give-obsidian-a-memory

# Claude forgets you. Your notes don't. > Stop renting your memory. Run a real one on your own machine in 5 minutes. [](https://coherencedaddy.com/tutorials/give-obsidian-a-memory) [](https://coherencedaddy.com) Claude is the smartest model on earth with the memory of a goldfish. This repo gives it a permanent one — built on the notes you already write in Obsidian, indexed by a local model, searched by meaning instead of keywords. No cloud. No subscription tier. No leash. **One file. Double-click. Done.** ## Quick install ```bash # macOS curl -L -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Coherence-Daddy/give-obsidian-a-memory/main/installer/install.command chmod +x install.command && open install.command ``` ```powershell # Windows Invoke-WebRequest -Uri https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Coherence-Daddy/give-obsidian-a-memory/main/installer/install.bat -OutFile install.bat .\install.bat ``` ```bash # Linux curl -L -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Coherence-Daddy/give-obsidian-a-memory/main/installer/install.sh chmod +x install.sh && ./install.sh ``` The installer brews the dependencies, pulls the local models (`llama3.1`, `nomic-embed-text`), copies the vault template, wires `claude_desktop_config.json`, and opens both apps. ~3–8 minutes total. See [`installer/README.md`](installer/README.md) for the per-platform details and caveats. ## What you get - **Obsidian** — your notes editor, pre-configured with a clean coral-dark theme, color-coded folders, and a starter vault that knows where everything goes. - **Claude Desktop** — wired to read your vault via MCP. Ask it anything in plain English. - **Ollama** — your model runner. Two ways to use it: - **☁️ Ollama Cloud (recommended):** free tier, frontier-quality models (`gemma4:31b-cloud`, `glm-5.1:cloud`, `kimi-k2.6:cloud`, `qwen3-coder-next`) running on Ollama's hardware. ~0 local disk. Sign up at [ollama.com](https://ollama.com), grab a free API key, and the brain auto-uses it. - **🔒 Local (privacy fallback):** `llama3.1` + `nomic-embed-text` cached on your machine, ~5 GB. Air-gap-grade — nothing ever leaves the laptop. Pick this if total privacy beats answer quality. - The 🤖 Models button toggles between them on the fly. - **A vault template** — `🏠 Home`, `Tools/`, `Projects/`, `_Claude_Ollama_Human/`, and the conventions Claude reads to behave consistently. - **The full Local Brain system** *(opt-in during install)* — Qdrant + BGE-M3 semantic search, eight Obsidian sidebar buttons (`📋 Open Dashboard`, `🔍 Ask Brain`, `🔄 Sync Brain`, `📥 Intake`, `📂 Import`, `🤖 Models`, `📐 View Mermaid`, `🎨 View Excalidraw`), seven Claude Code slash commands (`/ask`, `/sync`, `/intake`, `/import`, `/dashboard`, `/status`, `/diagram`), and a FastMCP server so Claude Code can search the brain mid-conversation without you typing a thing. ## The two flavors | | Lite | Full | |---|---|---| | **Setup** | Steps 1–4 of the installer | Steps 1–5 (say "yes" at the prompt) | | **Search** | Claude Desktop reads files via filesystem MCP | Semantic search over BGE-M3 embeddings in Qdrant | | **Ergonomics** | Type questions into Claude Desktop | One-click sidebar buttons + `/ask` slash command + auto-recall via MCP | | **Dependencies** | Claude Desktop, Obsidian, Ollama | Adds Docker (for Qdrant + embedder) and a Python venv | | **Best for** | "I just want Claude to know my notes" | "I want a real brain — searchable by meaning, queryable from anywhere" | Both share the same vault template; the Full flavor is a strict superset. ## What this is *not* - Not a SaaS. Nothing leaves your laptop. - Not a memory feature. It's a **brain** — your notes, embedded once, queryable forever. - Not a code repo. Source stays where it lives. The vault holds the *map*. ## Walkthrough The 16-slide visual setup guide is the canonical entry point: → **[coherencedaddy.com/tutorials/give-obsidian-a-memory](https://coherencedaddy.com/tutorials/give-obsidian-a-memory)** The same HTML is mirrored at [`presentation/index.html`](presentation/index.html) in this repo if you want to fork or run it offline. ## Companion tutorial If you want Claude Desktop + Claude Code paired with Ollama (no Obsidian, just terminal cost-cutting), see: → **[Coherence-Daddy/use-ollama-to-enhance-claude](https://github.com/Coherence-Daddy/use-ollama-to-enhance-claude)** — *Save 90% on Claude Code quota by routing through Ollama.* ## Repo layout ``` presentation/ index.html # the 16-slide tutorial (self-contained) cd-face-coral.png installer/ install.command # macOS double-click installer install.bat # Windows launcher install.ps1 # Windows worker (called by install.bat) install.sh # Linux installer README.md # per-platform notes + caveats vault-template/ 🏠 Home.md Tools/ # the 8 button .md files (Open Dashboard, Ask, Sync, # Intake, Import, Models, View Mermaid, View Excalidraw) Projects/ # empty; fills as you import _Claude_Ollama_Human/ # conventions Claude reads .obsidian/ # pre-configured plugins + coral-dark snippet local-brain/ # the Full-flavor system (copied to ~/local-brain on install) *.command # button launchers (ask, sync, intake, import, models, # view-mermaid, view-excalidraw, dashboard) src/brain_manager.py # indexer + semantic search pipeline src/mcp_server.py # FastMCP server exposing brain_search to Claude Code docker-compose.yml # Qdrant + BGE-M3 embedder, bound to 127.0.0.1 engine.conf, engine-prefix.sh, .env.example # Anthropic ↔ Ollama toggle deploy-buttons.sh # idempotent vault-deployment script claude-commands/ # slash commands for Claude Code (~/.claude/commands/) ask.md, sync.md, intake.md, import.md, dashboard.md, status.md, diagram.md walkthroughs/ # plain-English flowchart pages, one per button index.html # 9-card grid; entry point ask.html, sync.html, intake.html, import.html, dashboard.html, models.html, diagrams.html, mcp.html _shared.css, logo.png ``` ## Why this exists Every Claude user has hit the same wall: you teach it the context, it forgets, you teach it again. Anthropic's memory feature lives in their database, on their schedule, behind their pricing. This is the opposite — a local memory you control, that works the way you already think (writing notes in Markdown), with a model that finds them by *meaning*. ## License [MIT](LICENSE) — built by [Coherence Daddy](https://coherencedaddy.com).