00:03Over the past two years, I have tried many note-taking tools, but ultimately I chose Obsidian
00:07I have three reasons why I must use Obsidian: 1
00:11Data security
00:152
00:19The interface is smooth and fast
00:233
00:27It pairs perfectly with AI tools
00:30 All notes in Obsidian are essentially individual Markdown files stored locally on the computer
00:34This means that even if the developers of Obsidian disappear, these notes will not be lost
00:38You can just switch to another Markdown editor to continue using them
00:42This sense of security cannot be provided by any cloud-based note-taking app
00:46 At the same time, I also use GitHub for cloud backup of my notes
00:50GitHub, as the world's largest source code hosting platform, has become one of the foundational infrastructures for computer science
00:54Backing up my notes there is much safer and more stable than storing them in any cloud note service
00:58 The second major advantage of Obsidian is its fast UI
01:00Previously, my note software took nearly a second to open a new note, with noticeable lag when switching notes, which disrupted my focus
01:02Since switching to Obsidian, I no longer experience any lag
01:04It’s truly like the Ferrari of note-taking apps — smooth and stable
01:06 The third advantage of Obsidian is that it is a perfect match for AI agents
01:08For example, the AI programming tool called Cloud Code Gemini CLI is very good at handling local files, especially writing files in Markdown format
01:10Using Obsidian and AI can combine various magical uses, such as letting AI help me find and organize documents, imitate my writing style, or think of some copy selection questions based on my video ideas, etc
01:19In this video, I will introduce my recent way of using Obsidian from the perspectives of cloud synchronization, image storage, mobile use, and other features
01:24All the tools I use are free and cost nothing
01:28My use of Obsidian might be more inclined toward programmers and geeks, but when these tools are combined, they perfectly meet my needs
01:33I think it is very valuable, so I want to share it
01:38Without further ado, let's get started
01:42 Obsidian is one of the most popular local-first note-taking apps compared to cloud-based software
01:47The cloud-based software I chose is GitHub
01:51First of all, GitHub is completely free, and it has become one of the fundamental tools in computer science
01:56The files stored on GitHub are safer and more stable than any kind of cloud storage service
02:02Let's register and log in to GitHub first
02:08If you encounter slow network speed with GitHub, we can search for "Shop" in the search bar, then enter the Microsoft App Store and install this tool from the Microsoft App Store to resolve the GitHub network issue
02:13We click on the "New" button to create a repository
02:18Here, I will give the repository a name called "Papaxia's Warehouse." Note the visibility setting below, which controls whether the repository is public or private
02:23If you don't want your notes to be accessible on the internet, you must choose "Private" here, which makes it a private repository
02:28Finally, click on "Create." So now we have a storage repository on GitHub
02:31Next, we need to synchronize this repository with our computer
02:34To do that, we download a desktop tool for GitHub, which is GitHub Desktop
02:36Desktop
02:39This client is very simple and user-friendly for newcomers
02:41If you use the command line to operate Git, you cannot download this client
02:46After opening the client, find the file in the upper left corner, click on the "Clone" button, which is used to clone a remote GitHub repository to your computer
02:55Here, you need to log in to your GitHub account
02:59Click "Sign in," then "Log in with browser," and click "Confirm." After logging in, you can search for your repository
03:01Then select a directory below
03:04Click on the repository
03:06So, we clone a remote repository from GitHub
03:08The repository is downloaded locally and appears as a folder
03:10Next, open the Obsidian software
03:12Choose to open a local vault
03:15Find the local folder that was downloaded, and select it
03:17After opening, You can create a note
03:19Every note we create is a Markdown format file
03:21This file will appear in our vault folder
03:25The .obsidian folder is its configuration folder
03:28These files in it store the configuration of Obsidian
03:35 Next, there's an important step: we need to exclude the workspace.json from Git management, that is, we should not upload it to GitHub
03:42This file records the current workspace status, such as which notes are open, the current page layout, and so on
03:45It will be modified frequently
03:48 If you upload it to Git, it will cause conflicts
03:51Here, we go to the root of the vault directory and create a .gitignore file
03:55Then, we edit this file and add these two lines
03:58Remove these two files from being uploaded
04:01Do not upload them to GitHub
04:04 Next, we go back to GitHub Desktop, select these five files, fill in a description below, click Commit, and then click Publish
04:07Our local notes will be uploaded to GitHub
04:10Let's take a look at the GitHub webpage
