Smart Connections MCP Server
Smart Connections MCP searches an Obsidian vault by meaning using Smart Connections embeddings, with no cloud calls
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Minimal access
Why this level
- The server reads all notes in the given vaults and their fragments enter the conversation with the model
Install
- Works in
In your terminal, with SkillFoxx CLI
npx skillfoxx add mcp/smart-connections-mcp-serverDetects the agents on your machine, shows the access level and pins the version.
Other ways to install
Access and checks
How we reviewMinimal accessThe tool runs nothing and makes no network calls.
- The server reads all notes in the given vaults and their fragments enter the conversation with the model
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
Smart Connections MCP reuses the vectors that the Smart Connections plugin has already computed for notes and their blocks in the `.smart-env/` folder. The server loads them into memory, embeds a query locally with the same model through transformers.js and ranks results by cosine similarity. The `search_notes` and `get_similar_notes` tools find notes and individual sections, `get_connection_graph` walks similarity links, `get_note_content` reads a note or chosen blocks, and `list_vaults` and `get_stats` show what is loaded. Several vaults can be served at once. Edits in Obsidian are picked up automatically, and if the model is missing search falls back to keywords and says so.
Who it is for. Obsidian users with the Smart Connections plugin who want to give Claude semantic memory of their notes.
Good fit when
- Notes have to be found by the meaning of a query even when the exact word is absent
- Claude should show notes similar to the open one and the links between ideas
- Work and personal knowledge live in two vaults and search must cover both
- An agent needs only individual blocks of a note and reading the whole file is unnecessary
Not a fit when
- The vault has no Smart Connections plugin and no embeddings
- You need to create and edit notes: the server only reads
- You want search with an embedding model other than the plugin's
Example request
Find notes in my vault about how I made hiring decisions and show the connected ideasMCP
- Transport
- stdio
- Authentication
- not required
Environment variables
SMART_VAULT_PATHrequired- Path to an Obsidian vault or several paths separated by commas
Limitations
Node.js 20 or newer and an Obsidian vault with Smart Connections 3.x are required, with embeddings already generated. On first run a model of about 25 MB is downloaded and then works locally. If the model fails to load or no embeddings exist, the answer is marked `keyword-fallback` with a warning. The server does not write to the vault, so notes cannot be created or edited through it. The embedding model must match the plugin's model or similarity is computed wrongly.
How to disable. Remove the `smart-connections` entry from the client configuration or run `claude mcp remove smart-connections`. The server does not modify vault files.
FAQ
How do I connect the server to Claude Code?
Run `claude mcp add smart-connections -e SMART_VAULT_PATH="/path/to/vault" -- npx -y smart-connections-mcp`. For Claude Desktop add the same `npx` command to `claude_desktop_config.json`.
Can I point it at several vaults?
Yes, list the paths separated by commas in `SMART_VAULT_PATH` or `SMART_VAULT_PATHS`, the second taking precedence.
Do notes leave for the cloud?
No, the query model runs locally and the vault stays on the computer. The network is needed only for the first download of the roughly 25 MB model.
What happens without embeddings?
Search falls back to keyword matching and the answer carries the `keyword-fallback` mode and a warning with the cause.
Are note edits picked up?
Yes, changes made in Obsidian are picked up automatically once the plugin has refreshed the embeddings.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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README in short
The README briefly lists the tools, requirements and setup for Claude Desktop and Claude Code. It then explains how it works through embeddings in `.smart-env/`, the keyword fallback and migration from the old version.