Zenith Bridge

An Obsidian plugin that bridges Zenith workflows into your vault — embedded AI agent terminals with MCP server support for Claude Code and other compatible clients.

This repository is the Chrisp671 fork of the original project by iansinnott. The fork uses its own plugin id, zenith-bridge, so it can be distributed without colliding with upstream installs.

Attribution

This fork is maintained by Chrisp671.

Workflow and template inspiration for this setup come from Rich Schefren, the Zenith program, and Strategic Profits. Credit for that influence belongs to them.

This project is not presented as an official Rich Schefren, Zenith, or Strategic Profits product, and no affiliation or endorsement is implied.

Features

• Embedded Terminal: Run Claude Code inside Obsidian with full PTY support (Ctrl+` or command palette)
• Multiple Terminal Sessions: Open several agent terminals at once using native Obsidian panes
• Terminal Profiles: Use a default Claude preset or create custom profiles for tools like Kimi or Codex
• Windows ConPTY: Real pseudo-terminal on Windows via Python's pywinpty
• Unix PTY: Native pseudo-terminal on macOS/Linux via Python's pty stdlib module
• Fallback Mode: Basic child_process terminal if Python is not available
• Dual Transport MCP Server: WebSocket (for Claude Code CLI) and HTTP/SSE (for Claude Desktop)
• Auto-Discovery: Lock files with authToken written to both ~/.config/claude/ide/ and ~/.claude/ide/
• File Operations: Read and write vault files through MCP protocol
• Workspace Context: Provides current active file and vault structure to Claude
• Multiple Client Support: Connect Claude Code, Claude Desktop, and the embedded terminal simultaneously

Setup / Requirements

All Platforms

• Obsidian v1.0.0+
• Python 3.7+ (optional but recommended for full terminal support)

Without Python, the embedded terminal falls back to a basic child_process mode that lacks true PTY capabilities (no interactive TUI apps, no proper resize handling).

Windows

Install pywinpty for ConPTY support:

pip install pywinpty

macOS / Linux

No extra packages needed. The terminal uses Python's built-in pty and selectors modules from the standard library.

Installation

For a short shareable setup guide, see INSTALL.md.

Option 1: BRAT (recommended)

If this fork is not yet available in the official Obsidian community plugin directory, the easiest install path is BRAT.

1. Install the BRAT plugin from Obsidian's community plugins browser.
2. Run the command BRAT: Add a beta plugin for testing.
3. Enter this repository URL: https://github.com/Chrisp671/obsidian-claude-code-mcp
4. Enable Zenith Bridge in Obsidian's community plugins settings.
5. Use BRAT to pull future updates from new GitHub releases.

Option 2: Manual install from a GitHub release

1. Download manifest.json, main.js, and styles.css from the latest GitHub release.
2. Create this folder inside your vault if it does not already exist: .obsidian/plugins/zenith-bridge/
3. Copy the three release files into that folder.
4. In Obsidian, reload community plugins or restart the app.
5. Enable Zenith Bridge in Settings -> Community Plugins.

CLI prerequisites

If you want to launch agent terminals such as Claude, Kimi, or Codex from inside Obsidian, install the corresponding CLI on the same machine and make sure it is available on your shell PATH.

Embedded Terminal

The plugin includes a built-in terminal that runs directly inside Obsidian.

Opening the terminal:

• Press `Ctrl+`` (backtick)
• Or use the command palette: "Open or Focus Default Terminal"
• Or use the command palette: "New Agent Terminal..."
• Or click the Claude icon in the ribbon sidebar

Each session launches your platform's default shell (PowerShell on Windows, $SHELL on Unix) with the working directory set to your vault root. The selected terminal profile then runs its launch command automatically. The built-in default profile is Claude, and you can add custom profiles for other tools later.

PTY mode selection (automatic):

Platform	Python available	pywinpty installed	Mode used
Windows	Yes	Yes	ConPTY via pywinpty
Windows	Yes	No	Fallback (child_process)
Windows	No	-	Fallback (child_process)
macOS/Linux	Yes	-	Unix PTY via stdlib
macOS/Linux	No	-	Fallback (child_process)

MCP Client Configuration

This plugin serves as an MCP server that various Claude clients can connect to. Here's how to configure different clients:

Claude Desktop

Claude Desktop requires a special configuration to connect to the Obsidian MCP server because it does not directly support HTTP transports. We will use mcp-remote, a tool that creates a local stdio bridge to the server's HTTP endpoint.