04:14Here, the notes we created are displayed in synchronization
04:18So, we can synchronize our local notebook on our computer with GitHub and then back it up to GitHub
04:22In our operation, we need to manually upload the notes every time we edit them
04:25This can be quite troublesome
04:28We can use a plug-in to automate the process in Obsidian to save manual uploading
04:31We go back to Obsidian and find the gear icon, which is the settings
04:35Select the third plug-in to disable security mode
04:39Then, we can install plug-ins from the Community Plugins market
04:42Here, I searched for a plug-in called Git
04:45Install this plug-in and then click Enable
04:48Click on the options
04:52After entering, I usually modify a few options
04:56First is "Auto Commit and Sync After Stopping File Edits," which means that when we stop editing the notes, it will automatically attempt to synchronize once to GitHub
04:59Then, the minutes above also need to be changed; here I set it to 1
05:06When we stop editing a file for one minute, Obsidian will automatically commit to GitHub once
05:13There is also an option recommended to open below, which is "Pull on Setup." When we start Obsidian, it will go to GitHub first to "Pull" and see if there are any new changes, keeping our local files synchronized with GitHub
05:16Here I will test it
05:20I just write a sentence and wait for a minute
05:23Later, I saw a small window in the upper right corner indicating it had been automatically synchronized
05:27We can see that this sentence has already appeared in the remote repository
05:31Of course, we can also directly modify this repository from The GitHub, for example, here I click on Add File to create a new file
05:35This file is Markdown and submitted
05:39So we have modified and created the file in the remote repository
05:43We set up automatic synchronization on the Obsidian side
05:47Every time we pause for a minute or restart Obsidian, we see an automatic synchronization icon in the upper right corner
05:50Obsidian itself does not provide any AI functions
05:57Okay, that's it for this chapter
06:05Just kidding, we have two ways to connect Obsidian to AI
06:12Plan A is to use the AI plugin in the community
06:17Plan B is to use AI programming tools, such as Cloud Code or Gemini CLI, etc
06:20Here I recommend using AI programming tools
06:23First of all, these AI programming tools are..
06:25All from the first-tier manufacturers
06:27In terms of product features and the compatibility with AI models, they are definitely better than community plugins
06:31AI programming tools and file system interactions are their core capabilities, so they handle Markdown-formatted notes very efficiently
06:35Here, I’ll use Gemini CLI as an example to demonstrate various ways to combine Obsidian with AI
06:38Because Gemini CLI is completely free, and I find its writing style most similar to mine, it’s best suited to help me take notes
06:42 Before we start, we need to install Node.js
06:46Visit the official Node.js website, find the installer for your operating system, and install it
06:49Then, visit the Gemini CLI official website, copy its installation command
06:53Right-click in the Obsidian notes directory and open a terminal, then paste the Gemini CLI installation command
06:57After pressing Enter, installation completes
07:01 Next, we type the command `gemini` to start Gemini CLI, select "login with Google" above
07:04Your computer needs a VPN or overseas internet environment for this step
07:08After authorization, the setup is complete
07:12 Let’s look at the first example: a content creator saved scripts of all their videos from the past three years into this folder
07:15Please use your knowledge to explore topics trending online based on my niche and audience preferences, and call network search tools to find hot topics
07:19Use your rich knowledge to explore topic ideas I haven't covered, and help me write 10 new topics
07:23 You will output a `.md` file with these topics, placing it in the root directory of the current project
07:26Each topic should include a corresponding introduction and outline
07:30Let's start
07:34Okay, the AI has completed the editing of
07:38Let's take a look at the topic file
07:41The first topic is the local operation model
07:45Use the old method of Ollama and LMStudio
07:49Cloudflare to build a private disk, create a cloud-based development environment, build a password manager, and open a workflow for N8n
07:51This is good
07:54The N8n video I uploaded last time has been over half a year ago
07:56I am going to incorporate the new changes from the past half year and do another N8n tutorial
08:00The note generated by Gemini is generally very good
08:02It does give me some inspiration
08:04Let's look at another example
08:06You put these ten topics out of the paper folder
08:08All the paper folders are placed in the future topics folder in the root log
08:12Each paper folder contains a selection file
08:16After doing the above work, The "delete the 'selected point MD' in the root path" is to test the ability of the AA tool to process documents in batches
08:19Okay, our AA has finished its work
08:22Let's take a look again
