Zettelkasten
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that implements the Zettelkasten knowledge management methodology, allowing you to create, link, explore and synthesize atomic notes through Claude and other MCP-compatible clients.
What is Zettelkasten?
Zettelkasten is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to model context protocol (mcp) server that implements the zettelkasten knowledge management methodology, allowing you to create, link, explore and synthesize atomic notes through claude and other mcp-co...
A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that implements the Zettelkasten knowledge management methodology, allowing you to create, link, explore and synthesize atomic notes through Claude and other MCP-compatible clients.
This server falls under the Knowledge & Memory category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that implements the Ze
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx zettelkastenConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Zettelkasten
The Zettelkasten MCP server brings the atomic-note Zettelkasten knowledge management methodology into your AI workflow, allowing Claude to create, link, search, and synthesize notes stored as Markdown files on disk. Notes are indexed in a SQLite database (or PostgreSQL/MySQL) for fast querying, but the Markdown files remain the human-readable source of truth — giving you a portable, AI-enhanced personal knowledge base that you can also edit in Obsidian or any text editor.
Prerequisites
- Python 3.8 or higher installed
- uv or pipx for installation
- A directory to store Markdown notes (will be created if it does not exist)
- An MCP-compatible client such as Claude Desktop or Cursor
- Optional: PostgreSQL, MySQL, or SQL Server if you prefer a non-SQLite backend
Install via Smithery (easiest method)
Smithery automates the installation and client configuration in a single command.
npx -y @smithery/cli install zettelkasten-mcp --client claudeOr install manually via pipx
If you prefer manual control, install with pipx from GitHub. The package is installed from the entanglr/zettelkasten-mcp repository.
pipx install "git+https://github.com/entanglr/zettelkasten-mcp.git"Create directories for notes and the database
Create the directories that will hold your Markdown notes and the SQLite index database before starting the server.
mkdir -p ~/zettelkasten/notes ~/zettelkasten/dbTest the server manually
Run the server once from the command line to verify it starts and creates the database file.
zettelkasten-mcp --notes-dir ~/zettelkasten/notes --database ~/zettelkasten/db/zettelkasten.dbAdd the server to your MCP client configuration
Edit your claude_desktop_config.json to add the zettelkasten-mcp entry with the correct paths. The server exposes 13 tools including zk_create_note, zk_search_notes, zk_create_link, zk_get_linked_notes, and zk_find_similar_notes.
Zettelkasten Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration for the Zettelkasten MCP server. Adjust the paths to match where you want to store your notes and database.
{
"mcpServers": {
"zettelkasten": {
"command": "zettelkasten-mcp",
"args": [
"--notes-dir", "/Users/yourname/zettelkasten/notes",
"--database", "/Users/yourname/zettelkasten/db/zettelkasten.db"
]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Use these prompts with Claude to build and navigate your Zettelkasten knowledge base.
- "Create a new note about the concept of compound interest with tags: finance, investing, fundamentals."
- "Search my notes for everything related to machine learning and show me how the notes connect to each other."
- "Find notes similar to my note on 'neural networks' and create links between the most related ones."
- "Show me all orphaned notes that have no connections and suggest which existing notes they should link to."
- "Synthesize my notes tagged 'productivity' into a cohesive summary of my thinking on the topic."Troubleshooting Zettelkasten
zettelkasten-mcp command not found after pipx install
Run 'pipx ensurepath' to add the pipx bin directory to your PATH, then restart your terminal. Verify with 'which zettelkasten-mcp'.
Database errors or 'table not found' on startup
The database is created automatically on first run. If the database file is corrupted, delete it — the server will rebuild the index from your Markdown source files using zk_rebuild_index. Your notes are never lost because Markdown files are the source of truth.
Notes created by Claude are not visible in Obsidian
Ensure the --notes-dir path matches your Obsidian vault directory. Notes are stored as standard Markdown files with YAML frontmatter, which Obsidian reads natively. If new notes don't appear, refresh the Obsidian vault.
Frequently Asked Questions about Zettelkasten
What is Zettelkasten?
Zettelkasten is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that model context protocol (mcp) server that implements the zettelkasten knowledge management methodology, allowing you to create, link, explore and synthesize atomic notes through claude and other mcp-compatible clients. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Zettelkasten?
Follow the installation instructions on the Zettelkasten GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Zettelkasten?
Zettelkasten works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Zettelkasten free to use?
Yes, Zettelkasten is open source and available under the MIT License license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
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