Second Brain — Obsidian + Claude Code

A personal knowledge system combining Obsidian (your vault) with Claude Code (your AI assistant) and automation tools. The AI learns your vault structure, habits, and tools over time via persistent memory.

---

Core Philosophy

• Inbox first — everything lands in 00 Inbox/, nothing is lost
• Numbered folders — predictable structure, no decision fatigue
• AI as co-pilot — Claude Code knows your vault and works inside it
• Tools live in the vault — scripts, prompts, presets are versioned alongside your notes

---

Folder Structure

vault/
├── 00-09 System/
│   ├── 00 Inbox/          ← everything lands here first
│   ├── 01 Meta/           ← schemas, templates, CLAUDE.md copy
│   ├── 05 Scripts-Python/ ← automation scripts + venv
│   └── 07 Scripts-Node/   ← CLI tools (images, APIs)
├── 10-19 Knowledge/       ← atomic notes, concepts, learnings
├── 20-29 Areas/           ← ongoing domains (work, health, finance…)
├── 30-39 Resources/       ← references, bookmarks, source material
├── 40-49 Archive/         ← done, inactive, old projects
└── 50-59 Journal/         ← daily / weekly entries

Ranges are intentional — add sub-folders (21, 22…) as needed. Never restructure entire ranges, only add within them.

---

Setup — Step by Step

1. Create Obsidian Vault

1. Download Obsidian
2. Create new vault pointing at this folder (or clone this repo first)
3. Install plugins: Templater, Dataview, Calendar (optional but useful)

2. Create Folder Structure

Run the setup script:

bash setup.sh

Or create folders manually following the structure above.

3. Install Claude Code

npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code

Requires an Anthropic API key.

4. Configure Claude Code

Place CLAUDE.md in the vault root. Claude Code reads this file automatically on every session — it defines your vault rules, tools, and preferences.

Edit CLAUDE.md to match your setup:

• Set your vault path
• List your tools and their paths
• Define naming conventions and workflow rules

5. Set Up Memory

Claude Code stores persistent memory per project at:

~/.claude/projects/<project-path>/memory/MEMORY.md

Copy the memory/MEMORY.md template from this repo to that path. Update it as you add tools and establish patterns. The AI reads this at every session start.

6. Add Node.js Tools (optional)

For AI image generation, place CLI tools in 00-09 System/07 Scripts-Node/:

cd "00-09 System/07 Scripts-Node/your-tool"
npm install

Document each tool in CLAUDE.md and memory/MEMORY.md so the AI knows how to use them.

7. Add Python Tools (optional)

Place scripts in 00-09 System/05 Scripts-Python/scripts/:

cd "00-09 System/05 Scripts-Python"
python3 -m venv venv
source venv/bin/activate
pip install -r requirements.txt

8. Daily Workflow

1. Open Claude Code in your vault directory: claude
2. Inbox — process anything in 00 Inbox/ during weekly review
3. Journal — create daily note in 50-59 Journal/YYYY/
4. Ask the AI to help draft notes, generate content, run scripts, find connections

---

Extending the System

What to add	Where
New CLI tool	00-09 System/07 Scripts-Node/tool-name/
New Python script	00-09 System/05 Scripts-Python/scripts/
Schemas / templates	00-09 System/01 Meta/
New knowledge area	Create 2X Area-Name/ under 20-29 Areas/
Project	Create folder under the relevant area

Every time you add a tool or establish a new pattern, update both CLAUDE.md and memory/MEMORY.md. This is what makes the AI increasingly useful over time.

---

Key Files

File	Purpose
CLAUDE.md	AI instructions — read every session
memory/MEMORY.md	AI persistent memory — patterns, tools, preferences
setup.sh	Creates folder structure

---

Environment Variables

Store API keys in ~/.zshrc or ~/.bashrc, never in the vault:

export ANTHROPIC_API_KEY="..."
export BFL_API_KEY="..."        # Black Forest Labs (image generation)
export OPENAI_API_KEY="..."     # OpenAI (if used)