Knowledge OS

# Knowledge OS — Obsidian + Claude Setup Guide

> **A personal knowledge operating system where Obsidian is your database and Claude is your AI agent adapted and documented for GitHub.**

---

## Knowledge OS Interface
![Alt text](Knowledge_OperatingSystem.jpg)


---

## What Is This?

This repo contains a ready-to-use vault template and setup guide for building a **Knowledge OS** — a local, AI-powered workspace that combines Obsidian's structured note-taking with Claude's agentic capabilities. Claude can read, write, sort, and manage your vault files directly. Everything is stored locally as plain `.md` files — you own your data.

Think of it as a personal operating system for your thoughts, projects, and decisions — one that gets smarter and more personalized the more you use it.

---

## Required Tools

| Tool | Purpose | Download |
|------|---------|----------|
| **Obsidian** | Vault / note-taking interface | [obsidian.md](https://obsidian.md) |
| **Claude Pro or Max** | AI agent (required for CLI/tool access) | [claude.ai/upgrade](https://claude.ai/upgrade) |
| **BRAT** (Obsidian plugin) | Installs beta plugins from GitHub | Via Obsidian → Settings → Community Plugins → search "BRAT" |
| **Claudian** (beta plugin) | Embeds Claude directly inside Obsidian | [github.com/YishenTu/claudian](https://github.com/YishenTu/claudian) — installed via BRAT |
| **obsidian-skills** | Skills that teach Claude how to manage your vault | [github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills](https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills) |

### Optional (for visual customization)

| Tool | Purpose | Download |
|------|---------|----------|
| **AnuPuccin Theme** | Clean, colorful Obsidian theme | Obsidian → Settings → Appearance → Themes → search "AnuPuccin" |
| **Style Settings** | Enables Rainbow folder colors | Obsidian → Settings → Community Plugins → search "Style Settings" |
| **Excalidraw** | Whiteboard / visual notes inside Obsidian | Obsidian → Settings → Community Plugins → search "Excalidraw" |


---

## System Overview

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[🧠 You] -->|type commands| B[Claudian Plugin]
    B -->|runs inside| C[Obsidian Vault]
    B -->|powered by| D[Claude AI]
    D -->|reads vault skills| E[obsidian-skills]
    D -->|reads your context| F[CLAUDE.md]
    D -->|creates & edits| G[.md Notes]
    G --> H[00 Context]
    G --> I[01 Inbox]
    G --> J[02 Projects]
    G --> K[03 Areas]
    G --> L[04 Resources]
    G --> M[05 Daily Notes]

    style A fill:#7c3aed,color:#fff
    style D fill:#f59e0b,color:#fff
    style C fill:#0ea5e9,color:#fff
    style F fill:#10b981,color:#fff
```

---

## Setup Flow

```mermaid
flowchart LR
    P1["📦 Phase 1\nInstall Obsidian\n& create vault"]
    P2["🔌 Phase 2\nInstall BRAT\n+ Claudian plugin"]
    P3["🛠 Phase 3\nInstall\nobsidian-skills"]
    P4["📄 Phase 4\nAdd CLAUDE.md\n& run onboarding"]
    P5["⚡ Phase 5\nLearn daily\nworkflows"]
    P6["🎨 Phase 6\nOptional visual\ncustomization"]

