THE OBSIDIAN + CLAUDE CODE CODEBOOK

**12 commands to build for your second brain**

Vin (Internet Vin) uses Obsidian and Claude Code together as a personal operating system. He built custom slash commands that let Claude Code read his entire vault, surface patterns across years of notes, and generate ideas he would never see on his own.

This guide breaks down 12 commands Vin demonstrated. Each one turns your notes into a different kind of thinking tool.

You can build all of them yourself.

Inside: the core setup, how to create commands, and 12 slash commands with example prompts.

Tools Referenced

The Setup

Claude Code can control your computer through natural language.

Obsidian stores your notes as interlinked markdown files.

Obsidian CLI connects them.

Once connected, Claude Code can see both your files AND the relationships between them. It knows that your note on filmmaking links to your note on world building. It can trace how an idea evolved over months. It can find patterns you missed.

**The key insight:** *The quality of context you feed the agent determines what it can do for you. Your vault is that context.*

How to Build These Commands

You don't need to code. You ask Claude Code to create the command for you.

**Example:**

Create a slash command called `/trace` that tracks how a specific idea has evolved over time across my Obsidian vault. It should:

1. Take a topic as input

2. Search the vault for all mentions of that topic

3. Use Obsidian CLI to follow backlinks and find related notes

4. Output a timeline showing when the idea first appeared, how it evolved, and what it's connected to now

Claude Code will generate the command and save it. Then you just type `/trace` to run it.

Start with one command. Test it. Refine the prompt if needed. Then build the next one.

The Commands

Each command is a different way to use your vault as a thinking partner.

1. `/context`

**What it does:** Loads your full life and work state into Claude Code. Projects, preferences, priorities, current focus.

**When to use it:** At the start of any session where you want the agent to know everything relevant about you.

**Prompt:**

Read my vault and summarize my current context. Include active projects, recent reflections, and any priorities I've mentioned in the last 7 days.

2. `/today`

**What it does:** Pulls your calendar, tasks, and daily notes into a prioritized plan for the day.

**When to use it:** Morning planning. When you're overwhelmed and need clarity on what matters.

**Prompt:**

Read my daily note, calendar, and task list. Generate a prioritized plan for today based on what I've said is important this week.

3. `/trace`

**What it does:** Tracks how a specific idea has evolved over time across your notes.

**When to use it:** When you want to see the arc of your thinking. When an idea keeps coming up and you want to understand why.

**Prompt:**

Trace the idea of [topic] across my vault. Show me when it first appeared, how it evolved, and what it's connected to now.

4. `/connect`

**What it does:** Bridges two domains using the link graph in your vault. Finds unexpected connections between topics.

**When to use it:** When you're stuck. When you suspect two ideas are related but can't see how.

**Prompt:**

Find connections between [topic A] and [topic B] in my vault. Show me the notes that link them and any patterns you see.

5. `/ghost`

**What it does:** Answers a question the way you would, based on your writing and stated beliefs.

**When to use it:** When you want to externalize your own thinking. When you need a draft response that sounds like you.

**Prompt:**

Based on my vault, how would I answer this question: [question]? Use my voice and reference specific notes where relevant.

6. `/challenge`

**What it does:** Pressure-tests your current beliefs. Finds contradictions or weak points in your thinking.

**When to use it:** Before making a big decision. When you want to stress-test an idea.

**Prompt:**

Review my notes on [topic]. Where am I contradicting myself? What assumptions am I making that might be wrong?

7. `/ideas`

**What it does:** Scans your vault and generates a full idea report. Tools to build, people to meet, subjects to investigate, things to write.

**When to use it:** When you want fresh ideas grounded in your actual interests and patterns.

**Prompt:**

Scan my vault for emerging patterns. Generate ideas for: tools I should build, people I should reach out to, topics I should investigate, and things I should write.

8. `/graduate`

**What it does:** Extracts undeveloped ideas from daily notes and promotes them into standalone files.

**When to use it:** Weekly review. When your daily notes are full of half-formed thoughts that deserve their own space.

**Prompt:**

Scan my daily notes from the past 14 days. Find ideas that deserve their own note. For each one, create a standalone file with the core claim, context, and connections to other notes.

9. `/closeday`

**What it does:** Captures what happened today and what you learned. The counterpart to `/today`.

**When to use it:** End of day. When you want to log progress and clear your head before tomorrow.

**Prompt:**

Review what I worked on today. Summarize progress, capture any new ideas that came up, and note anything unfinished that should carry over to tomorrow.

10. `/drift`

**What it does:** Surfaces loosely connected ideas that keep appearing across your notes without a clear thread.

**When to use it:** When you sense something emerging but can't name it. When you want to see what your subconscious is circling.

**Prompt:**

Scan my vault for recurring themes or phrases that appear across unrelated notes. What ideas am I drifting toward without realizing it?

11. `/emerge`

**What it does:** Identifies patterns that are starting to coalesce into something bigger.

**When to use it:** When you want to see what ideas are ready to become projects. When scattered thoughts are starting to cluster.

**Prompt:**

Find clusters of related ideas in my vault that could become a project, essay, or product. Show me what's emerging and what notes connect to it.

12. `/schedule`

**What it does:** Reads your priorities and calendar, then suggests how to allocate your time.

**When to use it:** Weekly planning. When you need to map your stated priorities to actual time blocks.

**Prompt:**

Based on my current projects and priorities, suggest a schedule for this week. Flag any conflicts between what I say matters and how I'm spending time.

Final Note

Start by writing daily. **The commands only work if your vault has context.**

Pick one command from this list. Ask Claude Code to build it. Run it. See what surfaces. Refine the prompt if needed, then build the next one.

The more you write, the more the agent can do for you.

Want To Learn More?

Follow Vin on X and YouTube. Explore his site at [internetvin.com](https://internetvin.com).

"The quality of information that the agent has entirely determines what it can do for you. If it doesn't know a lot about you, it's not going to be able to do a lot for you."

>

— Internet Vin

using Obsidian + Claude Code