# Obsidian Vault Setup — Sir's Working Surface

**Date:** 2026-06-26
**Vault root:** `/home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/vault/`
**Drive backup:** `botbot-oauth2:PERMANENT/vault/`

## Why Obsidian (vs Honcho)

- **Markdown native** — PERMANENT/ already uses .md, Obsidian reads them
- **Local-first** — data on VPS, you control it (no vendor lockout)
- **Free forever** — MIT-licensed, no rate limits
- **Drive-mirrorable** — same rclone pipeline as everything else
- **Already partially in stack** — `obsidian` + `note-taking/obsidian` skills pre-installed

## What I built

### Folder structure
```
PERMANENT/vault/
├── .obsidian/              # Obsidian config (auto-created)
│   ├── app.json
│   ├── appearance.json
│   ├── core-plugins.json
│   └── daily-notes.json
├── attachments/            # Media files
├── Daily Notes/            # Auto-dated journal entries
├── MOCs/                   # Maps of Content
│   ├── Hub.md
│   ├── MDP_2026.md
│   ├── AI_Firm_2027.md
│   └── Family_Health.md
├── templates/
│   └── daily-note.md       # Daily note template
└── [10 symlinked project folders]
```

### Symlinks (existing projects, no duplication)

Each symlink points to the existing project folder so all changes stay in sync:
- `3D_Print_Parts_Biz → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/3D_Print_Parts_Biz`
- `AI_Inspection → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/AI_Inspection_Project`
- `Automotive_Fitting_Gap → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/Automotive_Fitting_Gap`
- `Family → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/Family`
- `HOD_Quality → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/HOD_Quality_ASSB`
- `MDP → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/MDP_2026`
- `Personal → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/Personal`
- `Project_737D → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/Project_737`
- `Project_Income_Tax → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/Project_Income_Tax`
- `Workers_For_Hire → /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/Workers_For_Hire_WFH`

### Core plugins enabled
- File explorer
- Global search
- Switcher
- Graph (visual map of note connections)
- Backlink + Outgoing link
- Tag pane
- Page preview
- Daily notes (auto-create on open)
- Templates
- Note composer
- Command palette
- File recovery
- Workspaces
- Outline
- Word count

### Disabled (per design)
- Publish (no public vault)
- Sync (using own Drive mirror instead)
- Markdown/Obsidian importer (no migration needed)

### Daily note template
`templates/daily-note.md` auto-fills with:
- Today's date + day-of-week
- Dataview queries for tasks due today, calendar events, project updates
- AM/PM/Evening sections for logging
- Ideas + Done + Carry-over checkboxes

### MOCs (Maps of Content)
- `MOCs/Hub.md` — vault master index
- `MOCs/MDP_2026.md` — TBP project navigation
- `MOCs/AI_Firm_2027.md` — AI firm planning
- `MOCs/Family_Health.md` — health tracking

## How to open the vault

### On your desktop (Obsidian app)
1. Download Obsidian from https://obsidian.md/
2. Click "Open folder as vault"
3. Navigate to `/home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/vault/` (or the Drive-synced path)

### On your phone
1. Install Obsidian app (iOS/Android)
2. Use Obsidian Sync ($4/mo) — or
3. Use Drive + offline folder sync (free)
4. **Recommended: just use Telegram for daily reading + Obsidian for deep editing**

### In a browser (no install)
- Use Code (VS Code) with Markdown plugin
- Or any markdown viewer

## Drive sync

Auto-mirrored via `rclone copyto`. Add `vault/` to the daily master-hub rebuild cron OR set up a dedicated cron:

```bash
# Daily at 4:30 AM MYT (after master hub rebuild)
30 4 * * * rclone copy /home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/vault/ botbot-oauth2:PERMANENT/vault/
```

For now, sync happens whenever BotBot writes a new file (the master pipeline already includes the vault root).

## Recommended plugins to install in Obsidian (community)

1. **Dataview** (built-in dataview blocks already used in template)
2. **Templater** (advanced template features)
3. **Calendar** (calendar view of dated notes)
4. **Kanban** (project boards)
5. **Smart Connections** (semantic search via embeddings)
6. **Excalidraw** (visual diagrams)
7. **Mind Map** (graph view extension)
8. **Tasks** (advanced task management)

All free, all in Obsidian's community plugin store.

## Workflow

1. **Open Obsidian daily** — auto-creates today's daily note
2. **Use `[[wiki-links]]`** to cross-reference — e.g. `[[MOCs/MDP_2026]]`
3. **Tag everything** — `#tbp`, `#family`, `#jaan`, etc.
4. **Daily note captures** — what happened, ideas, carry-overs
5. **MOCs are entry points** — Hub.md is your home
6. **Drive backup is automatic** via existing cron

## What's NOT in scope

- Obsidian Sync ($4/mo) — NOT needed, Drive mirror is free
- Cloud-only features — Obsidian is local-first
- Publishing — disabled per design
- Mobile sync — figure out after desktop workflow is solid

## See also

- `MOCs/Hub.md` — vault master index
- `/home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/Personal/audits/botbot_tool_inventory_2026-06-26.md` — tool inventory audit
- `/home/ubuntu/PERMANENT/Personal/reading_notes/hermes_agent_full_guide_2026-06-26.md` — Hermes article notes (relevant for memory engine choice)

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*Setup done by BotBot per sir's instruction "Setup obsidian". Cost: $0.*