01 / 08
● OBSIDIAN × CLAUDE · SECOND BRAIN

Wire Obsidian and Claude
into one nervous system

Not another AI notes plugin. It lets Claude truly understand your vault's structure, links and backlinks,
and have the material ready before you start writing.

🧠 Markdown-native ⚡ MCP-ready 🔗 Backlink awareness
02 / 08
● CHAPTER 01

Why not Notion?

When your notes start referencing each other,
folders aren't enough, and a database isn't the answer.

03 / 08
● COMPARE

Notion vs Obsidian · AI-friendliness

NOTION

Database-native

Good for structured tasks and teamwork, but:
• AI goes through an API, no live full text
• Nested blocks are complex, token cost is high
• Poor local use, can't serve as long-term memory

OBSIDIAN

Plain Markdown + backlinks

Naturally AI-friendly:
• Everything is a file, Claude reads it directly
• Backlinks = a built-in graph, near-free entity extraction
• Offline, git-able, diff-able, revertible

💡 Key insight: AI doesn't need a smarter database. It needs a file system it can read itself.
04 / 08
● SETUP · 4 STEPS

From zero to your first AI-written note

1

Install Obsidian + enable the Local REST API plugin

A community plugin, one tick to enable. It lets outside processes read/write your vault.

2

Connect Claude Desktop + obsidian-mcp server

One MCP config file does it; use your vault's API key as the token.

3

Install 5 obsidian-skills

markdown / bases / canvas / cli / defuddle — so Claude knows how to use Obsidian properly.

4

Let Claude tidy up once

"Merge the duplicate concepts in my last 10 notes and generate a new MOC" — results in 90 seconds.

05 / 08
● MCP CONFIG

claude_desktop_config.json

// ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-obsidian"],
      "env": {
        "OBSIDIAN_API_KEY": "xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx",
        "OBSIDIAN_HOST": "http://127.0.0.1:27123"
      }
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop, type /mcp, and you'll see obsidian connected.

06 / 08
● 3 MONTHS IN

90 days in, my vault stats

1,842

notes in vault

6.3k

backlinks (added by AI)

-74%

average time to find material

The biggest win isn't "AI writes for me", it's "AI reconnects my old notes". 30 minutes a week and the vault grows on its own.
07 / 08
● CTA · DO IT TONIGHT
Stop looking for an AI notes app.
What you need is a folder + a nervous system.
— Me, after 90 days
⬇ obsidian.md ⬇ Claude Desktop ⬇ obsidian-mcp ⬇ obsidian-skills × 5
08 / 08
Thanks.

Config templates, skill manifest and my vault structure map are at github.com/lewis/obsidian-claude