    P1 --> P2 --> P3 --> P4 --> P5 --> P6

    style P1 fill:#7c3aed,color:#fff
    style P2 fill:#6d28d9,color:#fff
    style P3 fill:#4f46e5,color:#fff
    style P4 fill:#2563eb,color:#fff
    style P5 fill:#0284c7,color:#fff
    style P6 fill:#0891b2,color:#fff
```


---

## Phase 1 — Install Obsidian & Create Your Vault

1. Download and install Obsidian from [obsidian.md](https://obsidian.md).
2. Open Obsidian and click **Create new vault**.
3. Name your vault and choose a local folder. All notes will be stored as plain `.md` files in this folder — no cloud lock-in.

> **Why local files?** Your knowledge belongs to you. Plain Markdown files are readable by any editor, portable, and future-proof.

---

## Phase 2 — Connect Claude Inside Obsidian

### Step 1: Enable Community Plugins
1. Open **Settings** (gear icon, bottom left).
2. Go to **Community Plugins** → click **Turn on community plugins**.

### Step 2: Install BRAT
1. In Community Plugins, click **Browse** and search for **"BRAT"**.
2. Install and enable it.

### Step 3: Install Claudian via BRAT
1. Open the BRAT settings (Settings → BRAT).
2. Click **Add Beta Plugin**.
3. Paste this URL: `https://github.com/YishenTu/claudian`
4. Click **Add Plugin** and enable Claudian.

> Claudian embeds Claude Code as an agent inside your vault. Claude gains full read/write/bash capabilities over your vault files — this is what makes the system agentic.

### Step 4: Log in to Claude
1. Click the Claudian icon in the left sidebar.
2. Log in with your **Claude Pro or Max** account.
3. Select the model you want to use (recommended: **Claude Sonnet** for daily work, **Opus** for complex reasoning).

### Step 5: Enable Yolo Mode
In the Claudian settings, enable **Yolo Mode**. This allows Claude to execute file commands without asking for confirmation each time — essential for smooth workflows. Only enable this if you trust the commands you're giving.

---

## Phase 3 — Install Obsidian Skills

Skills are instruction files that teach Claude how to interact with Obsidian — how to create notes, use wikilinks, generate canvases, and use the CLI.

### Via Claudian chat (recommended):
Open the Claudian chat window and paste:
```
Install the obsidian skills from https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills
```

### Manually:
Clone the repo and copy the contents into a `.claude` folder at the root of your vault:
```bash
git clone https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills.git
# Copy the /skills folder contents into <your-vault>/.claude/skills/
```

### Available skills after installation:
| Skill | What Claude learns |
|-------|-------------------|
| `obsidian-markdown` | Wikilinks, callouts, embeds, properties |
| `obsidian-bases` | Creating `.base` database views |
| `json-canvas` | Visual canvas / mind maps |
| `obsidian-cli` | Vault CLI commands |
| `defuddle` | Web clipping — clean markdown from any URL |

---

## Phase 4 — Add the CLAUDE.md File

The `CLAUDE.md` file is the brain of the system. It lives in the root of your vault and tells Claude everything it needs to know: who you are, how your vault is structured, and what rules to follow.

### How to set it up:
1. Copy the `CLAUDE.md` file from this repo into the **root folder** of your vault.
2. Edit it with your own information (see the template below or the included file).
3. Open the Claudian chat and type:
   ```
   do the onboarding
   ```
4. Claude will read `CLAUDE.md`, then **interview you** about your background, goals, and work style to fill in the rest of your context files.

### What the onboarding creates:
Claude automatically builds the following folder structure:

```
📁 00 Context/          ← Your profile, ICP, writing style, offering
📁 01 Inbox/            ← Raw ideas, brain dumps, unprocessed notes
📁 02 Projects/         ← Active tasks with a goal and deadline
📁 03 Areas/            ← Ongoing responsibilities (no end date)
📁 04 Resources/        ← Reference knowledge, tools, research
📁 05 Daily Notes/      ← Daily logs (format: YYYY-MM-DD.md)
📁 06 Archive/          ← Completed projects and inactive areas
📁 07 Attachments/      ← Images and media files
```

---

## CLAUDE.md Template

Below is the minimal template. Customize the sections marked with `← fill in`.

```markdown
# Vault Context

This vault is the Obsidian Brain of **[Your Name]**.  ← fill in

## About Me

[Brief bio — who you are, what you do, your expertise.]  ← fill in

**Core Expertise:**
- [Skill 1]
- [Skill 2]
- [Skill 3]

**Work Style:** [e.g. "Creatively chaotic first, then structured."]  ← fill in

Full profile in [[00 Context/About Me]].

## Vault Structure

- **00 Context/**: Personal context profile. Read these files when creating content.
- **01 Inbox/**: Quick thoughts, brain dumps, unprocessed notes.
- **02 Projects/**: Active projects with a concrete goal and end date.
- **03 Areas/**: Ongoing areas of responsibility without an end date.
- **04 Resources/**: Reference material and knowledge repositories.
- **05 Daily Notes/**: Daily log. Format: YYYY-MM-DD.md
- **06 Archive/**: Completed projects and inactive areas.
- **07 Attachments/**: Images, PDFs, media.

## Rules for This Vault

- Use [[Wikilinks]] for connections between notes
- New notes without a clear place go in 01 Inbox/
- Keep notes atomic: one idea per note
- Daily Notes use format: YYYY-MM-DD.md
- Use YAML Frontmatter: tags, status (active/completed/paused), date
- File names: Normal capitalization with spaces (e.g. "My Note.md")
- Move completed projects to 06 Archive/ only on explicit instruction
- When I say "remember this" or "save this", save it thematically

## Session Routines

### At Session Start
1. Check 01 Inbox/ for new notes and offer to sort them

### Context on Demand
When I ask "What's happening?" or "Where did I leave off?":
Read recent Daily Notes and active projects and brief me.