08:25We see another folder for selected files, then there are ten more paper folders below
08:29Each paper folder stores a selection file
08:31The task was quite successfully completed
08:33Let's look at another case
08:35Recently, I came across an article titled "Forget N8N." I ran it through a domestic model to Cloud Scale
08:37The article is quite good
08:40You can search for the content of the article, then based on my writing style, write a video script
08:42It needs to be more detailed, and the script should be placed in the root directory
08:45You can refer to my previous content from 2015 and 2024 for the writing style
08:48Starting like this: we see Jimny9 helped me search for this article
08:50I although remembered the title wrong, but he still managed to find it
08:53Pretty good performance
08:55Then Jimmy Nye learned my writing style from my previous notes
08:58Aya helped me finish the script writing
09:01Let's take a look
09:03The video started and then provided me with chapters, including how to fight
09:06How to configure, how to write code
09:09The overall structure is still very similar to my video style
09:12But his behavior is exaggerated
09:14Here, you can only refer to his framing
09:17The content inside needs to be adjusted again
09:19If you are worried that the AI might mess up your folders and cause you to lose some important files, you don't have to worry about that
09:23We use Git to record every file modification
09:27If you are not satisfied with the AI's changes, you can right-click and choose "Discard Changes"
09:31Just restore the repository to the state before the AI's modifications
09:34We use Git, and every time a commit is made, there are records
09:37So we can confidently let the AI modify it
09:40Don't worry about losing or breaking files
09:42Gemini CLI
09:45It has a short version, which is that its function of searching for files is a bit lacking
09:48In the last video, I introduced a local AI tool, Hyperlink
09:52Hyperlink runs the AI model remotely or locally, and integrates these notes into a local AI database to protect file privacy
09:57If we need to use AI to search for files and build an AI database, this software will be very helpful
10:01Obsidian is a note-taking app based on the Markdown format
10:05Let's quickly review the Markdown format
10:08A single hashtag plus a space indicates a first-level title
10:11Two hashtags plus a space indicate a second-level title
10:14So, four stars are used to add emphasis or bold text
10:16Four tildes are used to indicate strikethrough
10:19Four equal signs are used to highlight or underline
10:22Six underscores are used for other formatting
10:25To code, we can write the code in the middle of them
10:28Then we can fill in a name for the programming language in the first line
10:31Enter a colon
10:33The following content is the creation of a reference
10:35Enter the short horizontal bar to control the grid
10:37This is the creation of a continuous list of tables
10:40Enter a numbered list to control the grid
10:44This creates a continuous list of tables
10:45If we need to insert a table or a dividing line, just right-click and select Insert
10:47Here, select the dividing line or insert the table
10:49If you want to insert a formula, right-click and insert a mathematical expression
10:50Fill in the mathematical formula using LaTeX syntax
10:52That's all the basic syntax of Obsidian
10:54If you master these basic syntax rules, you can effectively use Obsidian for your notes
10:5680% of Obsidian
10:59Next, let's look at some advanced uses
11:01Obsidian itself has a picture storage function, but I don't think it's easy to use
11:03Let's test it
11:05Here, I will save a picture for the GitHub repository, then we come to the Obsidian note
11:10We see that it puts the picture under a folder that is at the same level as the notebooks
11:14If there are too many pictures, the entire folder will become very messy
11:18The second problem is that the picture link here is not in standard Markdown format
11:20You can't read it with other software
11:23 Let's take a look—here it has already automatically synced to GitHub
11:25The picture insert is not in standard Markdown format, so on GitHub's web interface, it cannot display the image successfully
11:29Including when I open this file with VSCode and press Ctrl+Shift+V to preview the Markdown, it also cannot render it properly
11:32 Here, I will use a plugin to convert our image format into proper Markdown syntax
11:36Delete the original picture first
11:39Then, find the settings or the third-party insert; the community insert market is browsing
11:43We search for this insert: Costume Attach Location
11:47That is, the location of the custom attached component
11:50Install it, start it up, click Set
11:54Here we mainly modify the Markdown URL format
11:57Fill in this string, select all in the component rename mode
12:01Next, whether to rename the component file—this also has to be selected
12:04OK, so the insert is finished
12:07Then we come back to the settings of Obsidian, find the file and link in the system settings
12:10Pay attention to cancel the use of the micro-channel
12:14The internal connection type above, choose the relative path based on the current note
