Setup Guide¶
This guide walks you through deploying your own ObsidianPalace instance. By the end, you'll have a running MCP server that gives Claude (and any MCP client) full read/write/search access to your Obsidian vault.
Time estimate: 45--60 minutes for a first-time setup.
Monthly cost: ~$15 (GCE e2-small + persistent disk + static IP).
Prerequisites¶
Before you begin, make sure you have the following:
| Requirement | Why |
|---|---|
| A GCP account with billing enabled | Hosts the VM, secrets, and container registry |
| Terraform >= 1.5 | Provisions all infrastructure |
| A Terraform Cloud account (free tier) | Stores Terraform state and runs applies |
Google Cloud CLI (gcloud) |
Authenticates Docker pushes and SSH access |
| Docker | Builds the container image |
| Node.js >= 18 | Required to run ob login locally |
| An Obsidian Sync subscription | Keeps the vault in sync between your apps and the server |
| A domain name you control | For HTTPS and OAuth redirect URIs |
| A Google account (Gmail or Workspace) | Used for OAuth authentication -- this is the account that will be allowed access |
| An Anthropic API key | Powers AI-assisted note placement (optional but recommended) |
Guide sections¶
The setup guide is split into three sections:
-
Deployment
Create the GCP project, configure OAuth, set up Terraform Cloud, deploy infrastructure, build and push the Docker image, configure DNS and Obsidian Sync, and verify the deployment.
-
Connecting Clients
Connect Claude Code, Claude Desktop, OpenCode, and other MCP clients to your running server.
-
Troubleshooting
Diagnose and fix common issues: SSL certs, Obsidian Sync, OAuth discovery, container startup, memory, and persistent disk.