Which second brain apps have an MCP server?

As of November 2026, Notion, Readwise, Recall, Raindrop.io, Heptabase, Capacities, Tana, Mem, Glasp, Hjarni, Reflect and BrainTube ship official MCP servers. Obsidian and Logseq rely on community-built servers that you install and run yourself.

Can Claude or ChatGPT save notes into my second brain over MCP?

Only if the app's server includes write tools. As of November 2026 Notion, Readwise, Mem, Raindrop.io, Heptabase, Capacities, Tana, Hjarni and BrainTube do; Recall's server is read-only (write access listed as coming) and Glasp's only write action is saving a bookmark.

Which second brain apps include MCP on the free plan?

As of November 2026, Notion says its MCP works on every plan, Recall and Glasp include it on their free plans, Tana's local server is free, Hjarni's free plan holds 25 notes, and BrainTube includes MCP and API keys on its Free plan. Heptabase needs Pro or a trial, Raindrop.io's full MCP access needs Pro, and Readwise has no free plan.

Does Obsidian have an official MCP server?

No official server was listed on obsidian.md as of November 2026. People connect Obsidian through community projects such as the Local REST API plugin with an MCP bridge, obsidian-mcp or mcpvault, which run on your machine and work in desktop clients.

Do I need an API key to connect these apps?

Most hosted servers sign you in with OAuth in the browser: Notion, Recall, Heptabase, Capacities, Tana's hosted server, Mem, Glasp and Raindrop.io. Recall, Raindrop.io and BrainTube also accept an API key for clients that cannot open a browser, and community servers for Obsidian and Logseq use a local API token.

Which second brain app with MCP is best for YouTube videos and podcasts?

Pick one that transcribes what you save so your AI can search what was said. BrainTube transcribes YouTube videos and podcasts and lets your AI save into the library; Recall also keeps videos and podcasts but its MCP server is read-only as of November 2026; Readwise Reader saves YouTube videos.

Does ChatGPT work with these MCP servers?

ChatGPT connects to remote MCP servers as Claude and Cursor do, so any hosted server in this list can be added. Local-only servers, such as community Obsidian and Logseq servers, work only in desktop clients that can launch them.

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Second brain apps with MCP (2026)

As of November 2026 most second brain apps ship an official MCP server; Obsidian and Logseq rely on community ones. Pick Notion or Capacities to write notes your AI can edit, Readwise for highlights, Recall for a read-only article and video library, and BrainTube if your AI should search and save YouTube videos and podcasts, free plan included.

By Ilian Raykov, founder of BrainTube

Updated 11 November 2026

The short answer

Having an MCP server no longer separates these apps. What still differs is whether your AI can only read your notes or also save into them, how you sign in, which plan unlocks it, and whether the app keeps the videos and podcasts you learn from. Recall's server is read-only and Glasp can only add bookmarks; Notion, Readwise, Mem, Raindrop.io, Heptabase, Capacities, Tana, Hjarni and BrainTube include write tools. Checked on each vendor's own docs, November 2026.

App	MCP server	What your AI can do	Sign-in	Plan that includes MCP	Keeps video and podcasts?	Price
BrainTube	Official, hosted	Read and write: 40 tools, 10 can write (save, bulk save, notes, tags, bookmarks, Notion and Readwise import)	OAuth or API key	Every plan, including Free	Yes: YouTube, podcasts and audio transcribed and searchable	Free; Starter $9/mo; Pro $19/mo
Notion	Official, hosted	Read and write: search, create and edit pages, databases, comments, file uploads	OAuth (MCP tokens on Business and Enterprise)	Every plan	Not verified	Free; Plus $10 per seat/mo billed yearly
Readwise	Official, hosted	Read and write: 35 tools (highlights, Reader documents, tags, books)	Sign in with Readwise account	Full Readwise, Reader-only and Highlights-only plans; no free plan	Reader saves YouTube videos; podcasts not listed	$9.99/mo billed yearly (30-day trial)
Recall	Official, hosted	Read only: 8 tools; write listed as coming	OAuth or API key	Free and paid plans	Yes: YouTube, podcasts, PDFs, articles	Free (10 AI summaries/mo); Plus $12/mo or $10/mo billed yearly
Raindrop.io	Official, hosted	Read and write: 20 tools, 8 read-only, 12 change your library	OAuth 2.1 or API token	Pro for full access (Free has no text or semantic search over MCP)	Bookmarks; transcripts not verified	Free; Pro price not verified
Heptabase	Official, hosted	Read and write: cards, journals, whiteboards, tags; read-only connection option	OAuth	Pro, Premium, Premium+ or an active trial	Not verified	Pro $8.99/mo
Capacities	Official, hosted (AI Chat Connectors)	Read and write: search, create, update, append, daily note, link	OAuth	Pro and Believer	Not verified	Free Basic; Pro $9.99/mo as listed
Tana	Official: local in the desktop app, hosted in beta	Read and write: 18 tools listed (6 read, 12 write)	OAuth (local: API token fallback)	Local server free; hosted needs a paid plan	Not verified	Free; Plus $8/mo
Mem	Official, hosted	Read and write: notes, attachments, recordings, collections	OAuth	Not stated on pricing page	Voice recordings; video and podcasts not verified	Free (25 notes, 25 messages/mo); Plus $9/mo; Pro $29/mo
Glasp	Official, hosted	Mostly read: 9 tools, one write tool (save a bookmark)	OAuth	Every account, including free	YouTube summaries and highlights; audio transcription 30 min/mo on Free	Free; Pro $12.50/mo billed yearly
Hjarni	Official	Read and write (search, read and update)	Not verified	Every plan; Free holds 25 notes	No (text notes)	Free; Pro €11/mo
Reflect	Official, installed via terminal	Read and search (March 2026), editing added April 2026	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified	Not verified
Obsidian	Community only (e.g. Local REST API plugin + bridge, obsidian-mcp, mcpvault)	Depends on the server	Local; API key for Local REST API	App free; servers are free projects	No	Free; Sync $4/mo billed yearly
Logseq	Community only (e.g. mcp-logseq via Logseq's HTTP API)	Depends on the server	Local API token	Open-source app	No	Not verified

Checked 2026-11-11 on each vendor's own site. BrainTube is our product. Prices are monthly in USD unless stated; Hjarni's page showed EUR. 'Not verified' means the vendor's own pages did not confirm it on that date. MCP support changes fast, so re-check before you buy.

