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

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

	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	Linear MCP Server (official remote) Linear's official hosted MCP server — find, create, and update issues, projects, and comments. Verified HTTP (remote) OAuth TypeScript
Category	Productivity	Productivity
Language	Python	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	HTTP (remote)
Auth	API key	OAuth
GitHub stars	3.6k	1.6k
Last commit	4 months ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`uvx mcp-obsidian`	`Add remote MCP URL https://mcp.linear.app/mcp and complete OAuth`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine.

Pick Linear MCP Server (official remote) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install.

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.

Add Linear MCP Server (official remote)

Install / run

Add remote MCP URL https://mcp.linear.app/mcp and complete OAuth

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "linear-mcp-server-official-remote": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://mcp.linear.app/mcp"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Claude Desktop connects to remote servers through the `mcp-remote` proxy (installed on first run via npx). Restart Claude Desktop after saving.

FAQ

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

Pick mcp-obsidian (Obsidian Local REST API) if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you want a local (stdio) server that keeps data on your machine. Pick Linear MCP Server (official remote) if you want the official, vendor-maintained server, and you want a hosted/remote server with nothing to install.

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

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

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

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