How Claude Code + Obsidian Automate Your Knowledge Management

Why a New Tool Is Needed

Developers often spend hours debugging code only to forget what changes were made the next day. Traditional solutions like git logs, Notion, or manual documentation are either too terse or require constant manual effort, leading to outdated project notes.

What the Tool Does

The Claude Code + Obsidian assistant is a pre‑configured Obsidian template library that lets Claude Code directly read and write your Markdown and JSON notes. By running a single /obsidian command, Claude can:

Read the current project’s code structure, tech stack, and git history.

Create or update corresponding project files inside Obsidian.

Generate a development log (Dev Log) automatically.

Produce an architecture diagram as an Obsidian Canvas file.

No additional Obsidian plugins or CLI tools are required; Claude interacts with plain Markdown files on your local filesystem.

Core Highlights

1. Johnny Decimal File System

The repository organizes folders using the Johnny Decimal numbering scheme, e.g.:

00-09 System      — system config, templates, boards
10-19 Projects    — project management (key!)
20-29 Writing     — writing, diary
30-39 Knowledge   — knowledge base, reading list
40-49 Tracking    — todo, habit tracking
50-59 Creative    — creative experiments

Each project file receives a deterministic number such as 11.01 or 11.02, allowing Claude to locate and create files without ambiguous matching.

2. /obsidian Skill – One‑Command Sync

The command drives a five‑stage workflow:

Detect : match the current working directory to an existing Obsidian vault.

Analyze : scan package.json, directory layout, and git log to understand the codebase.

Menu : present options to update information, write a log, refresh key files, or generate a diagram.

Execute : write or update Markdown files in the vault.

Report : summarize which files were created or modified.

If the project already has notes, Claude performs an incremental update—appending new entries without overwriting existing content, keeping the dev log append‑only and stable.

3. Automatic Architecture Canvas

Claude analyses the codebase and classifies components into colour‑coded layers:

🔴 Entry files

🟠 State management / configuration

🟡 Data layer / persistence

🟢 UI / view / output

🔵 API layer / external services

🟣 Tags / group names

The generated .canvas file is native to Obsidian and can be dragged, edited, or annotated directly.

4. Five Built‑In Themes

The repository ships with five CSS theme files (e.g., base-theme.css, crt-terminal.css, y2k-web1.css, runescape.css, coquette.css) that can be toggled in Obsidian’s appearance settings. Users can also ask Claude to tweak colours or create new themes.

Installation & Deployment

Requirements are minimal:

Obsidian (free for personal use)

Claude Code (subscription or compatible API/Ollama model)

# 1. Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/nemocake/claude-obsidian-assistant.git
# 2. Open the folder as an Obsidian vault
# 3. Copy the skill file into Claude Code’s command directory
cp claude-code/obsidian-sync.md ~/.claude/commands/obsidian.md
# 4. Edit the copied file to set your VAULT_PATH
#    (replace with the absolute path to your Obsidian vault)

Run the command from any project directory: /obsidian Optionally install the Dataview community plugin to enable dashboard statistics.

CLAUDE.md – The Skill Specification

The CLAUDE.md file at the repository root tells Claude:

The vault’s folder structure.

File format conventions (Markdown, Canvas, YAML front‑matter).

Editing rules (no deletion of existing content, logs are append‑only, Canvas must be valid JSON).

Color‑code meanings for Canvas elements.

This acts as Claude Code’s memory file, crucial for reliable operation.

Advanced Use Cases

Session Memory : Claude reads the vault before each session, preserving previous debug notes and architectural decisions.

Automatic Documentation Updates : Hook Claude Code to run after each commit, auto‑updating the vault.

GitHub Integration : Pull Issue, PR, and CI status into the vault for a single‑pane project overview.

Cross‑Project Queries : Use a /vault-query skill to ask questions like “Which project uses Redis?” or “What authentication scheme did the last app use?”

Decision Log : Record the rationale behind architectural choices, including considered alternatives.

These extensions can significantly improve the development experience, especially when combined with Session Memory, effectively giving Claude a long‑term memory of your projects.

One More Thing

The author notes that many of their own WeChat public‑account articles, images, and knowledge cards are generated automatically via custom Claude Code skills, demonstrating the practical utility of the system.