Configuration Steps:

1. Install and enable this plugin in Obsidian.

2. Make sure you have Node.js installed, as npx (which comes with Node.js) is used to run the bridge tool.

3. Locate your Claude Desktop config file:

   • macOS: $HOME/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
   • Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

4. Add the Obsidian MCP server to your config using the mcp-remote command. npx will automatically download and run it for you.

   {
   	"mcpServers": {
   		"obsidian": {
   			"command": "npx",
   			"args": ["mcp-remote", "http://localhost:22360/sse"],
   			"env": {}
   		}
   	}
   }

5. Restart Claude Desktop after making the configuration change.

6. Test the connection by asking Claude about your vault: "What files are in my Obsidian vault?"

Other MCP Clients (with direct HTTP support)

If you are using an MCP client that directly supports the legacy "HTTP with SSE" transport, you can use a simpler configuration without the mcp-remote bridge.

Example Configuration:

{
	"mcpServers": {
		"obsidian": {
			"url": "http://localhost:22360/sse",
			"env": {}
		}
	}
}

Claude Code CLI

Claude Code automatically discovers and connects to Obsidian vaults through WebSocket.

Usage Steps:

1. Install and enable this plugin in Obsidian
2. Run Claude Code in your terminal: claude
3. Select your vault using the /ide command
4. Choose "Obsidian" from the IDE list
5. Claude Code will automatically connect via WebSocket

Port Configuration

Default Port: The plugin uses port 22360 by default to avoid conflicts with common development services.

Custom Port Setup:

1. Go to Obsidian Settings > Community Plugins > Zenith Bridge > Settings
2. Change the "HTTP Server Port" in the MCP Server Configuration section
3. Update your Claude Desktop config to use the new port:

   {
   	"mcpServers": {
   		"obsidian": {
   			"command": "npx",
   			"args": ["mcp-remote", "http://localhost:YOUR_PORT/sse"],
   			"env": {}
   		}
   	}
   }

4. Restart Claude Desktop to apply the changes

Multiple Vaults: If you run multiple Obsidian vaults with this plugin, each vault needs a unique port. The plugin will automatically detect port conflicts and guide you to configure different ports.

A Note on MCP Specification Version

Important

This plugin intentionally uses an older MCP specification for HTTP transport. The latest "Streamable HTTP" protocol (2025-03-26) is not yet supported by most MCP clients, including Claude Code and Claude Desktop.

To ensure compatibility, we use the legacy "HTTP with SSE" protocol (2024-11-05). Adhering to the newest specification will lead to connection failures with current tools.

Configuration

Plugin settings are available under Obsidian Settings > Community Plugins > Zenith Bridge.

MCP Server Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
Enable WebSocket Server	On	WebSocket server for Claude Code CLI auto-discovery via lock files
Enable HTTP/SSE Server	On	HTTP/SSE server for Claude Desktop and other MCP clients
HTTP Server Port	22360	Port for the HTTP/SSE MCP server (1024-65535)

Terminal Configuration

Setting	Default	Description
Enable Embedded Terminal	On	Enable/disable the built-in terminal. Requires plugin reload.
Auto-close terminal on shell exit	On	Close the terminal view when the shell process exits
Max terminal sessions	4	Maximum number of concurrent embedded terminal sessions
Default terminal profile	Claude	Profile used by the ribbon button and default terminal command
Terminal profiles	Built-in Claude preset + custom profiles	Launch commands and environment variables for each terminal profile

Troubleshooting

Terminal Issues

Terminal not starting / "No suitable Python installation found"

• Install Python 3.7+ and ensure it is on your PATH
• Windows: python --version should print Python 3.x.x (not open the Microsoft Store)
• macOS: python3 --version should work. If not, install via Homebrew: brew install python

"pywinpty not installed" (Windows only)

• Run pip install pywinpty in your terminal
• If you use multiple Python installations, install it for the one on your PATH

Terminal falls back to basic mode

• Python was not found, or dependency checks failed
• Check the Obsidian developer console (Ctrl+Shift+I) for [Terminal] log messages
• On Windows, verify pywinpty: python -c "from winpty import PtyProcess; print('OK')"
• On macOS/Linux, verify pty: python3 -c "import pty, selectors; print('OK')"

Interactive apps (vim, htop, etc.) not working

• These require a real PTY. Make sure Python is installed so the plugin uses PTY mode instead of fallback mode.

