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Compare scores, permissions, risks, and fit in one decision-focused table.

DimensionObsidian Local REST APIA secure REST API and MCP server for your Obsidian vaultFilesystem MCP ServerSecure local file read/write accessObsidian Web MCPSecure remote access to your Obsidian vault over HTTPS with OAuth 2.0 authentication.
FMRS64 / 100 · C84 / 100 · B68 / 100 · C
Reliability7 / 2017 / 209 / 20
Security and permissions14 / 2016 / 2016 / 20
Maintenance13 / 2016 / 2014 / 20
Documentation16 / 2017 / 2017 / 20
Setup experience14 / 2018 / 2012 / 20
Best for
  • Users who need programmatic control over their Obsidian vault for automation and AI integration.
  • Developers and power users building note-taking automation workflows.
  • Scenarios where AI agents need to act on your notes directly without exporting or manual copying.
  • Local assistants that need to work inside explicitly approved directories
  • Individuals and development teams that want path-based data boundaries
  • Users who want secure remote access to their Obsidian vault from any device.
  • Integrating Claude.ai (web) or mobile with Obsidian.
  • Those needing concurrent writes with Obsidian Sync without file conflicts.
Not for
  • Users uncomfortable with technical setup or unable to handle self-signed certificates.
  • Scenarios requiring public access or non-local servers, as the server is designed for local use.
  • Clients that require other MCP transports (like SSE or stdio) or don't support Streamable HTTP.
  • Highly sensitive environments that cannot allow model access to local file contents
  • Shared remote file-service use cases
  • Users who only need local stdio MCP access without remote capabilities.
  • Those unwilling to set up an OAuth password or use a Cloudflare Tunnel.
  • Users with extremely high security requirements who distrust network exposure (though encrypted).
Required permissions
  • Full read, write, and delete access to all files in your Obsidian vault.
  • Execute any Obsidian command (equivalent to using the command palette).
  • Access information about the currently active file.
  • Open files in the Obsidian UI.
  • Read access to every local directory listed in the configuration
  • Filesystem write access when write or move tools are enabled
  • Read and write files in the directory specified by VAULT_PATH.
  • Perform file operations (move, delete with soft delete to .trash).
  • Create daily notes, write binary files.
  • Maintain an in-memory frontmatter index, potentially modifying index files.
  • Access the network (for Cloudflare Tunnel, heartbeat URLs).
Risks and side effects
  • If the API key is compromised, an attacker can view and modify all your notes, execute commands, or delete files.
  • The self-signed certificate could be susceptible to man-in-the-middle attacks if not verified properly.
  • Executing commands can lead to unintended modifications, such as deleting or overwriting notes.
  • The local HTTP server could be exploited by other local programs if port binding is not secure.
  • Sensitive files inside an allowed directory may enter model context
  • Write and move tools change real files; keep scopes narrow and maintain backups
  • Credential leakage: exposed OAuth password or MCP token could allow unauthorized access.
  • Path traversal mitigation is not infallible; keep updated.
  • Extension system is not sandboxed; loading untrusted extensions could be risky.
  • Audit log is best-effort and not tamper-evident; records may be dropped at runtime.
  • Misconfiguration may cause the server to fail to start or expose vulnerabilities.
Supported clientsClaude DesktopClaude Desktop, Cursor, Cline, WindsurfClaude Desktop, Claude Mobile, Claude Web
Tools16620