---
title: On-demand Obsidian vault access for AI coding assistants
description: MCP server that connects AI coding assistants to Obsidian vaults — query context, search decisions, capture lessons. 67–82% token reduction.
template: splash
hero:
  tagline: On-demand Obsidian vault access + worker delegation for any MCP client.
  actions:
    - text: Get Started
      link: /hive/getting-started/
      icon: right-arrow
    - text: View on GitHub
      link: https://github.com/mlorentedev/hive
      variant: minimal
      icon: external
---

import { Card, CardGrid, Tabs, TabItem } from '@astrojs/starlight/components';

## Why Hive?

AI coding assistants load context statically. A typical project instructions file grows to 800+ lines. Most is irrelevant to the current task. Every session pays the full token cost.

Hive replaces static context with **on-demand vault queries** via the [Model Context Protocol](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/). **67–82% token reduction** on targeted queries.

## Features

<CardGrid>
  <Card title="10 Tools" icon="puzzle">
    Query, search, write, patch, and list vault content. Delegate tasks to cheaper models. Track health and budget.
  </Card>
  <Card title="5 Resources" icon="document">
    MCP resources for projects, health metrics, context, tasks, and lessons — directly consumable by AI clients.
  </Card>
  <Card title="4 Prompts" icon="pencil">
    Built-in protocols for retrospectives, delegation, vault sync, and benchmarking.
  </Card>
  <Card title="Worker Routing" icon="rocket">
    Automatic tier selection: local Ollama, OpenRouter free, OpenRouter paid, or reject. $1/mo budget cap.
  </Card>
</CardGrid>

## Quick Install

<Tabs syncKey="client">
  <TabItem label="Claude Code">
    ```bash
    claude mcp add -s user hive -- uvx --upgrade hive-vault
    ```
  </TabItem>
  <TabItem label="Codex CLI">
    Add to `~/.codex/config.toml`:
    ```toml
    [mcp_servers.hive-vault]
    command = "uvx"
    args = ["--upgrade", "hive-vault"]
    ```
  </TabItem>
  <TabItem label="Gemini CLI">
    ```bash
    gemini mcp add -s user hive-vault uvx -- --upgrade hive-vault
    ```
  </TabItem>
  <TabItem label="Copilot (VS Code)">
    Add to `.vscode/mcp.json`:
    ```json
    {
      "servers": {
        "hive-vault": {
          "command": "uvx",
          "args": ["--upgrade", "hive-vault"]
        }
      }
    }
    ```
  </TabItem>
</Tabs>

No cloning, no venv, no setup. [Learn more →](/hive/getting-started/)

## Recommended Workflow

The highest-value setup:

1. **[Obsidian](https://obsidian.md/)** — local-first knowledge base, Markdown native, 1M+ community
2. **[Obsidian Git](https://github.com/Vinzent03/obsidian-git)** — auto-commits vault changes on a schedule
3. **Hive** — bridges your vault to any AI coding assistant via MCP

Your assistant writes to the vault → Obsidian Git auto-commits → next session, everything is there. No manual sync.

> Hive works with any Markdown directory — Obsidian is recommended, not required.

## Guides

- [Benchmarks](/hive/guides/benchmarks/) — token savings data and `max_lines` calibration.
