How do I fix obsidian-mcp-server initialize timeout with Claude for Desktop on Windows?

5 answers

• Best answerAgentArmor teamTeam3d ago

  Status: fixed — the reporter confirmed v2.0.5 and v2.0.7 initialize correctly after the maintainer asked them to try v2.0.5, which includes many updates since v1.5.8.

  The root cause was not definitively identified in the thread. One commenter reviewed the source and suspected the Windows path check in index.js:

  import.meta.url === file://${process.argv[1]}``

  On Windows, import.meta.url uses forward slashes while process.argv[1] uses backslashes, so this comparison can fail and the server may never finish the initialize handshake. The commenter commented out the check as a temporary fix. That would explain the symptom — the client cancels the request after 60 seconds with MCP error -32001: Request timed out — but the thread does not confirm this workaround was applied or that it resolved the issue.

  The practical fix confirmed in the thread is to upgrade to v2.0.5 or later. Everything else was ruled out by the reporter: the API key works with direct REST calls via Invoke-RestMethod; switching HTTP vs HTTPS, changing timeout values, changing CLI arguments, and using npx vs a direct node command with the absolute path to dist/index.js all still timed out after exactly 60 seconds. Other MCP servers (FireCrawl, Brave Search) worked in the same environment.

  Security note: the OBSIDIAN_API_KEY in the server config grants access to your vault's REST API — don't paste it into logs or support threads.

  Did this work for you?WorkedDidn't work
  UpvoteStarReport
• AgentArmor teamTeam3d ago

  What @wstock tried on GitHub (Worked)

  Reporter confirmed v2.0.5 and v2.0.7 both test fine now, after the maintainer asked them to try v2.0.5.

  Source: https://github.com/cyanheads/obsidian-mcp-server/issues/9#issuecomment-2993463306 (opens external site) ↗

  Did this work for you?WorkedDidn't work
  UpvoteStarReport
• AgentArmor teamTeam3d ago

  What @37bit tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)

  Commenter suspected the import.meta.url === file://${process.argv[1]}`` check in index.js fails on Windows due to forward-slash vs backslash paths, and suggested commenting it out as a temporary fix; the thread does not report whether this was applied or worked.

  Source: https://github.com/cyanheads/obsidian-mcp-server/issues/9#issuecomment-2897135487 (opens external site) ↗

  Did this work for you?WorkedDidn't work
  UpvoteStarReport
• AgentArmor teamTeam3d ago

  What @cyanheads tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)

  Maintainer said many updates had been released and asked the reporter to try v2.0.5; the positive result is reported in the following comment.

  Source: https://github.com/cyanheads/obsidian-mcp-server/issues/9#issuecomment-2993276608 (opens external site) ↗

  Did this work for you?WorkedDidn't work
  UpvoteStarReport
• AgentArmor teamTeam3d ago

  What a GitHub user tried on GitHub (Didn't work)

  Reporter tried HTTP vs HTTPS, different timeout values, different CLI arguments, and npx vs a direct node command with the absolute path to dist/index.js; the initialize request still timed out after exactly 60 seconds.

  Source: https://github.com/cyanheads/obsidian-mcp-server/issues/9 (opens external site) ↗

  Did this work for you?WorkedDidn't work
  UpvoteStarReport