Vault Cortex
by aliasundercommunityv0.23.2
6
This MCP server provides clients with direct access to an Obsidian vault stored as Markdown files, including reading, writing, searching, link graph queries, property management, memory management, and daily notes. It runs in Docker and supports local bearer-token access or remote OAuth 2.1 access.
From the registry: Standalone MCP server for Obsidian vaults — plugin-free, 25 tools + 3 prompts, OAuth 2.1.
Install & configure
Prerequisites
- requiredInstall DockerDocker is required to run vault-cortex via the documented quick-start deployment.https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/
- requiredPrepare an Obsidian vault or folder of Markdown filesFor local deployment, provide a vault folder (or any folder of .md files) and set VAULT_PATH to it.https://obsidian.md/
- requiredGenerate an authentication tokenCreate a bearer token to use as MCP_AUTH_TOKEN.
$ openssl rand -hex 32 - optionalRemote deployment only: set up Obsidian Sync credentialsFor remote deployments, you must provide an Obsidian auth token and vault name so headless sync can access your vault.https://obsidian.md/sync
Install in your client
Paste into the AI you're chatting with — it will figure out the rest
Please install the `vault-cortex` MCP server into my current AI client (that's you).
Required prerequisites (do these first if not already done):
- **Install Docker** — Docker is required to run vault-cortex via the documented quick-start deployment. (https://docs.docker.com/get-docker/)
- **Prepare an Obsidian vault or folder of Markdown files** — For local deployment, provide a vault folder (or any folder of .md files) and set VAULT_PATH to it. (https://obsidian.md/)
- **Generate an authentication token** — Create a bearer token to use as MCP_AUTH_TOKEN. Run: `openssl rand -hex 32`
Optional prerequisites:
- Remote deployment only: set up Obsidian Sync credentials — For remote deployments, you must provide an Obsidian auth token and vault name so headless sync can access your vault. (https://obsidian.md/sync)
Canonical MCP server config (HTTP transport):
- url: `<your-public-url>/mcp`
- headers:
- `Authorization`: `Bearer <your-mcp-auth-token>`
Note: The README documents vault-cortex as a remote HTTP MCP server, typically run via Docker Compose. For local use, the MCP endpoint is http://localhost:8000/mcp with Authorization: Bearer <your-mcp-auth-token>. Required environment depends on deployment mode: local requires MCP_AUTH_TOKEN and VAULT_PATH; remote requires MCP_AUTH_TOKEN and PUBLIC_URL. Additional documented env vars: MEMORY_DIR (optional, default 'About Me'), PROTECTED_PATHS (optional, default 'MEMORY_DIR, Daily Notes'), ORPHAN_EXCLUDE_FOLDERS (optional, default 'Daily Notes, Templates, MEMORY_DIR'), TZ (optional, default 'UTC'), SERVICE_DOCUMENTATION_URL (optional, default GitHub repo URL), LOG_LEVEL (optional, default 'info'), LOG_DIR (optional, default '/data/logs'), LOG_RETENTION_DAYS (optional, default '30'). Remote deployment setup also mentions OBSIDIAN_AUTH_TOKEN and VAULT_NAME in the Docker environment, but these are deployment-specific container settings rather than MCP client config.
Add this MCP server to my current client's config in the correct format for you. If you need secrets or credentials I haven't provided, ASK me — do not invent values or leave raw placeholders. After adding it, tell me how to verify the server is connected.Note: The README documents vault-cortex as a remote HTTP MCP server, typically run via Docker Compose. For local use, the MCP endpoint is http://localhost:8000/mcp with Authorization: Bearer <your-mcp-auth-token>. Required environment depends on deployment mode: local requires MCP_AUTH_TOKEN and VAULT_PATH; remote requires MCP_AUTH_TOKEN and PUBLIC_URL. Additional documented env vars: MEMORY_DIR (optional, default 'About Me'), PROTECTED_PATHS (optional, default 'MEMORY_DIR, Daily Notes'), ORPHAN_EXCLUDE_FOLDERS (optional, default 'Daily Notes, Templates, MEMORY_DIR'), TZ (optional, default 'UTC'), SERVICE_DOCUMENTATION_URL (optional, default GitHub repo URL), LOG_LEVEL (optional, default 'info'), LOG_DIR (optional, default '/data/logs'), LOG_RETENTION_DAYS (optional, default '30'). Remote deployment setup also mentions OBSIDIAN_AUTH_TOKEN and VAULT_NAME in the Docker environment, but these are deployment-specific container settings rather than MCP client config.
Tools (23)
vault_read_note
Read a note by path
vault_write_note
Create or overwrite a note with frontmatter
vault_patch_note
Edit content at a heading target by appending, prepending, replacing, or inserting
vault_replace_in_note
Find and replace text in a note
vault_list_notes
List notes with optional glob or folder filtering
vault_delete_note
Delete a note with protected path enforcement
vault_search
Perform full-text search with tag, folder, and property filters
vault_search_by_tag
Find notes by tag using exact or prefix matching
vault_search_by_folder
Browse notes in a folder with metadata
vault_recent_notes
List recently modified or created notes
vault_list_tags
List all tags with usage counts
vault_get_memory
Read structured memory from a file, section, or all memory
vault_update_memory
Append a dated entry to a memory section
Environment variables
MCP_AUTH_TOKENrequiredBearer token for authentication and JWT signingPackages
ghcr.io/aliasunder/vault-mcp:0.23.2
ocitransport: streamable-http
Details
- Language
- TypeScript
- License
- MIT
- Released
- Jun 23, 2026
- Last commit
- Jul 7, 2026
- Registry name
- io.github.aliasunder/vault-cortex