Comparison
obsidian-mcp-server vs surf
Verdict
Pick obsidian-mcp-server if the obsidian-mcp-server is a specialized utility for interacting with Obsidian vaults using the Model Context Protocol over STDIO or Streamable HTTP; pick surf if surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages.
Markdown twin · obsidian-mcp-server alternatives · surf alternatives
GraphCanon updated Sep 20, 2026
10views this month
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Trust & integrity
| Signal | obsidian-mcp-server | surf |
|---|---|---|
| Maintenance | Very active (0d since push) As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Active (26d since push) As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| Provenance | Not a fork · Personal account As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 | Not a fork · Organization account As of Sep 20, 2026 · github_public_v1 |
| OSV dependency advisories | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 26, 2026 · osv@v1 | No lockfile (source not queried) As of Jul 15, 2026 · osv@v1 |
| deps.dev advisories | Not queried deps.dev@v1 | Not queried deps.dev@v1 |
| OpenSSF Scorecard | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 | Not queried openssf-scorecard@v1 |
Tagline
- obsidian-mcp-server
- A tool for manipulating and interacting with Obsidian vaults through Model Context Protocol.
- surf
- Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.
Stars
- obsidian-mcp-server
- 682
- surf
- 3.6k
Forks
- obsidian-mcp-server
- 103
- surf
- 251
Open issues
- obsidian-mcp-server
- 27
- surf
- 32
Language
- obsidian-mcp-server
- TypeScript
- surf
- TypeScript
Adopt for
- obsidian-mcp-server
- The obsidian-mcp-server is a specialized utility for interacting with Obsidian vaults using the Model Context Protocol over STDIO or Streamable HTTP.
- surf
- surf is an open-source tool for managing personal notes by integrating local or remote AI models to process files and webpages.
Persona
- obsidian-mcp-server
- -
- surf
- -
Runtime
- obsidian-mcp-server
- -
- surf
- -
License
- obsidian-mcp-server
- The Apache-2.0 license applies to obsidian-mcp-server, allowing free use, modification, and distribution under certain conditions.
- surf
- Apache-2.0
Last pushed
- obsidian-mcp-server
- Sep 19, 2026
- surf
- Aug 24, 2026
Categories
- obsidian-mcp-server
- Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools
- surf
- Data & Retrieval, Developer Tools, LLM Frameworks
Trust and health
Maintenance
- obsidian-mcp-server
- Very active (96%)
- surf
- Active (82%)
Days since push
- obsidian-mcp-server
- 0d
- surf
- 26d
Open issues (now)
- obsidian-mcp-server
- 27
- surf
- 32
Stars delta
- obsidian-mcp-server
- +40 (30d)
- surf
- +50 (30d)
Open issues delta
- obsidian-mcp-server
- +2 (30d)
- surf
- 0 (30d)
Owner type
- obsidian-mcp-server
- User
- surf
- Organization
Full report
- obsidian-mcp-server
- Trust report
- surf
- Trust report
Choose obsidian-mcp-server if…
- Pricing: Freely accessible and distributable with commercial usage allowed..
- Requirements: The software requires a running Obsidian vault, basic knowledge of TypeScript, and an understanding of Model Context Protocol for effective use..
- Tags unique to obsidian-mcp-server: ai-tools, cyanheads, mcp, model-context-protocol.
- obsidian-mcp-server ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment.
- When requiring precise manipulation of content, tags, and metadata within an Obsidian knowledge base through automated scripts or third-party applications that support the Model Context Protocol.
When NOT to use obsidian-mcp-server
- When working with non-Obsidian knowledge bases as this tool is specifically designed for manipulating content within an Obsidian vault framework.
- If your project does not require the Model Context Protocol for communication, as this introduces a specific layer of protocol handling that may be unnecessary overhead.
Choose surf if…
- Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, local-llm.
- Also covers LLM Frameworks.
- Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation
When NOT to use surf
- Prefer using proprietary, closed-source tools that do not allow open model choices
- Require extensive cloud-based collaboration features among multiple users
Explore
Sources
Every stat on this page traces to a dated GitHub sync, license file, enrichment field, or trust scan.
- GitHub stars (cyanheads/obsidian-mcp-server) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (cyanheads/obsidian-mcp-server) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (cyanheads/obsidian-mcp-server) · observed Sep 19, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 15, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 26, 2026
- GitHub stars (deta/surf) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- GitHub forks (deta/surf) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Last push (deta/surf) · observed Aug 24, 2026
- License file (Apache-2.0) · observed Sep 20, 2026
- Decision facts (enrichment) · observed Jul 17, 2026
- Trust scan (lockfile / OSV) · observed Jul 15, 2026
GitHub stars on cards: obsidian-mcp-server 682 · surf 3.6k (synced Sep 20, 2026).
Common questions
- What is the difference between obsidian-mcp-server and surf?
- obsidian-mcp-server: A tool for manipulating and interacting with Obsidian vaults through Model Context Protocol.. surf: Tools for organizing files and webpages locally to generate notes using personal AI notebooks.. See the comparison table for live GitHub stats and shared categories.
- When should I choose obsidian-mcp-server over surf?
- Choose obsidian-mcp-server over surf when Pricing: Freely accessible and distributable with commercial usage allowed.; Requirements: The software requires a running Obsidian vault, basic knowledge of TypeScript, and an understanding of Model Context Protocol for effective use.; Tags unique to obsidian-mcp-server: ai-tools, cyanheads, mcp, model-context-protocol; obsidian-mcp-server ships Docker support for self-hosted deployment; When requiring precise manipulation of content, tags, and metadata within an Obsidian knowledge base through automated scripts or third-party applications that support the Model Context Protocol.
- When should I choose surf over obsidian-mcp-server?
- Choose surf over obsidian-mcp-server when Tags unique to surf: claude, deepseek, gemma, local-llm; Also covers LLM Frameworks; Need a robust integration with both local and remote language models for comprehensive note creation.
- When should I avoid obsidian-mcp-server?
- When working with non-Obsidian knowledge bases as this tool is specifically designed for manipulating content within an Obsidian vault framework. If your project does not require the Model Context Protocol for communication, as this introduces a specific layer of protocol handling that may be unnecessary overhead.
- When should I avoid surf?
- Prefer using proprietary, closed-source tools that do not allow open model choices Require extensive cloud-based collaboration features among multiple users
- Is obsidian-mcp-server or surf more popular on GitHub?
- surf has more GitHub stars (3,572 vs 682). Stars measure visibility, not whether either tool fits your constraints.
- Are obsidian-mcp-server and surf open source?
- Yes - both are open-source projects on GitHub (obsidian-mcp-server: Apache-2.0, surf: Apache-2.0).
- Where can I find alternatives to obsidian-mcp-server or surf?
- GraphCanon lists graph-backed alternatives at obsidian-mcp-server alternatives and surf alternatives (obsidian-mcp-server markdown twin, surf markdown twin), ranked by typed relationship edges rather than popularity votes.
- Is there a machine-readable version of this comparison?
- Yes. The markdown twin at this comparison mirrors this page for agents and LLM crawlers, with the same stats table and FAQ answers.
- Which is better maintained, obsidian-mcp-server or surf?
- obsidian-mcp-server: Very active. surf: Active. Compare maintenance labels, days since push, and release cadence in the trust section below - stars alone do not measure maintenance.
- Where are the full trust reports for obsidian-mcp-server and surf?
- GraphCanon publishes per-repo trust reports with dated maintenance, provenance, and scan summaries: obsidian-mcp-server trust report; surf trust report.