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What is Obsidian?

Obsidian is a note-taking app based on local Markdown files. No cloud dependency, no vendor lock-in — your notes belong to you. What makes it special: Obsidian prioritizes linking over folder structure. Every note can reference other notes via [[Wikilink]]. This automatically creates a Knowledge Graph.

Core Concepts

Why the Graph changes everything

The Knowledge Graph is the heart of Obsidian. Every time you create a [[Wikilink]], a connection is born. Hundreds of such connections grow into a visual network of your knowledge — open it with Cmd + G.

Why the Graph is crucial for Claude

A well-linked Vault makes Claude dramatically more useful. Without links, Claude sees 2,000 isolated files. With links, Claude understands the connections: which projects belong together, which decisions build on each other, which people work on which topics.

What a good Graph needs

• Links, links, links — at least 2–3 per note. Every link is a connection in the Graph.
• MOCs as hubs — Maps of Content are the central stations of your city. Many connections radiate from them.
• Pay attention to Backlinks — Obsidian shows you which notes link to the current one. These are connections you may have overlooked.
• Use Automatic Linker — the plugin finds connections automatically by recognizing note titles in the text.

Obsidian × Claude Code

Claude Code can access your Obsidian Vault directly — because a Vault is simply a folder with Markdown files. No plugin, no MCP server needed.

What Claude Code can do for your Vault

• Bulk organization — analyze, classify, and sort hundreds of notes
• Auto-linking — detect thematic connections and insert [[Wikilinks]]
• Add Frontmatter — batch-add metadata to all notes
• Create MOCs — generate overview notes with Dataview queries
• Create templates — build templates for different note types
• Summarize content — condense long notes, extract key takeaways

Integrating Claude into Obsidian

The best integration: the Claudian Plugin. It embeds Claude as a chat interface directly in Obsidian's sidebar — with full Vault access.

Claudian Plugin

• Plan Mode (Shift+Tab) — Claude explores and plans before making changes
• @-Mentions — include files as context via @mention
• Slash Commands — custom reusable prompt templates
• Vault-Awareness — Claude automatically knows your Vault structure
• File operations — read, write, Bash execution, multi-step workflows

Installation

Claudian is not in the Community Store. The easiest way is via BRAT:

1. Install and enable the Community Plugin “BRAT”
2. Settings → BRAT → Add Beta Plugin
3. Enter URL: https://github.com/YishenTu/claudian
4. Restart Obsidian, enable Claudian

Alternatively, install manually: place main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css from the GitHub Release into .obsidian/plugins/claudian/.

CLAUDE.md Best Practices

• Write instructions for the model, not for humans
• Describe the folder structure and what goes where
• Define Frontmatter conventions (which fields, which values)
• List project and client names — Claude will then recognize them in notes
• Keep it updated when workflows change — Claude only remembers what's in there
• Use /init in Claude Code to have a CLAUDE.md generated automatically

More than a chat — an agent in your Vault

Claude is not just a chatbot. Through MCP Servers (Model Context Protocol), Skills, and Connectors, Claude has access to external systems — directly from within Obsidian. This enables agentic workflows that go far beyond note organization.

What Claude can connect to

Real-world examples

// .mcp.json in vault root
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "nanobanana": { "type": "stdio", "command": "uvx", ... },
    "gsc": { "type": "stdio", "command": "npx", ... }
  }
}

Obsidian as Claude's long-term memory

Claude has a large context window, but it is limited — and context is lost between sessions. Your Obsidian Vault has no limit. When Claude runs in your Vault, it automatically reads the CLAUDE.md at startup and has access to every note — that's unlimited, structured, searchable long-term memory that persists across sessions.

Memory patterns for your Vault

Certain note types make your Vault especially valuable as an AI memory:

Writing notes for Claude

When you know Claude reads your notes, you write them differently:

• Name precisely — “Project Alpha Architecture Decision JWT vs Session” instead of “Note from Tuesday”
• Make connections explicit — set [[Links]] instead of hoping Claude figures out the connection
• Explain decisions — not just “we're using Next.js”, but why
• Use Frontmatter — type, status, tags help Claude filter and prioritize
• Context over keywords — full sentences are better for LLMs than cryptic abbreviations

From Apple Notes to Obsidian

This section is optional. If you're not coming from Apple Notes, skip directly to Setup.

Running the import

1. Settings → Community Plugins → search for “Importer”, install and enable
2. Cmd + P → “Importer: Import data”
3. Source: select Apple Notes
4. Choose destination folder and start the import

Setting up your Vault

---
title: ""
type: projekt | meeting | wissen | kunde | content
status: aktiv | draft | archiv
tags: []
created: {{date}}
---

Bringing the Graph to life

Essential Plugins

Auto-linking in three stages

Stage 1: Automatic Linker

Scans all notes for text that matches a note title and converts it into [[Wikilinks]].

1. Install and enable the plugin
2. Open any note — the commands only work with a note open in the editor
3. Cmd + P → “Format vault”
4. The plugin works silently in the background — no progress bar, but the files are being modified

For daily use: enable “Format on save” in the plugin settings.

Stage 2: Smart Connections

Finds semantically related notes — even without shared titles.

1. Install and enable the plugin
2. Cmd + P → “Smart Connections: Open: Connections view”
3. The index builds automatically in the background — takes a few minutes
4. After that, the sidebar shows related content when you open any note

Stage 3: Claude Code Sessions

For deeper linking: Claude Code can read batches of notes and detect thematic connections that no plugin finds.

“Read the notes in 03_Wissen/ and insert [[Wikilinks]] wherever thematic connections exist.”

Best Practices

1. New notes always go in 00_Inbox/, use a template, then sort
2. Always link — at least 2–3 [[Links]] per note
3. Hierarchical tags — #projekt/alpha, #wissen/ki-strategie
4. Keep Format on save enabled — Automatic Linker works in the background
5. Keep Smart Connections Sidebar open — shows related notes while reading
6. Open the Graph regularly (Cmd + G) — motivates you to link more
7. Use Claude Code for batch operations, linking, organization

What we learned along the way

Obsidian Basics

Plugin Gotchas

Claude Code Workflow Tips

Important Settings

Other Agents & Local LLMs

This guide focuses on Obsidian × Claude, but the principle works with any AI agent. Instead of Claude you can use Codex (OpenAI), Gemini CLI (Google) or other agents — as long as they can read and write files, the vault works as memory.

Vault Setup Checklist

• Obsidian installed
• Vault created (local folder or iCloud for sync)
• Folder structure created (00_Inbox through MOCs)
• CLAUDE.md created in Vault root
• Templates created in Templates/
• Template folder set in Obsidian settings
• Apple Notes imported (if applicable)
• Notes sorted into target structure (with Claude Code)
• Claude Code integration chosen (Terminal, Claudian, or MCP)
• Plugin: Dataview installed and enabled
• Plugin: Automatic Linker → open a note → Cmd+P → “Format vault”
• Plugin: Automatic Linker → “Format on save” enabled
• Plugin: Smart Connections → Connections view opened (index builds automatically)
• Plugin: Tag Wrangler installed
• Plugin: Calendar installed
• At least 5 MOCs created
• Graph opened (Cmd + G) and settings adjusted
• First note created with template and linked