Read-only vs read and write

A read-only server lets your assistant search what you already saved. A read and write server also lets it save what it finds: an article from a research session, a note from a conversation, a tag on an item. As of November 2026 Recall's server is read-only and Glasp can only add bookmarks; Notion, Readwise, Mem, Raindrop.io, Heptabase, Capacities, Tana, Hjarni and BrainTube include write tools. Some let you limit a connection: Heptabase offers a read-only connection, and many AI clients let you switch off individual tools. More: read-only vs read-write MCP servers.

Official, local or community

Hosted official servers (Notion, Readwise, Recall, Heptabase, Capacities, Mem, Glasp, Raindrop.io, BrainTube) work in Claude.ai and ChatGPT because they have a public HTTPS address and a browser sign-in. Tana runs a local server inside its desktop app, plus a hosted one in beta on paid plans. Obsidian and Logseq have no official server: community projects connect through a local plugin or API token, so they work in desktop clients that can launch them, and their upkeep depends on volunteer maintainers. New to the protocol? What is MCP.

Four things to check before you connect one

Can it write, and can you limit that? Check the tool list, not the marketing page.
Which plan unlocks it? Heptabase needs Pro or a trial, Raindrop.io's full access needs Pro, Tana's hosted server needs a paid plan, Readwise has no free plan.
How you sign in. OAuth means no key to paste; an API key suits agents that cannot open a browser. Revoke either from the app's settings.
What the library holds. If you learn from video and podcasts, the server can only answer from them if the app transcribed them.

How to connect one

BrainTube runs a remote MCP server at https://mcp.brain-tube.com/mcp. In Claude.ai you add it as a custom connector and sign in, with no API key to paste. Clients that can't sign in with OAuth use a revocable API key. Recall, Raindrop.io and BrainTube also accept an API key for clients that cannot sign in with OAuth. Step by step: how to give your AI persistent memory with MCP, and how to connect your notes to Claude and ChatGPT.

Where BrainTube is not the pick

If you write and organise your own notes, Notion, Capacities, Tana and Heptabase are writing workspaces whose MCP servers can also create and edit pages; BrainTube is not a writing workspace, so keep your notes there. Readwise's 35 tools cover highlights and books in more depth, and Recall's reading experience is more polished. If your files must stay on your own disk, Obsidian or Logseq with a community server is the local-first route. BrainTube is younger and smaller than Notion, Obsidian, Recall or Readwise. Where it fits: you learn from YouTube videos, podcasts and articles, you want Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor and other MCP clients to search that library and save into it, and you want that on the free plan.

Sources

Checked 2026-11-11 on each vendor's own site. BrainTube is our product.

Frequently asked

Which second brain apps have an MCP server?: As of November 2026, Notion, Readwise, Recall, Raindrop.io, Heptabase, Capacities, Tana, Mem, Glasp, Hjarni, Reflect and BrainTube ship official MCP servers. Obsidian and Logseq rely on community-built servers that you install and run yourself.
Can Claude or ChatGPT save notes into my second brain over MCP?: Only if the app's server includes write tools. As of November 2026 Notion, Readwise, Mem, Raindrop.io, Heptabase, Capacities, Tana, Hjarni and BrainTube do; Recall's server is read-only (write access listed as coming) and Glasp's only write action is saving a bookmark.
Which second brain apps include MCP on the free plan?: As of November 2026, Notion says its MCP works on every plan, Recall and Glasp include it on their free plans, Tana's local server is free, Hjarni's free plan holds 25 notes, and BrainTube includes MCP and API keys on its Free plan. Heptabase needs Pro or a trial, Raindrop.io's full MCP access needs Pro, and Readwise has no free plan.
Does Obsidian have an official MCP server?: No official server was listed on obsidian.md as of November 2026. People connect Obsidian through community projects such as the Local REST API plugin with an MCP bridge, obsidian-mcp or mcpvault, which run on your machine and work in desktop clients.
Do I need an API key to connect these apps?: Most hosted servers sign you in with OAuth in the browser: Notion, Recall, Heptabase, Capacities, Tana's hosted server, Mem, Glasp and Raindrop.io. Recall, Raindrop.io and BrainTube also accept an API key for clients that cannot open a browser, and community servers for Obsidian and Logseq use a local API token.
Which second brain app with MCP is best for YouTube videos and podcasts?: Pick one that transcribes what you save so your AI can search what was said. BrainTube transcribes YouTube videos and podcasts and lets your AI save into the library; Recall also keeps videos and podcasts but its MCP server is read-only as of November 2026; Readwise Reader saves YouTube videos.
Does ChatGPT work with these MCP servers?: ChatGPT connects to remote MCP servers as Claude and Cursor do, so any hosted server in this list can be added. Local-only servers, such as community Obsidian and Logseq servers, work only in desktop clients that can launch them.

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