Obsidian vault

LocalChat can connect to an Obsidian vault and turn your notes into searchable memory. Point it at a vault folder and it scans the Markdown files, follows the links between them, and indexes everything on your Mac.

Once connected, you can ask questions against years of notes: "What did I decide about pricing last spring?" or "Summarize my notes on the Meridian project."

How it works

Obsidian stores notes as plain Markdown files in a folder (the vault). LocalChat reads that folder directly:

  1. It scans every Markdown file in the vault
  2. It follows [[wikilinks]] between notes to understand how they connect
  3. It builds a local index so the AI can search the content

The index lives on your Mac. Your notes never leave your machine, and LocalChat never modifies the vault - it only reads.

Connect a vault

  1. Open LocalChat
  2. Add your vault folder as a knowledge source (drag the vault folder in, or pick it from the file browser)
  3. Wait for the initial scan to finish

Scan time depends on vault size. A few hundred notes index quickly; several thousand take a bit longer the first time.

Ask questions about your notes

After indexing, ask in plain language:

  • "What are my notes on client onboarding?"
  • "Find everything I wrote about the March board meeting"
  • "Summarize my reading notes on negotiation"
  • "Which notes link to my 'Ideas' note?"

The AI searches the index, pulls the relevant notes, and answers from them.

What gets indexed

  • Markdown files (.md) in the vault
  • Text content, headings, and links between notes

Attachments like images and PDFs inside the vault aren't part of the note index. To work with those, attach them to a chat directly or add them to a project.

Keeping the index current

When you add or edit notes in Obsidian, LocalChat picks up the changes and refreshes its index. If answers seem out of date, re-scan the vault from the knowledge source settings.

Tips for better answers

  • Ask about topics, not filenames - The index searches content, so describe what you're looking for
  • Use follow-ups - Start broad ("what do my notes say about hiring?") and narrow down
  • Keep notes in Markdown - Content in other formats inside the vault won't be searchable

Privacy

The vault index is stored locally and built locally. No note content is sent anywhere. Disconnecting the vault removes the index from LocalChat; your Obsidian files are never touched.