# Obsidian Local REST API

> An Obsidian plugin that exposes the vault through a local API and MCP server

- Category: Agents & dev (`agents`)
- Tags: `free`, `open-source`, `mcp`
- Official: https://github.com/coddingtonbear/obsidian-local-rest-api
- See also: https://github.com/MarkusPfundstein/mcp-obsidian
- Wunderlust: https://wunderlust.xyz/r/obsidian-local-rest-api
- Image: https://wunderlust.xyz/media/obsidian-local-rest-api-poster.jpg
- Video preview: https://wunderlust.xyz/media/obsidian-local-rest-api.webm
- Added: 2026-11-05

## What it is

A free, open source Obsidian plugin that opens the vault through an authenticated local REST API and a built-in MCP server.

## What it’s for

Use it to connect scripts, extensions or AI clients such as Claude Desktop and Cursor to your vault to read and edit notes.

## Benefits

- Reads, creates, updates and deletes files, with section-level editing (headings, blocks, frontmatter)
- Full-text search and structured queries on metadata
- Local HTTPS, API key, ETags and a lock on the config folder

## Caveats

- MIT license
- A large search overflowed the context in the demo

## Similar on Wunderlust

- [mcp-obsidian](https://wunderlust.xyz/r/mcp-obsidian.md): An MCP server to list, read, search and edit Obsidian notes
- [Open Notebook](https://wunderlust.xyz/r/open-notebook.md): An open source, self-hosted alternative to NotebookLM
- [OmniRoute](https://wunderlust.xyz/r/omniroute.md): An open source gateway that routes AI tools through an OpenAI-compatible endpoint
- [Agent Beacon](https://wunderlust.xyz/r/agent-beacon.md): An open source memory layer that reuses session history across agents
- [Firecrawl](https://wunderlust.xyz/r/firecrawl.md): API that turns web pages into Markdown or JSON for agents and apps
- [Codebase Memory MCP](https://wunderlust.xyz/r/codebase-memory-mcp.md): An MCP server that indexes a repository into a local knowledge graph