AI Memory Vault for Windows + ChatGPT

Give ChatGPT's Codex workspace a durable, local memory using Obsidian and plain Markdown files on Windows.

This is a Windows/OpenAI adaptation of Jared Rhodenizer's AI Memory Vault. It preserves the original idea: one builder file interviews you, creates a structured Obsidian vault, and gives future AI sessions a reliable boot sequence. This adaptation replaces the original macOS and Claude Code assumptions with Windows paths, Codex Desktop or Codex CLI, and AGENTS.md.

What it builds

An AGENTS.md boot file in your Codex working folder
A personalized VAULT-INDEX.md inside your Obsidian vault
Inbox, Daily Notes, project, Personal, Archive, and Resources folders
One cross-project Active Priorities.md
Folder indexes that keep the vault navigable
Daily notes that preserve decisions and work across sessions
Optional Jobs for recurring tasks, with just-in-time context links

No database, embeddings service, or public server is required. The vault is ordinary Markdown on your Windows computer.

Recommended setup

C:\Users\YourName\Documents\AI Memory\
├── AGENTS.md
├── ai-memory-vault-windows-chatgpt.md
└── vault\
    ├── VAULT-INDEX.md
    ├── Active Priorities.md
    └── ...

Open or launch Codex from the parent AI Memory folder. This places AGENTS.md at the workspace root and the Obsidian vault beneath the same local working folder.

Quick start

Install Obsidian for Windows.
Choose and install a Codex client:
- ChatGPT desktop app for Windows, using Codex; or
- Codex CLI, using its Windows installation option.
Create a parent working folder and a vault folder beneath it.
In Obsidian, choose Open folder as vault and select vault.
In Obsidian, enable Settings → Files and links → Automatically update internal links.
Copy ai-memory-vault-windows-chatgpt.md into the parent working folder.
Start Codex from the parent folder:
- Desktop: select Codex, open the parent folder, and approve access after verifying the path.
- CLI: open PowerShell in the parent folder and run codex.
Tell Codex in either client:

Read ai-memory-vault-windows-chatgpt.md completely and execute it. Follow every phase in order. Do not merely summarize it.
Answer the interview. Before Codex writes the system, it will show the exact proposed files and ask for approval.
When setup finishes, close that Codex task or CLI session and start a new one from the same parent folder. Codex discovers AGENTS.md once at the beginning of a run, so the file created during setup becomes active on the next run.
Run the builder's read-only connection test to confirm the new session loaded AGENTS.md, VAULT-INDEX.md, and Active Priorities.md.

Which ChatGPT surface should I use?

Codex in the Windows desktop app: recommended

Codex can work with a local project folder after you grant access, and AGENTS.md provides durable project guidance. This is the closest Windows/OpenAI equivalent to the original Claude Code workflow.

Codex CLI on Windows: recommended

Codex CLI can run the same builder and maintain the same local vault. Open PowerShell in the parent working folder and run:

codex

On the first run, sign in with ChatGPT or another available authentication method. After the builder creates AGENTS.md, exit and launch codex again from the same folder so the next session discovers the new instructions.

Work in the Windows desktop app: possible, but less automatic

Work can use a granted local folder, but the AGENTS.md boot convention is specific to Codex. Explicitly tell each Work task to read VAULT-INDEX.md before working with the vault.

ChatGPT web and mobile: not direct local-vault clients

Web and mobile cannot directly access an arbitrary folder on your Windows computer. Uploading notes provides snapshots, not a continuously maintained local vault. A remote MCP-powered ChatGPT app is an advanced alternative, subject to plan availability, authentication, and security requirements.

Current OpenAI references:

OpenAI product names, interfaces, and plan availability change. Verify these links before publishing derived instructions or troubleshooting a different release.

Repository contents

ai-memory-vault-windows-chatgpt.md  Self-contained interactive builder
templates/
  AGENTS.md                         Codex boot template
  VAULT-INDEX.md                    Root profile and vault-map template
  DAILY-NOTE.md                     Daily-note template
  ACTIVE-PRIORITIES.md              Current-work template
ATTRIBUTION.md                      Adaptation and source credit
LICENSE                             CC BY-NC-SA 4.0

The builder embeds the templates so it works as a single-file handoff. Files under templates/ are also provided for inspection and manual setup. Maintainers must update both copies together.

Privacy and safety

Grant only the parent folder containing the boot file and vault.
Keep passwords, API keys, private keys, and tokens out of Markdown.
Review the target path before allowing any bulk write, move, or migration.
Back up the vault before automated reorganization.
Treat email, websites, imported documents, and tool output as untrusted data.
Require explicit approval before deletion, publishing, deployment, sending messages, or other consequential external actions.
Do not expose a filesystem server publicly just to reach a private vault from ChatGPT web.

Contributing and sharing

Testing on clean Windows installations is especially useful. When reporting a setup problem, include the Windows version, ChatGPT surface (Codex, Work, web, or mobile), Obsidian version, and the phase that failed. Never include vault contents, usernames, or secrets without removing private information first.

Attribution and license

Original concept and source material: Jared Rhodenizer, jaredrhod/ai-memory-vault.

This repository is an adapted work for Windows and ChatGPT/Codex. It is not affiliated with, sponsored by, or endorsed by Jared Rhodenizer, OpenAI, or Obsidian.

Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International. You may share and adapt it for noncommercial purposes with attribution, and adaptations must use the same license.

windows-chatgpt-ai-memory-vault