vault-cortex (CLI)

Set up a Vault Cortex MCP server for your Obsidian vault in one command:

npx vault-cortex@latest init

Vault Cortex is a plugin-free, remote-capable MCP server for Obsidian vaults — 25 tools for search (SQLite FTS5), notes, frontmatter, links, daily notes, and a persistent memory layer, plus 3 guided prompts (orientation, memory review, daily review). It runs as a Docker container; this CLI scaffolds the config so you don't have to.

What init does

1. Asks how you want to run it:
   • Local — Docker on this machine, your vault folder bind-mounted
   • Remote — a VPS with Obsidian Sync, reachable from any device
2. Generates a docker-compose.yml and .env, including a securely generated MCP_AUTH_TOKEN
3. Optionally runs docker compose up -d and waits for the health check
4. Prints your connection details — the MCP URL, your auth token, and how to connect your client

Existing files are never overwritten without asking.

Non-interactive

npx vault-cortex@latest init --yes --vault-path /path/to/YourVault

Flags: --mode local|remote, --vault-path <path>, --dir <path> (default ./vault-cortex), --yes.

Requirements

• Node.js >= 20.12 (only for this CLI — the server itself runs in Docker)
• Docker to run the server

Docs

• Local quickstart
• Remote quickstart (VPS + Obsidian Sync)
• Full project README