Excel MCP Server 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.

	Excel MCP Server Create, read, and modify Excel workbooks with your AI agent — no Microsoft Excel required. Unverified stdio (local) No auth Python	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	Python	Python
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	None	API key
GitHub stars	3.9k	3.6k
Last commit	2 months ago	4 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx excel-mcp-server stdio`	`uvx mcp-obsidian`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick Excel MCP Server if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you want a verified, documented setup.

Add Excel MCP Server

Install / run

uvx excel-mcp-server stdio

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "excel-mcp-server": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": [
        "excel-mcp-server",
        "stdio"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

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_API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-rest-api-key>",
        "OBSIDIAN_HOST": "127.0.0.1",
        "OBSIDIAN_PORT": "27124"
      }
    }
  }
}

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

FAQ

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

Pick Excel MCP Server if you want zero-setup with no API key, and you need the broadest set of tools. Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you want a verified, documented setup.

Can I use both Excel MCP Server 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 Excel MCP Server 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 Excel MCP Server →View mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) →More comparisons →