obsidian-remote

name	obsidian-remote
description	Read, write, and search an Obsidian vault — surgically target specific headings, blocks, or frontmatter fields in notes without reading full files. Use this skill when the user wants to interact with their notes or vault, even if they don't name Obsidian.
compatibility	Requires Obsidian Remote container with MCP enabled.
allowed-tools	mcp__obsidian-remote__*

Obsidian Remote

Surgically read, write, and search an Obsidian vault via MCP tools. Target specific headings, blocks, or frontmatter fields without loading full files.

Tools

Tool	Writes?
list_notes	No
read_note	No
global_search	No
update_note	Yes
delete_note	Yes
search_replace	Yes
manage_frontmatter	Yes
manage_tags	Yes
move_note	Yes

read_note

Read all or part of a note.

Parameter	Values
target_type	heading, block, or frontmatter
target	Heading text, block ref, or frontmatter key
target_scope	content (default), marker, markerAndContent
target_delimiter	Default :: — separates nested heading levels

Omit target params to read the full note. Nest headings with ::, e.g. "Section::Subsection".

update_note

Create, overwrite, append, or prepend content within a note.

Parameter	Values
operation	replace (default), append, or prepend
target_type	heading, block, or frontmatter
target	Heading text, block ref, or frontmatter key
target_scope	content (default), marker, markerAndContent
target_delimiter	Default ::
create_target_if_missing	"true" to create target if absent
reject_if_content_preexists	"true" to reject if target has content
trim_target_whitespace	"true" to trim whitespace before operation

Behavior by combination:

Operation	Target?	Result
replace	No	Overwrites the entire file.
replace	Yes	Replaces only the target section's content.
append	No	Appends to end of file.
append	Yes	Appends within the target section.
prepend	No	Error — requires a target.
prepend	Yes	Prepends within the target section.

search_replace

Parameter	Description
count	Default 1 (first occurrence), -1 for all

manage_frontmatter

Parameter	Values
operation	get or set
jsonPayload	JSON object for set

manage_tags

Parameter	Values
operation	add or remove
tag	Tag value without leading #

move_note

Parameter	Description
path	Current path of the note
newPath	Destination path
allowOverwrite	"true" to overwrite if destination exists (default false)

Behavioral Rules

Exclusive Write Path

Use only obsidian-remote tools for vault writes — never local edit/write/bash. Mixing paths on the same file creates git conflicts.

Confirmation Required

Before any write (update_note, delete_note, search_replace, move_note):

1. Show the exact content or diff.
2. Ask for explicit confirmation.
3. Wait for the user to confirm.

• update_note replace: Show old vs new via read_note with same target, then diffs.
• update_note append/prepend: Show the block being inserted.
• search_replace: Show old and new text in "Before/After" format.
• move_note: Show current path and destination path.

Never skip confirmation. No exceptions.

Gotchas

• prepend requires a target — you cannot prepend to an entire file. Use operation=append with no target to add content at the end.
• target_type and target are a pair — providing one without the other is an error.
• target_scope only applies to heading and block — it is ignored for frontmatter targets.
• Boolean params are strings — create_target_if_missing, reject_if_content_preexists, and trim_target_whitespace expect "true" (a string), not true (a boolean).
• Nested headings use :: — target "Projects::Active" not "Projects/Active" or "Projects > Active".
• search_replace count defaults to 1 — only the first occurrence is replaced unless you set count to -1.