Quackback 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.

	Quackback MCP Server AI agents search, triage, comment, vote, and manage feedback & changelogs in Quackback. Unverified HTTP (remote) 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	HTTP (remote)	stdio (local)
Auth	API key	API key
GitHub stars	134	3.6k
Last commit	1 day ago	4 months ago
Verified
Actively maintained
Install	—	`uvx mcp-obsidian`
Repo	Open	Open

Verdict

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

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.

Add Quackback MCP Server

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

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "quackback-mcp-server": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "-y",
        "mcp-remote",
        "https://{host}/api/mcp",
        "--header",
        "Authorization: Bearer ${QUACKBACK_API_KEY}"
      ]
    }
  }
}

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

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

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

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

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