Obsidian Integration

Why Obsidian?

Obsidian is a powerful knowledge base that works on top of local Markdown files. It’s perfect for organizing your Claude conversations because:

• Local-first: Your data stays on your computer
• Markdown-native: Works perfectly with exported Claude conversations
• Powerful linking: Create connections between your AI conversations
• Search: Find any conversation or code snippet instantly
• Tags: Organize conversations by topic, project, or date
• Plugins: Extend functionality with community plugins

Setting Up Direct Export to Obsidian

You can configure the extension to save files directly to your Obsidian vault:

Step 1: Find Your Vault Path

1. Open Obsidian
2. Go to Settings → Files and Links
3. Note your vault location (e.g., /Users/yourname/Documents/ObsidianVault)

Step 2: Configure Download Folder

Since the extension saves to your Downloads folder, you have two options:

Option A: Move Files Manually

• Keep default Downloads folder
• Manually move exported files to your vault

Option B: Use Relative Path

• If your vault is in Downloads, use a relative path
• Example: If vault is at Downloads/ObsidianVault, enter ObsidianVault in the download folder field

Organizing Conversations in Obsidian

Folder Structure

Create a dedicated folder for Claude conversations:

ObsidianVault/
├── Claude/
│   ├── 2026-01/
│   │   ├── 2026-01-22 React Component.md
│   │   └── 2026-01-21 Python Script.md
│   ├── 2026-02/
│   └── Archive/
├── Projects/
└── Notes/

Using Frontmatter

Exported files include frontmatter metadata:

---
title: Building a React Component
url: https://claude.ai/chat/xxx
date: 2026-01-22T10:30:00Z
---

You can add custom frontmatter fields in Obsidian:

---
title: Building a React Component
url: https://claude.ai/chat/xxx
date: 2026-01-22T10:30:00Z
tags: [react, frontend, coding]
project: MyApp
status: completed
---

Tagging Strategy

Add tags to organize conversations:

• By topic: #react, #python, #writing
• By project: #project/myapp, #project/research
• By type: #coding, #brainstorming, #debugging
• By status: #todo, #in-progress, #completed

Linking Conversations

Create connections between related conversations:

This builds on the ideas from [[2026-01-20 Initial Design]].

See also:
- [[2026-01-15 API Architecture]]
- [[2026-01-18 Database Schema]]

Searching Conversations

Obsidian’s search is powerful:

Basic Search

• Press Cmd/Ctrl + O to search by filename
• Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + F to search content

Advanced Search

tag:#react path:Claude/ content:"useState"

This finds all React-tagged files in the Claude folder containing “useState”.

Useful Obsidian Plugins

Dataview

Query your Claude conversations like a database:

TABLE date, tags
FROM "Claude"
WHERE contains(tags, "coding")
SORT date DESC

Templater

Create templates for organizing exported conversations:

# {{title}}

## Context
- Date: {{date}}
- Project:
- Tags:

## Summary
[Add your summary here]

## Key Takeaways
-

## Related Conversations
-

---
{{content}}

Calendar

View your Claude conversations on a calendar by date.

Graph View

Visualize connections between your conversations.

Workflow Examples

For Developers

Claude/
├── Coding/
│   ├── Debugging/
│   ├── Code-Review/
│   └── Learning/
├── Architecture/
└── Documentation/

Tag conversations with:

• Language: #python, #javascript, #rust
• Type: #bug-fix, #feature, #refactor
• Project: #project/api, #project/frontend

For Researchers

Claude/
├── Literature-Review/
├── Data-Analysis/
├── Writing/
└── Ideas/

Tag conversations with:

• Topic: #machine-learning, #statistics
• Stage: #exploration, #analysis, #writing
• Paper: #paper/thesis, #paper/journal-article

For Students

Claude/
├── Courses/
│   ├── CS101/
│   ├── MATH201/
│   └── PHYS301/
├── Homework/
└── Study-Sessions/

Tag conversations with:

• Course: #cs101, #math201
• Type: #homework, #exam-prep, #concept-review
• Semester: #spring2026, #fall2025

Tips for Obsidian Integration

1. Use consistent naming: Choose one filename pattern and stick with it
2. Add tags immediately: Tag conversations right after importing
3. Create MOCs: Make “Maps of Content” to organize related conversations
4. Use daily notes: Link Claude conversations to your daily notes
5. Backup regularly: Use Obsidian Sync or Git for backup
6. Review periodically: Go through old conversations and add connections

Troubleshooting

Files not appearing in Obsidian:

• Check that files are in your vault folder
• Refresh Obsidian (Cmd/Ctrl + R)
• Check file permissions

Formatting looks wrong:

• Obsidian should render Markdown correctly
• Check that code blocks have proper syntax highlighting
• Verify frontmatter is valid YAML

Links not working:

• Use Obsidian’s link format: [[filename]]
• Don’t include .md extension in links
• Check that linked files exist in your vault

For more help, contact [email protected]