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Connecting Claude Cowork + Claude Code to Obsidian in 2 Minutes
Published June 21, 2026 · 3,699 views on YouTube
Key takeaways
- Obsidian is just a view into a folder on your machine, so any folder you point it at (a 'vault') becomes visible and editable inside the app.
- Claude Desktop can select that same local folder, letting Claude read, update, and manage files that immediately show up in Obsidian.
- Claude Cowork works the same way at the project-folder level, so edits Claude makes appear back inside the connected Obsidian vault.
- You can also connect a Claude terminal directly inside Obsidian by installing the Claude Code MCP community plugin from vault settings.
How do you connect Obsidian to Claude Code and Claude Cowork?
Point both tools at the same local folder. Obsidian opens that folder as a “vault,” and Claude Desktop or Claude Cowork opens the identical folder to read, edit, and manage files — so any changes Claude makes to the files show up directly inside Obsidian.
How do you set up an Obsidian vault?
Download the Obsidian app for Mac or PC, then open it and select “manage vaults” in the bottom-left corner. Obsidian doesn’t store its own files — it’s a view into folders that already exist on your machine, so opening a vault means selecting one of those folders.
- Download and open Obsidian.
- Click “manage vaults” in the bottom-left corner.
- Select a folder on your machine to open as a vault (for example, an “AI chief of staff” folder).
- All the subfolders and files in that folder appear directly inside Obsidian, viewable and editable, with a visual map of how the files interconnect.
How does Claude Desktop connect to that same vault?
Open Claude Desktop and select the option to work with local folders, then choose the exact same folder you opened as your Obsidian vault. Once selected, Claude can interact with, update, and review the files in that folder, and those updates appear directly inside Obsidian.
Does Claude Cowork work the same way?
Yes. In Claude Cowork, select the project folder you want to work in — the same folder used for the Obsidian vault — and Claude works with files directly inside it. Updates made through Cowork are reflected back in the Obsidian view of that folder.
How do you add a Claude terminal directly inside Obsidian?
Open your vault’s settings and add the Claude Code MCP community plugin. Obsidian has a number of community plugins available for this purpose, and installing the Claude Code connector plugin lets you use a Claude terminal from inside the Obsidian app itself.
Full video transcript
In this video, I’m going to show you how to connect Obsidian with Claude Code and Claude Cowork on the desktop.
First thing you’re going to do is download the Obsidian app for Mac or PC. Once you have Obsidian downloaded, open up your Obsidian app. Once you’re inside of your Obsidian app, in the bottom left-hand corner, you will be able to select “manage vaults.”
You’re pointing Obsidian at a folder — it is a view into the folders on your machine. So you’re going to want to open up a folder as a vault. I’m opening up Obsidian to look at my AI chief of staff riff. Once that folder is selected, you’ll see all of the different folders displayed here directly inside of Obsidian.
When you select a file, Obsidian makes it easy to view, manage, and edit files directly on your computer, as well as get a visual of how all of your files are interconnected — kind of like a second brain.
Now, how this connects to Claude via desktop is: when you open up your Claude Desktop app, you have the ability to select local folders or work with repositories and tools like GitHub. In this case, I’m going to select my local folder, my AI chief of staff riff. I’m going to select it, and then I can begin to interact with that folder. Those updates are going to directly be displayed inside of my Obsidian app, so I could have Claude update and manage and review the files.
And the same thing works with Claude Cowork. Again, working in a project folder — I’m selecting my project folder, and I’m going to be able to work with Claude directly inside of that folder. And then that folder is going to again be displayed over here.
And then last but not least, you’re also able to connect the Claude terminal directly inside Obsidian. To do that, when you’re open inside of a vault, you’re going to go to your settings, and then you’ll want to add in the Claude Code MCP community plugin. There are a number of community plugins that you can use to use the Claude Code connector.