### At Session End
Offer to:
1. Create a Daily Note entry with a summary
2. Save new insights as notes
3. Clean up the Inbox if needed
```

---

## Phase 5 — Daily Workflows

Once set up, these are the core habits that make the system work.

### The Inbox Principle
Dump everything into `01 Inbox/` during the day without thinking about structure. At the end of a session, tell Claude:
```
Sort the inbox
```
Claude reads each note and moves or reorganizes it into the right folder.

### Daily Log
At the end of each day, give Claude a quick summary of what you did:
```
Log today: finished the client proposal, had a call with Marc, decided to pause the website project
```
Claude saves this as a Daily Note (`05 Daily Notes/2026-04-04.md`) that it can reference later.

### Weekly Review
```
Do a weekly review based on my daily notes from this week
```
Claude reads your daily logs and gives you a summary of what you completed, what's open, and what to focus on next.

### Remember This
Make it a habit to say **"remember this"** whenever you make a decision, define a rule, or learn something important:
```
Remember this: we're targeting B2B clients with 50-200 employees
```
Claude saves the information to the most relevant file in your vault.

### Session Start Briefing
```
What's happening? / Where did I leave off?
```
Claude reads your recent Daily Notes and open Projects, then gives you a briefing.

---

## Phase 6 — Visual Customization (Optional)

To recreate the look from the original video:

1. **Theme**: Settings → Appearance → Themes → search **"AnuPuccin"** → Install and activate.
2. **Rainbow folders**: Install the **Style Settings** community plugin → open Style Settings → enable **Rainbow Folders** (set to "Full").
3. **Graph view colors**: Open Graph View → click the settings cog → add Groups, one per folder, using path filters (e.g. `path:00 Context`). Assign a color to each.

---

## Repo Structure

```
/
├── CLAUDE.md                    ← The AI instruction file — copy this into your vault root
├── README.md                    ← This guide
├── Obsidian brain/
│   ├── CLAUDE.md
│   ├── 00 Context/
│   ├── 01 Inbox/
│   ├── 02 Projects/
│   ├── 03 Areas/
│   ├── 04 Resources/
│   ├── 05 Daily Notes/
│   ├── 06 Archive/
│   ├── 07 Attachments/
│   └── .obsidian/
│       └── plugins/
│           ├── obsidian42-brat/     ← BRAT plugin
│           ├── claudian/            ← Claude agent plugin
│           └── obsidian-skills/     ← Vault skills for Claude
```

---

## What's Missing / Known Gaps

See [GAPS.md](GAPS.md) for a full list of missing pieces and improvement ideas. Summary:

- No `.gitignore` — your vault may contain private personal data. **Add one before pushing.**
- The original `CLAUDE.md` template is not publicly shared (gated behind a newsletter). This repo provides an open alternative.
- No mobile setup guide (Obsidian iOS/Android + Claude mobile).
- No troubleshooting section for common Claudian/BRAT issues.
- No backup/sync strategy documented (Obsidian Sync, iCloud, Git).

---

## Troubleshooting

**Claudian not showing up after BRAT install**
→ Restart Obsidian after enabling the plugin in BRAT settings.

**Claude says it can't access files**
→ Make sure your vault folder is open in Obsidian and Claudian is active. Try reopening the vault.

**Skills not working**
→ Verify the `.claude/skills/` folder exists in your vault root. You may need to restart Obsidian.

**Yolo Mode asks for confirmation anyway**
→ Some commands (like deleting files) always prompt regardless of Yolo Mode. This is a safety feature.

---

## Credits & References

- Original concept & video: [Julian Ivanov on YouTube](https://www.youtube.com/@julianivanov)
- Claudian plugin: [YishenTu/claudian](https://github.com/YishenTu/claudian)
- Obsidian Skills: [kepano/obsidian-skills](https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills)
- BRAT plugin: [TfTHacker/obsidian42-brat](https://github.com/TfTHacker/obsidian42-brat)
- Obsidian: [obsidian.md](https://obsidian.md)
- Claude: [claude.ai](https://claude.ai)

---

## License

MIT — use freely, adapt, and share.