entanglr/zettelkasten-mcp

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that implements the Zettelkasten knowledge management methodology, allowing you to create, link, explore and synthesize atomic notes through Claude and other MCP-compatible clients.
What is Zettelkasten?
The Zettelkasten method is a knowledge management system developed by German sociologist Niklas Luhmann, who used it to produce over 70 books and hundreds of articles. It consists of three core principles:
1. **Atomicity**: Each note contains exactly one idea, making it a discrete unit of knowledge
2. **Connectivity**: Notes are linked together to create a network of knowledge, with meaningful relationships between ideas
3. **Emergence**: As the network grows, new patterns and insights emerge that weren't obvious when the individual notes were created
What makes the Zettelkasten approach powerful is how it enables exploration in multiple ways:
- **Vertical exploration**: dive deeper into specific topics by following connections within a subject area.
- **Horizontal exploration**: discover unexpected relationships between different fields by traversing links that cross domains.
This structure invites serendipitous discoveries as you follow trails of thought from note to note, all while keeping each piece of information easily accessible through its unique identifier. Luhmann called his system his "second brain" or "communication partner" - this digital implementation aims to provide similar benefits through modern technology.
Features
- Create atomic notes with unique timestamp-based IDs
- Link notes bidirectionally to build a knowledge graph
- Tag notes for categorical organization
- Search notes by content, tags, or links
- Use markdown format for human readability and editing
- Integrate with Claude through MCP for AI-assisted knowledge management
- Dual storage architecture (see below)
- Synchronous operation model for simplified architecture
Examples
- Knowledge creation: A small Zettelkasten knowledge network about the Zettelkasten method itself
Note Types
The Zettelkasten MCP server supports different types of notes:
|Type|Handle|Description|
|---|---|---|
|**Fleeting notes**|fleeting|Quick, temporary notes for capturing ideas|
|**Literature notes**|literature|Notes from reading material|
|**Permanent notes**|permanent|Well-formulated, evergreen notes|
|**Structure notes**|structure|Index or outline notes that organize other notes|
|**Hub notes**|hub|Entry points to the Zettelkasten on key topics|
Link Types
The Zettelkasten MCP server uses a comprehensive semantic linking system that creates meaningful connections between notes. Each link type represents a specific relationship, allowing for a rich, multi-dimensional knowledge graph.
| Primary Link Type | Inverse Link Type | Relationship Description |
|-------------------|-------------------|--------------------------|
| reference | reference | Simple reference to related information (symmetric relationship) |
| extends | extended_by | One note builds upon or develops concepts from another |
| refines | refined_by | One note clarifies or improves upon another |
| contradicts | contradicted_by | One note presents opposing views to another |
| questions | questioned_by | One note poses questions about another |
| supports | supported_by | One note provides evidence for another |
| related | related | Generic relationship (symmetric relationship) |
Prompting
To ensure maximum effectiveness, we recommend using a system prompt ("project instructions"), project knowledge, and an appropriate chat prompt when asking the LLM to process information, or explore or synthesize your Zettelkasten notes. The docs directory in this repository contains the necessary files to get you started: