Notion MCP Server (official) vs mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)

A side-by-side comparison of two Productivity servers — tools, transport, auth, maintenance, and copy-paste config for each.

	Notion MCP Server (official) Official Notion server to read, search, create, and update pages and databases in your workspace. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) Read, search, and edit your Obsidian vault through the Local REST API community plugin. Verified stdio (local) API key Python
Category	Productivity	Productivity
Language	TypeScript	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	3.9k	3.6k
Last commit	4 months ago	4 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx -y @notionhq/notion-mcp-server`	`uvx mcp-obsidian`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Notion MCP Server (official) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server.

Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you prefer its approach (read, search, and edit your obsidian vault through the local rest api community plugin).

Add Notion MCP Server (official)

Install / run

npx -y @notionhq/notion-mcp-server

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "notion-mcp-server-official": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "@notionhq/notion-mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "NOTION_TOKEN": "<your-notion-integration-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)

Install / run

uvx mcp-obsidian

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "mcp-obsidian-obsidian-local-rest-api": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "mcp-obsidian"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "OBSIDIAN_PORT": "27124",
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-rest-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Requires `uv` (the Python package runner). Install it from https://docs.astral.sh/uv/ if `uvx` is not found.

FAQ

Notion MCP Server (official) or mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) — which is better?

Pick Notion MCP Server (official) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server. Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you prefer its approach (read, search, and edit your obsidian vault through the local rest api community plugin).

Can I use both Notion MCP Server (official) and mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API)?

Yes — MCP clients let you enable multiple servers at once. Add both configs to your client's mcpServers and use whichever tool fits the task.

Do Notion MCP Server (official) and mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

Both do. Copy the per-client config below into Claude Desktop, Cursor, or Windsurf.

View Notion MCP Server (official) →View mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) →More comparisons →