MCP Connection Issues

Claude Desktop not connecting:

• Verify the config file path and JSON syntax
• Ensure Obsidian is running with the plugin enabled
• Check that the port (22360) isn't blocked by firewall
• Restart Claude Desktop after config changes

Claude Code not finding vault:

• Verify the plugin is enabled in Obsidian
• Check for .lock files in Claude config directories:
  • $CLAUDE_CONFIG_DIR/ide/ if environment variable is set
  • ~/.config/claude/ide/ (default since Claude Code v1.0.30)
  • ~/.claude/ide/ (legacy location)
• The plugin writes lock files to both ~/.config/claude/ide/ and ~/.claude/ide/ for maximum compatibility
• Restart Obsidian if the vault doesn't appear in /ide list

Stale lock files

• If Obsidian crashes, lock files may not be cleaned up
• Delete any .lock files in ~/.config/claude/ide/ and ~/.claude/ide/, then restart Obsidian

Auth token errors (Claude Code v2.1.69+)

• Lock files include an authToken field for secure WebSocket connections
• If you see authentication failures, restart Obsidian to regenerate the lock file with a fresh token

Port conflicts:

• Configure a different port in plugin settings
• Update client configurations to match the new port
• Common alternative ports: 22361, 22362, 8080, 9090

Tool Architecture

This plugin implements a flexible tool system that allows different tools to be exposed to different MCP clients:

Tool Categories

1. Shared Tools (available to both IDE and MCP clients):

   • File operations: view, str_replace, create, insert
   • Workspace operations: get_current_file, get_workspace_files
   • Obsidian API access: obsidian_api

2. IDE-specific Tools (only available via Claude Code WebSocket):

   • getDiagnostics - System and vault diagnostics
   • openDiff - Diff view operations (stub for Obsidian)
   • close_tab - Tab management (stub for Obsidian)
   • closeAllDiffTabs - Bulk tab operations (stub for Obsidian)

3. MCP-only Tools (only available via HTTP/SSE):

   • Currently none, but the architecture supports adding them

Adding New Tools

To add a new tool to the plugin:

For Shared Tools (available to both IDE and MCP):

1. Add the tool definition to src/tools/general-tools.ts in the GENERAL_TOOL_DEFINITIONS array
2. Add the implementation in the createImplementations() method of GeneralTools class
3. The tool will automatically be available to both WebSocket and HTTP clients

For IDE-specific Tools:

1. Add the tool definition to src/ide/ide-tools.ts in the IDE_TOOL_DEFINITIONS array
2. Add the implementation in the createImplementations() method of IdeTools class
3. The tool will only be available to Claude Code via WebSocket

For MCP-only Tools:

1. Add the tool definition to src/tools/mcp-only-tools.ts in the MCP_ONLY_TOOL_DEFINITIONS array
2. Create an implementation class similar to GeneralTools or IdeTools
3. Update src/mcp/dual-server.ts to register the tools only to the HTTP registry

Tool Registration Flow

The plugin uses a dual registry system:

• WebSocket Registry: Contains shared tools + IDE-specific tools
• HTTP Registry: Contains shared tools + MCP-only tools

This separation ensures that:

• Claude Code gets access to IDE-specific functionality
• Standard MCP clients only see appropriate tools
• Shared functionality is available to all clients

Development

This project uses TypeScript to provide type checking and documentation. The repo depends on the latest plugin API (obsidian.d.ts) in TypeScript Definition format, which contains TSDoc comments describing what it does.

Releasing

• Patch releases: see docs/AUTOMATED_PATCH_RELEASE.md
• Minor / Major releases: see docs/RELEASE_CHECKLIST.md