I've got hundreds of notes sitting in folders doing absolutely nothing.
Meeting notes.
Client stuff.
Random ideas I had in the shower.
Worth nothing if they're just rotting on my hard drive.
Then I plugged Claude into Obsidian and everything changed.
Why A Claude Obsidian Setup Beats Every Other Note App
Most people collect notes like a squirrel hoarding nuts.
Never look at them again.
Obsidian is different because your notes live on your machine as plain text files.
You own them forever.
You can link them together like a web of ideas.
That's why they call it a "second brain".
But notes on their own are dead weight.
Put Claude inside Obsidian and they come alive.
Claude reads them.
Claude understands them.
Claude writes new ones based on everything you've saved.
That's the whole game.
The Boring Truth About Second Brains
Most "second brain" advice is rubbish.
People spend weeks setting up templates, tags and folder systems.
Then they burn out and never use it.
I did the same thing for two years.
Here's what actually works with a Claude Obsidian setup.
Dump everything in.
Don't organise.
Let Claude do the organising.
That's it.
Ready to get more stuff like this? Join the AI Profit Lab here and I'll show you exactly how I run my business on AI.
My Exact Claude Obsidian Setup (4 Steps)
Step 1: Download Obsidian
Go to obsidian.md.
Download it.
It's free.
No sign up.
Step 2: Make A Vault
A vault is just a folder where your notes live.
Call it "business brain" or "my AI vault".
Doesn't matter.
Step 3: Add Claude Two Ways
Option A: Plugins
Obsidian has a plugin store.
Search for "Claudian" or "Smart Connections".
Install it.
Add your Claude API key.
Now you can chat with Claude inside your notes.
Option B: Claude Code (The Real Power)
Claude Code runs in your terminal.
Point it at your Obsidian vault.
Now Claude can read every note, write new notes, reorganise 500 notes, build content calendars from your ideas.
This is the one I use every day.
Step 4: Start Dumping
Drop everything in.
Client notes.
Content ideas.
Book notes.
Podcast takeaways.
Don't organise.
Just get it in there.
How I Actually Use It Every Day
Here's what my second brain does for me.
Client Work
One folder per client.
Everything goes in.
Emails, meeting notes, project docs.
Before every call I tell Claude: "Pull everything on this client, make a one-page summary, tell me what's next."
I walk into every meeting sharp.
Content Creation
I dump every content idea into a "content" folder.
Random thoughts.
Half-written tweets.
Video hooks.
Then I tell Claude: "Look at every idea in this folder, group them by topic, pick the top 20, write hooks for each."
Chaos to content plan in five minutes.
Learning
Notes from books, YouTube, podcasts, courses.
All in one folder.
"Claude, take my notes on AI automation, quiz me, find gaps in my learning."
Claude becomes my tutor.
The Advanced Moves Nobody Talks About
Once you've got the basics down, here's where it gets mental.
Connect The Vault To Your Whole Workflow
Claude Code watches your vault.
Drop a meeting note in.
Claude reads it, pulls action items, adds them to your task list.
Zero effort.
Build A Knowledge Agent
Think of it as a mini team member.
Give it a role.
Give it rules.
Give it access to your vault.
"What did we decide about pricing last month?"
Claude reads the notes, tells you.
Faster than asking a human.
Generate Content At Scale
Folder full of research, YouTube transcripts, ideas.
"Write five YouTube scripts based on this research. Use my style. Use my hooks. Make them punchy."
Five scripts in ten minutes.
Week of work gone.
Want the exact prompts I use? Get them inside the AI Profit Lab.
The Honest Downsides
I'm not going to pretend this is perfect.
You need a Claude API key or Claude subscription.
Plugins can be buggy.
Claude Code has a learning curve if you've never touched a terminal.
Huge vaults take longer to process.
But the wins are massive.
Few quid a month.
Save hundreds of hours.
Easy maths.
Why Most People Are Still Losing
Most people copy and paste into ChatGPT all day.
It works, but it's slow.
ChatGPT forgets everything the second you close the tab.
It doesn't know you.
Doesn't know your business.
Doesn't know your clients.
A Claude Obsidian setup fixes all of that.
Your AI knows you.
Knows your clients.
Knows your ideas.
Knows your voice.
That's the unfair advantage.
What To Do Next
Here's your move.
Download Obsidian today.
Make a vault.
Dump your notes in.
Don't worry about being tidy.
Pick one plugin or install Claude Code.
Add your API key.
Play with it for an hour.
In a few weeks you'll have an AI brain that runs your business while you sleep.
Want me to walk you through it live?
Join the AI Profit Lab here and I'll show you my exact setup, prompts and workflows.
FAQ
Is the Claude Obsidian setup free?
Obsidian is free. Claude needs an API key or a subscription. You can start for a few quid a month.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. The plugin route needs zero coding. Claude Code needs basic terminal commands I can teach you in ten minutes.
What's better, the plugin or Claude Code?
Claude Code is more powerful because it can read and write files across your whole vault. Plugins are easier to start with.
How big can my vault be?
Mine has thousands of notes. Claude handles it fine. Really huge vaults take longer to process but still work.
Can Claude write in my voice?
Yes. Dump your past content in a folder and tell Claude to match the style. It's scary how good it gets.
What should I put in my vault first?
Client notes, meeting notes, content ideas, book notes. Anything you'd want to reference later. Just get stuff in there.