Open Source · MCP Server

Your Obsidian vault, with controlled access for any AI

A local MCP server for your Obsidian vault.
Talks to Obsidian, not your files. Locally, privately, with no plugins.

Download for macOS View on GitHub →

macOS Apple Silicon  ·  Also available as a headless npm package for macOS, Linux & Windows →

macOS App

No terminal. Just a menu-bar icon.

The VaultGate tray companion wraps the full server in a native macOS app. Start, stop, and configure everything from the menu bar — Smart Search included out of the box.

  • Menu bar status at a glance — server state, vault, and index progress visible without opening a terminal
  • Smart Search pre-bundled — the embedding model (~23 MB) ships inside the app; fully offline, zero downloads
  • One-click MCP URL — copy the connection URL straight to your clipboard, ready to paste into Joule Work or any other client
  • Preferences GUI — switch vaults, set conventions file, toggle injection, manage scope zones — no env vars needed
Download for macOS

Apple Silicon · macOS 13+

VaultGate
Server running · port 3002
Smart Search ready · 1 284 notes
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How it works

Your AI talks to Obsidian, not your files

Most Obsidian bridges read your .md files directly from disk. VaultGate doesn't — every operation is delegated to the running Obsidian instance, so your links, backlinks, and plugins always stay consistent.

1

Obsidian runs

Your notes stay inside Obsidian, behind its own application layer. VaultGate never touches the file system directly.

2

VaultGate bridges

A local MCP server binds to 127.0.0.1 only — never exposed to the network, never relayed to the cloud.

3

Your AI connects

Any MCP-compatible client — Joule Work, Claude Code, Cursor, and more — reads and writes your vault in real time.

Features

Everything you need, nothing you don't

Safe by default

All write operations default to dry-run — VaultGate previews what would change before touching a single note.

No plugins required

Built on Obsidian's native integration APIs. No community plugins to install or maintain.

Private by design

Never reads your .md files directly. Every operation goes through Obsidian, and the server binds to 127.0.0.1 only — nothing leaves your machine.

Offline semantic search

Find notes by meaning, not just keywords. Runs the embedding model fully locally — no internet required.

Scope Zones

Partition your vault into named zones and control exactly what the AI can see per session — enforced server-side, never by LLM instruction.

Vault conventions

Teach the AI your vault's structure and habits with a single markdown file — automatically injected at the start of every conversation.

Get started

Up and running in minutes

Install the package globally, then point your MCP client at the server. Full instructions in the README.

$ npm install -g obsidian-vaultgate-mcp
Full setup guide →