Should I use a plugin or Claude Code with Obsidian?

Start with a plugin such as Claudian for chatting inside your notes. Move to Claude Code when you want big jobs across many files, such as reorganising hundreds of notes or building a content calendar.

What can Claude do with my Obsidian notes?

Claude can read and summarise notes, write new notes, answer questions about past decisions, turn ideas into content plans and scripts, prepare client summaries and quiz you on what you have learned.

Claude Obsidian Setup: Turn Your Notes Into An AI Brain

Q: How do I set up Claude with Obsidian?

Download Obsidian free from obsidian.md, create a new vault, then add Claude either with a plugin from the Obsidian plugin store such as Claudian plus your Claude API key, or by pointing Claude Code at your vault folder.

Q: Is a Claude Obsidian setup free?

Obsidian is free to download and use. To use Claude you need a Claude API key or a Claude subscription, so there is a small cost once you use it seriously.

Q: Do I need to code to use Claude with Obsidian?

No. The plugin route needs no coding at all. Claude Code runs in the terminal, which has a learning curve, but you give it plain English instructions rather than writing code.

A Claude Obsidian setup turns your messy notes into an AI brain that can write, plan and automate parts of your business, and it's free to start.

You don't need to code, and you don't need any tech skills to get the basic version working.

Let me guess where you are right now.

You've got hundreds of notes scattered everywhere, from ideas and meeting notes to client info and half-finished plans.

Every time you use ChatGPT, you paste in context again, and it forgets everything the moment you close the chat.

It doesn't know your business, your clients or the way you talk.

That's the problem a Claude Obsidian setup solves.

In this guide I'll show you what it is, the two ways to connect Claude, the prompts I'd use first, and the honest downsides before you commit.

What a Claude Obsidian setup actually is

There are two pieces to this, and each one is simple on its own.

Obsidian is a notes app, but it works differently from most notes apps.

Your notes live on your own computer as plain text files.

That means you own them forever, and no company can lock you out of them.

You can also link notes together, so your ideas form a web rather than a pile.

That web of linked notes is what people mean when they call Obsidian a "second brain".

Claude is the AI from Anthropic, and I rate it as one of the best models around.

When you put Claude inside Obsidian, your notes stop being static.

Claude can read them, understand them, write new notes and answer questions about everything you've saved.

When you use Claude Code with your vault, it goes further and can automate tasks, write scripts and build systems on top of your notes.

Why I think this beats copy-pasting into ChatGPT

Most people are still copying and pasting chunks of text into ChatGPT.

That's fine, but it's slow.

It forgets everything, and it doesn't know your business.

A Claude Obsidian setup flips that around.

Your AI knows you, your business, your clients and your ideas, because it reads them straight from your vault.

Here's a quick example to make it real.

Imagine you ask Claude to "pull all my notes on my best clients, find what they have in common, and write a plan to get more clients like them".

That's done in seconds, from notes that were just sitting there doing nothing.

Or imagine asking it to "look at all my content ideas, pick the best 10, and write YouTube scripts for each".

You end up with ten scripts from ideas you'd already written down and forgotten about.

The old way	The Claude Obsidian way
You paste context into a chat window every single time.	Claude reads your vault, so the context is already there.
The AI forgets everything when you close the tab.	Your notes persist as files you own forever.
The AI doesn't know your clients or your voice.	Claude works from your own notes, hooks and style.
Organising notes takes you a whole day.	Claude Code can reorganise hundreds of notes in minutes.

Claude Obsidian setup in three steps

This is the part people think will be hard, and it really isn't.

Step 1: Download Obsidian for free

Go to obsidian.md and download Obsidian.

It's free, and it installs like any normal app.

Step 2: Create a new vault

A vault is just the folder where your notes live.

Give it a name that tells you what it's for, such as "business brain" or "my AI vault".

Now start dumping notes in.

Don't worry about being organised at this stage, because Claude can help you organise later.

The only thing that matters is getting your stuff into the vault.

Step 3: Add Claude to your vault

There are two ways to do this, and I'll explain both properly below.

Option A is to use a plugin from the Obsidian plugin store.

Option B is to use Claude Code, which is more powerful.

🔥 Want the exact Claude workflows I use with my notes? Inside the AI Profit Boardroom, there are step-by-step Claude and Claude Code tutorials, new daily trainings and four weekly coaching calls where you can share your screen and get your setup sorted. You'll be in there with 3,400+ members building the same kind of AI systems. → Get access here

Option A: connect Claude with an Obsidian plugin

This is the easiest way in, and it's where I'd start most beginners.

Open the community plugin store inside Obsidian.

Search for a Claude plugin, and Claudian is a good one to start with.

Install the plugin.

Add your Claude API key in the plugin settings.

Now you can chat with Claude right inside your notes.

The big benefit is that you never leave Obsidian.

You highlight, you ask, and Claude answers using the notes in your vault.

Option B: point Claude Code at your Obsidian vault

This is the more powerful route, and it's the one I lean on most.

Claude Code runs in your terminal.

It can read files, write files and run commands.

So when you point it at your Obsidian vault, it can do almost anything with your notes.

Here's how to set it up.

Install Claude Code, which takes one command.
Point it at your Obsidian vault folder.
Give it a big, specific task to do with your notes.

Here's the kind of prompt I mean.

"Read every note in this folder, find the ones about marketing, make a new note called Master Marketing Plan, put all the best ideas in there, and organise them by traffic, leads and sales."

