns a note’s text, frontmatter and tags, the [[wikilinks]] it contains with the note each one leads to, and the notes that link back to it.
Does it work with more than one vault?
Yes. obsidian_list_vaults lists every vault Obsidian knows on your computer, and the other tools take the vault’s name.
Does it read attachments and PDFs in the vault?
The Obsidian tools read Markdown notes only. Attachments and Obsidian’s settings folder are not read by them.
Related Guides
Comments
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