---
type: guide
status: active
---

# Obsidian and Cowork LLM Wiki Setup Guide

This guide explains how to set up a local-first LLM wiki using Obsidian for the durable knowledge base and Cowork for task execution.

Assume this is a totally fresh setup. No import is required.

## Goal

Use Obsidian as the durable local knowledge base and point Cowork at the same vault so tasks can read project context before doing work and can promote daily notes into the durable layer.

After setup, use `[[LLM Wiki Day-to-Day Guide]]` as the human operating guide for working in the vault each day.

## What You Need

- Obsidian installed
- Cowork access
- A fresh folder for the vault
- Optional: GitHub CLI (`gh`) if you want the bootstrap script to create a private GitHub repo for backup

## Fresh Setup

Start by creating the vault scaffold.

Use Claude Code or a terminal session to run the bootstrap script first. Do not use Cowork for the bootstrap step. Cowork should point at the vault after the folder already exists.

Run:

```bash
cd /path/to/template-files
./bootstrap_obsidian_cowork_llm_wiki.sh --target-dir /path/to/llm_wiki_vault
```

Optional GitHub setup:

```bash
cd /path/to/template-files
./bootstrap_obsidian_cowork_llm_wiki.sh \
  --target-dir /path/to/llm_wiki_vault \
  --enable-github \
  --github-owner YOUR_GITHUB_OWNER \
  --github-repo llm-wiki-vault
```

## Install And Open Obsidian

1. Install Obsidian.
2. Open Obsidian.
3. Choose `Open folder as vault`.
4. Select the freshly created vault folder, for example `/path/to/llm_wiki_vault`.

## Obsidian Setup

1. Open the vault folder as an Obsidian vault.
2. Go to `Settings` -> `Core plugins`.
3. Enable `Templates`.
4. Enable `Daily notes`.
5. Go to `Settings` -> `Templates`.
6. Set `Template folder location` to `99 Templates`.
7. Go to `Settings` -> `Daily notes`.
8. Set `New file location` to `01 Daily`.
9. Set `Template file location` to `99 Templates/Daily Note Template.md`.
10. Go to `Settings` -> `Community plugins`.
11. Turn off `Restricted mode` if needed.
12. Click `Browse`, install `Calendar`, and enable it.
13. Expand the right sidebar so the calendar pane is visible.
14. To start any day, click the day in the calendar. Obsidian will open that day's note and create it if it does not already exist.

## Point Cowork At The Vault

1. In Cowork, choose `Use an existing folder`.
2. Pick the same vault folder path you opened in Obsidian.
3. Name the project.
4. Paste the instructions text from the `Cowork Instructions Box Text` section below into the instructions box.
5. Create the project.

## Cowork Instructions Box Text

```md
This folder is an Obsidian vault that serves as the durable knowledge base for this project.

Read these first at the start of a session:
- Home.md
- CLAUDE.md
- Naming Conventions.md
- 04 People/People Index.md
- 06 Workstreams/Workstreams Index.md
- 09 Weekly Syntheses/Weekly Syntheses Index.md
- the most recent note in 01 Daily

Working model:
- 01 Daily is the default raw capture note during the day.
- 02 Sources and 03 Meetings are usually created during the promotion pass when raw daily notes are turned into cleaner evidence notes.
- 04 People, 05 Decisions, 06 Workstreams, 07 Risks, and 08 Open Questions are the canonical durable layer.
- 09 Weekly Syntheses and 10 Executive Briefs are synthesized outputs.

How I want to use this project:
- When I ask you to work on a task, first check the relevant notes in this vault for context before responding or doing work.
- Assume this vault is the main project memory and use it to ground recommendations, analysis, and drafts.
- During the day, I will usually capture everything in the daily note, including live meeting notes.
- At the end of the day, assume the daily note is already part of the project context. I may add extra docs, emails, articles, screenshots, or other source material that was not captured in the note.
- When I do that, update the daily note first, then promote the durable signal into the right canonical pages.
- That promotion pass should usually include any relevant updates to Meetings, Sources, People, Decisions, Workstreams, Risks, Open Questions, Weekly Syntheses, and Executive Briefs.
- If something important appears repeatedly and does not yet have a canonical page, create one in the appropriate folder.

Rules:
- Prefer updating existing canonical pages over creating duplicates.
- Promote durable insights out of daily notes into the canonical pages.
- Use simple links for canonical pages.
- Keep the wiki concise, accurate, and link-rich.
- When asked for status, read the durable layer first and use raw notes only to verify recent changes.
- If context is missing, inspect the vault first, then ask me only for the minimum missing information needed.
- Be proactive about suggesting what should be promoted, clarified, or turned into a durable note.
```

## Daily Operating Loop

1. Start the day by clicking today in the `Calendar` sidebar so Obsidian opens or creates today's note in `01 Daily`.
2. Capture everything in the current daily note by default, including live meeting notes.
3. Use Cowork tasks against that same vault so the agent checks the notes before doing work.
4. At the end of the day, add any extra docs, emails, articles, screenshots, or other source material that is not already captured in the daily note.
5. Run the end-of-day promotion prompt in the Cowork knowledge-base project.

## End-Of-Day Promotion Prompt

```md
Process today’s daily note and promote the durable signal into meetings, sources, people, decisions, workstreams, risks, open questions, weekly syntheses, and executive briefs as needed.
```

## Optional GitHub Backup

- GitHub is optional.
- Local git is enough for history.
- If you want private remote backup, either use the script with `--enable-github` or create a private repo manually and add it as `origin`.

## Notes

- Obsidian is the durable local-first source of truth.
- Cowork should be pointed at the same vault so tasks use accumulated project context.
- If you are sharing this flow with someone else, the important concept is simple: one shared vault on disk, opened by Obsidian, and pointed to by Cowork.
- Default capture should be daily-note-first. Meetings and other durable notes are usually created during the end-of-day promotion pass, not during live note-taking.