Claude Code reads every file, picks out the good stuff and writes a brand-new, organised note.

A job that would take you a whole day takes about a minute.

Other jobs I'd give Claude Code straight away include reorganising 500 notes, finding every note on one topic and summarising them, and building a content calendar from your ideas folder.

If you'd like to go further and have a full AI agent working from your vault, my guide on how to set up Hermes Agent in one click is the natural next step.

Plugin or Claude Code: which should you use?

Here's how the two options compare.

	Plugin (e.g. Claudian)	Claude Code
Where it runs	It runs inside Obsidian.	It runs in your terminal.
What you need	You need a Claude API key.	You need Claude Code installed and a Claude subscription or API key.
What it's best at	It's best for chatting with and about your notes.	It's best for big jobs across many files, scripts and automations.
Learning curve	The learning curve is very low.	There's a learning curve if you're new to the terminal.
Reliability	Plugins can be buggy sometimes.	It's the more powerful and flexible option.

My advice is to start with a plugin to get a feel for it.

Then try Claude Code once you want it to do something big.

Three ways I'd use a Claude Obsidian setup first

These are the three use cases that give you a quick win.

Use case 1: content creation

Dump all your content ideas into one Obsidian folder.

Then ask Claude to "look at all my content ideas in this folder, group them by topic, pick the top 20, and write hooks for each one".

You go from chaos to a content plan in about five minutes.

Use case 2: client work

Create one folder per client and dump everything about them in there.

Then ask Claude to "put together everything on this client, make a one-page summary, and tell me what's next".

You walk into every meeting prepared, and you look sharp.

Use case 3: learning

Save your notes from YouTube videos, books, podcasts and courses in the vault.

Then ask Claude to "take my notes on AI automation, quiz me on the key ideas, and find gaps in my learning".

Claude becomes your personal tutor, using the material you've actually studied.

Advanced moves once your vault is working

Once the basics feel easy, these three moves are where it gets exciting.

Connect your vault to your whole workflow

You can have Claude Code watch your vault.

When you drop a meeting note into a folder, Claude reads it, pulls out the action items and adds them to your task list.

That's zero effort on your side once it's set up.

Build a knowledge agent

Think of this as a mini team member.

You give it a role, some rules and access to your vault.

Then you can ask questions like "what did we decide about pricing last month?"

It reads your notes and tells you the answer.

If you want that agent to talk to other agents too, read how I wire Hermes into Codex in my Hermes MCP server guide.

Generate content in your own voice

Build a folder of research articles, YouTube transcripts and ideas.

Then ask Claude to "write me five YouTube scripts based on this research, use my style, use my hooks, and make them punchy".

It writes five scripts in your own voice.

A week of work turns into about ten minutes.

The honest downsides of a Claude Obsidian setup

I don't want you going in blind, so here's what isn't perfect.

You need a Claude API key or a Claude subscription, so it isn't entirely free once you're using it seriously.
Plugins can be buggy sometimes, which is normal for community-built tools.
Claude Code has a learning curve, because you need to get used to the terminal.
Huge vaults can slow things down, so some tasks take longer when you've got thousands of notes.

Even so, the wins are far bigger than the downsides for me.

Spending a few pounds a month to save hundreds of hours is an easy trade.

🔥 Want help building your AI brain the right way? The AI Profit Boardroom has tutorials on Claude, Claude Code and AI agents, four weekly coaching calls, and a community of 3,400+ members you can ask whenever you get stuck. → Join the Boardroom

FAQ: Claude Obsidian setup

How do I set up Claude with Obsidian?

Download Obsidian for free from obsidian.md and create a new vault.

Then add Claude either with a plugin such as Claudian and your Claude API key, or by pointing Claude Code at your vault folder.

Is a Claude Obsidian setup free?

Obsidian itself is free.

Claude needs an API key or a subscription, so there's a small cost once you use it seriously.

Should I use a plugin or Claude Code?

Start with a plugin like Claudian if you're new.

Move to Claude Code when you want big jobs done across many files at once.

Do I need to code to use Claude with Obsidian?

No, the plugin route needs no coding at all.

Claude Code runs in the terminal, but you talk to it in plain English rather than writing code.

What if my notes are a mess?

That's completely fine, and it's actually the point.

Get everything into the vault first, then ask Claude to organise it for you.

What can Claude actually do with my notes?

It can summarise notes, write new ones, answer questions about past decisions, build content plans and scripts, and quiz you on what you've learned.

My verdict on the Claude Obsidian setup

If your ideas, client notes and research are scattered, this is one of the simplest ways to put an AI to work on everything you already know.

Download Obsidian today, start a vault and dump your notes in without worrying about being tidy.

Pick one plugin, and Claudian is a good start, then add your Claude API key and play with it.

When you're ready, point Claude Code at the vault and ask it to do something big.

Start small and build up, and within a few weeks you'll have an AI brain that genuinely helps run your business.

Also From Julian

I share more Claude and agent workflows every week on the AI Profit Boardroom blog.
If you prefer visual, step-by-step walkthroughs of agent setups, head to agentos.guide.
To compare the AI models you could plug into your vault, see the scores on GoldieBench.

About Julian

I'm Julian Goldie, an AI entrepreneur, SEO expert, and founder of the AI Profit Boardroom (3,400+ members). I help business owners scale with AI agents, automation, and SEO.