n8n-MCP vs obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads)

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

	n8n-MCP Gives AI assistants deep knowledge of 2,000+ n8n nodes, plus optional workflow management on your own n8n instance. Unverified stdio (local) API key TypeScript	obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads) Surgical Obsidian vault editing — read, write, search, and patch notes, tags, and frontmatter. Verified stdio (local) API key TypeScript
Category	Productivity	Productivity
Language	TypeScript	TypeScript
Transport	stdio (local)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	22k	590
Last commit	1 month ago	1 month ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	`npx n8n-mcp`	`npx -y obsidian-mcp-server@latest`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

Pick n8n-MCP if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools.

Pick obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads) if you want a verified, documented setup.

Add n8n-MCP

Install / run

npx n8n-mcp

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "n8n-mcp": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "n8n-mcp"
      ],
      "env": {
        "MCP_MODE": "stdio",
        "LOG_LEVEL": "error",
        "DISABLE_CONSOLE_OUTPUT": "true",
        "N8N_API_URL": "<your-n8n-instance-url>",
        "N8N_API_KEY": "<your-n8n-api-key>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Add obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads)

Install / run

npx -y obsidian-mcp-server@latest

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-mcp-server-cyanheads": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "obsidian-mcp-server@latest"
      ],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "<your-obsidian-rest-api-key>",
        "OBSIDIAN_BASE_URL": "http://127.0.0.1:27123",
        "OBSIDIAN_VERIFY_SSL": "false"
      }
    }
  }
}

FAQ

n8n-MCP or obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads) — which is better?

Pick n8n-MCP if you prefer the more popular, battle-tested option, and you need the broadest set of tools. Pick obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads) if you want a verified, documented setup.

Can I use both n8n-MCP and obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads)?

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 n8n-MCP and obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads) work with Claude, Cursor and Windsurf?

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

View n8n-MCP →View obsidian-mcp-server (cyanheads) →More comparisons →