obsidian-claude-pkm/README.md

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Obsidian + Claude Code PKM Starter Kit 🚀

A complete personal knowledge management system that combines Obsidian's powerful note-taking with Claude Code's AI assistance. Go from zero to a fully functional PKM in 15 minutes or less.

v2.1 - Unified skills pattern (skills and slash commands merged), hooks, agents, and rules.

✨ Features

Core PKM

• 🎯 Goal-Aligned System - Cascading goals from 3-year vision to daily tasks
• 📅 Daily Notes System - Structured daily planning and reflection
• 📱 Mobile Ready - GitHub integration for notes on any device
• 🔄 Version Controlled - Never lose a thought with automatic Git backups
• 🎨 Fully Customizable - Adapt templates and structure to your needs

AI-Powered (v2.1)

• ⚡ Unified Skills - Skills and slash commands merged (/daily, /weekly, /push, /onboard)
• 🪝 Hooks - Auto-commit on save, session initialization
• 🤖 Custom Agents - Note organizer, weekly reviewer, goal aligner, inbox processor
• 📏 Modular Rules - Path-specific conventions for markdown, productivity, projects
• 🧠 Output Styles - Productivity Coach for accountability
• 📊 Status Line - Vault stats in terminal (note count, inbox, uncommitted changes)
• 👁️ Progress Visibility - See spinner updates during multi-step operations like morning routines

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

• Obsidian installed
• Claude Code CLI installed
• Git installed
• GitHub account (optional, for mobile sync)

15-Minute Quickstart

# 1) Install prerequisites (once)
# - Obsidian: https://obsidian.md/
# - Git: https://git-scm.com/
# - Claude Code CLI: https://code.claude.com/docs

# 2) Clone this repository
git clone https://github.com/ballred/obsidian-claude-pkm.git
cd obsidian-claude-pkm

# 3) Run setup (macOS/Linux)
chmod +x scripts/setup.sh
./scripts/setup.sh

# 3b) Windows
scripts\setup.bat

Manual Copy (alternative)

# Copy the vault template to your preferred location
cp -r vault-template ~/Documents/ObsidianPKM

Open in Obsidian

1. Launch Obsidian
2. Click "Open folder as vault"
3. Select your vault folder (e.g., ~/Documents/ObsidianPKM)
4. Start with today's daily note!

📖 Documentation

• Setup Guide - Detailed installation instructions
• Customization - Make it yours
• Workflow Examples - Daily routines and best practices
• Troubleshooting - Common issues and solutions

🗂️ Structure

Your Vault/
├── CLAUDE.md                    # AI context and navigation
├── CLAUDE.local.md.template     # Template for personal overrides
├── .claude-plugin/
│   └── plugin.json              # Plugin manifest
├── .claude/
│   ├── agents/                  # Custom AI agents
│   │   ├── note-organizer.md
│   │   ├── weekly-reviewer.md
│   │   ├── goal-aligner.md
│   │   └── inbox-processor.md
│   ├── skills/                  # Unified skills (invoke with /skill-name)
│   │   ├── daily/               # /daily - Create daily notes, routines
│   │   ├── weekly/              # /weekly - Weekly review process
│   │   ├── push/                # /push - Git commit and push
│   │   ├── onboard/             # /onboard - Load vault context
│   │   ├── goal-tracking/       # Auto: Track goal progress
│   │   └── obsidian-vault-ops/  # Auto: Vault file operations
│   ├── hooks/                   # Event automation (NEW)
│   │   ├── session-init.sh
│   │   └── auto-commit.sh
│   ├── rules/                   # Path-specific conventions (NEW)
│   │   ├── markdown-standards.md
│   │   ├── productivity-workflow.md
│   │   └── project-management.md
│   ├── scripts/
│   │   └── statusline.sh        # Terminal status display (NEW)
│   ├── output-styles/
│   │   └── coach.md             # Productivity Coach
│   └── settings.json            # Permissions and config (NEW)
├── Daily Notes/
├── Goals/
├── Projects/
├── Templates/
└── Archives/

🧠 Output Styles

This starter kit includes a Productivity Coach output style that transforms Claude into an accountability partner. The coach will:

• Challenge you to clarify your true intentions
• Point out misalignments between stated goals and actions
• Ask powerful questions to drive momentum
• Hold you accountable to your commitments
• Help you identify and overcome resistance

To use the coach style in Claude Code:

1. The output style is automatically included in .claude/output-styles/
2. Start Claude Code and type /output-style to select from available styles
3. Or directly activate with: /output-style coach
4. The style preference is automatically saved for your project

Learn more about customizing output styles.

🤖 Custom Agents (v2.0)

Ask Claude to use specialized agents for common PKM tasks:

# Organize your vault and fix broken links
claude "Use the note-organizer agent to audit my vault"

# Facilitate weekly review aligned with goals
claude "Use the weekly-reviewer agent for my weekly review"

# Check if daily work aligns with long-term goals
claude "Use the goal-aligner agent to analyze my recent activity"

# Process inbox items using GTD principles
claude "Use the inbox-processor agent to clear my inbox"

🔄 Upgrading from v1.x

If you have an existing vault from v1.x:

# 1. Copy new directories to your vault
cp -r vault-template/.claude-plugin your-vault/
cp -r vault-template/.claude/agents your-vault/.claude/
cp -r vault-template/.claude/skills your-vault/.claude/
cp -r vault-template/.claude/hooks your-vault/.claude/
cp -r vault-template/.claude/rules your-vault/.claude/
cp -r vault-template/.claude/scripts your-vault/.claude/
cp vault-template/.claude/settings.json your-vault/.claude/
cp vault-template/CLAUDE.local.md.template your-vault/

# 2. Review and merge CLAUDE.md changes
# Your customizations are preserved, just add references to new features

# 3. Make hook scripts executable
chmod +x your-vault/.claude/hooks/*.sh
chmod +x your-vault/.claude/scripts/*.sh

🤝 Contributing

Found a bug or have a feature idea? Please open an issue or submit a PR!

📄 License

MIT - Use this freely for your personal knowledge management journey.

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Ready to transform your note-taking? Follow the Setup Guide to get started!