Roam MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects Claude and other AI assistants to your Roam Research graph.

Local serverstdioGo

What is the Roam MCP MCP server?

Roam MCP MCP server is a locally run integration for AI assistants that speak the Model Context Protocol. A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that connects Claude and other AI assistants to your Roam Research graph.

What the assistant can call

Once Roam MCP is connected, these are the calls the assistant has available:

  • Mac — ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
  • Windows — %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Configuration and credentials

You will need 3 environment variables: ROAM_API_TOKEN, ROAM_GRAPH_NAME, MEMORIES_TAG. The server will not start without them, which is usually why the tools fail to appear on a first run. Keep credentials in your client's env block or a secrets manager rather than in a file you might commit.

Setting it up

Setup follows the usual MCP pattern — install or clone the server, register it in your client's configuration file, restart the client. The configuration blocks on this page cover the common clients.

Choosing this one

This sits in the developer tooling group, where several servers overlap in what they claim to do but differ sharply once you actually set them up. Roam MCP's toolset — Mac, Windows — is a fair guide to whether it matches your workflow. It is maintained by PhiloSolares; worth a glance at recent repository activity before you build anything load-bearing on it.

This entry was verified against Roam MCP's own documentation before publication; SyncDev keeps the directory reviewed rather than auto-generated.

Before you rely on it

  • It runs with your machine's permissions. That is convenient and also the reason to think about what you point it at before you approve a tool call.
  • Missing credentials fail quietly in some clients — if no tools show up, check the environment block first.
  • MCP clients confirm each tool call by default. Leave that on until you have watched what the roam mcp mcp server does with a few real requests.

Available tools

ToolWhat it does
Mac~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
Windows%APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

How to install the Roam MCP MCP server

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "roam-helper": {
      "command": "uvx",
      "args": ["git+https://github.com/PhiloSolares/roam-mcp.git"],
      "env": {
        "ROAM_API_TOKEN": "<your_roam_api_token>",
        "ROAM_GRAPH_NAME": "<your_roam_graph_name>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Configuration as documented by the project. Restart the client after saving.

Configuration

VariableDescriptionRequired
ROAM_API_TOKENCredential the server authenticates with.Yes
ROAM_GRAPH_NAMEConfiguration value read at startup.Optional
MEMORIES_TAGConfiguration value read at startup.Optional

Example prompts to try

  • Use Roam MCP to Mac.
  • Use Roam MCP to Windows.

Frequently asked questions

It connects Roam MCP to MCP-compatible AI assistants such as Claude and Cursor, exposing 2 tools (Mac, Windows) that the assistant can call on your behalf. Instead of copying data back and forth by hand, the assistant works with Roam MCP directly.