How to Connect a Regulatory MCP to Claude (Step by Step)

Connecting a regulatory data source to Claude takes about two minutes and one configuration block. Once it is done, you stop asking Claude to recall regulation from memory and start having it retrieve verified, current data with a source on every answer. This guide walks through the setup step by step, for Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Cursor.

The Obsidian regulatory MCP is in early access. You join the waitlist, receive an API key, and use the configuration below. The endpoints shown are illustrative; your welcome email includes the live values.

What you need

• An MCP-capable client: Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, or any compliant assistant.
• An Obsidian API key (from the waitlist). The free tier needs no credit card.
• Two minutes.

Step 1: Get your API key

Join the early-access waitlist on the Obsidian MCP page. You will receive an API key that looks like obs_live_.... Keep it private, it authenticates your requests and counts against your monthly request allowance.

Step 2: Add the connector

Pick your client and paste the block, replacing the key with your own.

Claude Desktop

Open your claude_desktop_config.json (Settings, Developer, Edit Config) and add an entry under mcpServers:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-regulatory": {
      "url": "https://mcp.obsidianri.com/sse",
      "headers": {
        "Authorization": "Bearer obs_live_your_key_here"
      }
    }
  }
}

Claude Code

From your terminal, add the remote connector in one command:

claude mcp add --transport sse obsidian-regulatory \
  https://mcp.obsidianri.com/sse \
  --header "Authorization: Bearer obs_live_your_key_here"

Cursor

Edit ~/.cursor/mcp.json and add the same server entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian-regulatory": {
      "url": "https://mcp.obsidianri.com/sse",
      "headers": { "Authorization": "Bearer obs_live_your_key_here" }
    }
  }
}

Step 3: Restart and verify

Restart your client so it picks up the new server. In Claude Desktop, you should see the Obsidian tools appear in the tools menu (a small icon near the message box). In Claude Code, run a quick check that the server is connected. If the tools are listed, you are ready.

Step 4: Ask your first question

Try something specific and current, the kind of question a model normally gets wrong:

"What changed on CSRD reporting recently? EU only, and include the official reference and date for each."

Instead of answering from memory, Claude will call the Obsidian server and return results with a source, a date, and a status attached. That is the whole point: the answer is now retrieved and verifiable, not generated and hopeful.

Troubleshooting

• Tools do not appear. Fully quit and reopen the client; some clients only load MCP servers at startup.
• Authorization errors. Check the key is pasted correctly, with Bearer before it and no extra spaces.
• Your client does not list MCP support. Confirm it speaks MCP. The ecosystem is expanding quickly, but not every assistant supports remote MCP servers yet.

What to do next

Once connected, the value is in how you ask. See regulatory research prompts that work for a library of effective prompts, and building an agentic compliance workflow to turn one-off questions into a repeatable process. For the bigger picture, see agentic regulatory intelligence.