12:16OK, so the
12:18Configuration is complete
12:20Let's try again
12:22I just pick a picture from the web and then press Ctrl + V to paste it
12:25We see that Obsidian has created an Assets folder for us
12:27Inside this folder, it creates a purple folder with the same name as my notes
12:30Then it places the copied photo here
12:34When we rename the notes, the purple folder with the copy is also renamed
12:37The picture link here is also updated automatically
12:40Our new picture embedding method is in line with Markdown syntax
12:43Let me try it from VS Code
12:45Let's open its preview
12:47You can see the picture displays normally
12:49Including when we check the notes on the GitHub webpage, the picture also displays correctly
12:51Here, I created a folder called "computer"
12:54knowledge"
12:57Then I moved my notes directly to this folder
13:00We see that the secondary folder has also been adjusted accordingly
13:04Using this plugin can make the storage location of the secondary very neat
13:08These issues, you can also use Obsidian on your phone, and of course, you can use GitHub for cloud synchronization
13:13Let's get a data cable first, connect the phone to the computer, and then select "Transfer files." We go back to the computer to find the storage directory of the phone
13:27Here I use my own Android phone as an example
13:41I suggest using the Documents folder, and then we copy the Obsidian vault folder directly to the phone
13:55The next step we need to do on the phone is to open Obsidian
13:58Select "Open Folder as Vault." Select the folder we copied in
14:01Click on this folder to allow
14:03Here, select the first trust author
14:05So, our basic configuration is complete
14:07We can see the notes inside
14:09There is no problem with viewing the pictures
14:11Next, we synchronize the configuration
14:13Click on the button in the upper left corner, then the settings in the upper right corner
14:15We find the settings of the "Sync" plugin
14:19Here, we need to fill in the English name on our GitHub account
14:21My English name is Tech Trump
14:24Fill in the English name and copy it
14:26Also, fill in the email address you registered with on GitHub
14:28Finally, we need to enter the "Personal Access Token" from GitHub
14:33We go back to the computer, find "Settings" in the top right corner, then click on "Developer Settings" below
14:38Find "Personal Access Tokens," then create a new token by choosing "Generate new token" and selecting "Classic" as the type
14:43To give a token a name, select an expiration time—here I choose never expire—and then check the Repository permissions
14:48Find the "Generate Token" button at the bottom, generate the token, copy it, and save it securely
14:52Then, go back to your phone and paste the token here—this completes the setup
14:57 Next, I create a new test note on my phone
15:01We can wait about a minute for it to automatically sync to GitHub
15:06On GitHub’s web interface, you'll see the file we just pushed
15:10The note will also sync to Obsidian on the desktop version
15:15 One important point is that it's best not to edit the same file simultaneously on your phone and computer, as conflicts may occur
15:19If a conflict arises during Git sync, you'll need to resolve it manually
15:24There are many tutorials online on this topic, so I won't go into detail here
15:28 Obsidian is easy to use, but how do you convert it into Word or HTML format? Let's go to Settings, then Third-party Plugins, Community Plugins, and Viewer
15:32Install the "Enhanced Export" plugin, click Install, then Start, and Select
15:36 Here, you need to specify the path to Pandoc
15:39Pandoc is a document format converter
15:42To get it, go to GitHub's Pandoc releases page
15:44I will download it directly from there
15:47The .zip file from the Windows system
15:50Then I put the executable program inside onto a screen under the computer
15:52Next, right-click to copy the file address
15:54Then we come to the insert and setup page
15:56Here in the Pandoc path, paste the address just copied
15:58Select a note, right-click to export
16:00Insert supports many formats for export
16:03Here I choose a Word format
16:05So we export the note into a Word document
16:07And the map inside is also correct
16:10Another powerful feature of Obsidian is its dual-channel knowledge graph
16:12For example, let's look at this note
16:14I've used hundreds of MCP tools in the past
16:17In MCP, I can enter two square numbers
16:20Then I can search for another note title here
16:23If you think the link is too long, you can also..
16:26Modify it
16:28Press the "Ctrl" key to open this link
16:31It will open a new "Type" page to display this note
16:33We click on the "Check Relationship Chart" on the left
16:35All notes will be displayed as small dots
16:40If there is a connection between two notes, they will be connected by lines
16:44Use this function to make the relationship chart between notes look very cool and complex
16:48It can help us organize knowledge efficiently, find hidden connections between notes, and generate some inspiration
16:51Okay, that's all for this episode
16:54Thank you all for liking and supporting us
16:57See you next time.