How to Use Claude with Obsidian: 5 Ways, Free and Paid

Claude can't see your Obsidian vault until you connect it. Claude on the web and in its apps only sees the files you upload to a chat. To use Claude on your notes, run Claude inside Obsidian with a plugin, or give a Claude app your vault folder.

There are five ways to do it:

1. Run Claude Code inside Obsidian. A free plugin puts it in a chat pane next to your notes. It runs on your paid Claude plan.
2. Start Claude Code in your vault folder. The same agent, in a terminal or the Claude desktop app, outside Obsidian.
3. Give Claude Desktop your vault with an MCP server. Works on every Claude plan, including Free.
4. Connect your vault folder to Cowork. Claude's agent for everyday work, on paid plans.
5. Add a Claude API key to a plugin. You pay per use instead of a monthly plan.

We make SystemSculpt, one of the plugins below, so this guide names the free alternatives too. Anthropic facts checked November 3, 2026, against Claude's help center and pricing page; SystemSculpt steps match version 6.18.10.

Which way fits

Claude Code is included in every paid Claude plan; Pro is $20 a month billed monthly. It is not part of the Free plan.

1. Run Claude Code inside Obsidian

An Obsidian vault is a folder of Markdown files. Claude Code reads, searches and edits files in the folder it starts in, so it can work on your notes with no extra setup.

What you need:

• Obsidian on desktop. Claude Code runs on your computer, so this works on Mac, Windows and Linux, not on a phone.
• Claude Code, installed and signed in. If you have never signed in, run claude in a terminal and type /login.
• SystemSculpt 6.13 or later, from Obsidian's Community plugins.

Set it up in 4 steps:

1. Install SystemSculpt. In Obsidian, open Settings, then Community plugins. If you see Turn on community plugins, select it first. Select Browse, search for SystemSculpt, then select Install and Enable. Or open the SystemSculpt page in the Obsidian plugin directory. Claude Code doesn't need a SystemSculpt account, so on the welcome screen you can choose Explore on my own.

2. Open chat. Select the chat icon in the left ribbon (Open chat), or run SystemSculpt AI: Open chat from the command palette.

3. Choose Claude Code. In the run line below the message box, choose Claude Code. If it shows as not signed in, run claude in a terminal, type /login, then choose Detect again.

4. Pick a mode and ask. Plan only reads and plans, and changes nothing until you approve the plan. Ask before edits asks before every edit and command. Accept edits edits notes without asking but asks before commands. Auto runs safe actions without asking, and Claude Code's safety check blocks risky ones. Claude Code settings uses the permission rules you already set. Type @, pick a note and ask something you can check, such as "List the decisions in this note."

Each chat is saved as a Markdown note in your vault. The Claude Code in Obsidian guide covers models, permissions and what stays on your machine.

Claudian, Agent Client and Copilot run Claude Code too, and are free to install. Our comparison of Obsidian AI plugins lays out the differences.

2. Start Claude Code in your vault folder

You don't need Obsidian open for Claude Code to work on your notes. In a terminal:

cd ~/path/to/your-vault
claude

Or open the vault folder in the Claude desktop app's Claude Code view. Claude Code edits the files directly, and Obsidian shows the changes. What you miss outside Obsidian is the app itself: the note you have open, its search and its commands.

Obsidian keeps app settings in a hidden .obsidian folder inside the vault. Ask Claude Code to leave it alone unless you mean to change Obsidian's settings.

3. Give Claude Desktop your vault with an MCP server

An MCP server lets an AI app use outside tools, such as reading and writing files. Claude Desktop can run one on your computer, and Anthropic's help says desktop extensions, which run local MCP servers, are available to all Claude Desktop users. That makes this the free route.

Two common options:

• The filesystem server gives Claude Desktop read and write access to the folders you list, without Obsidian running.
• The Local REST API plugin adds an MCP server inside Obsidian, so Claude can also use Obsidian's search and the note you have open.

A custom connector added by URL runs in Anthropic's cloud, so it can't reach a vault on your computer. Obsidian doesn't publish an official Claude connector. Our Obsidian MCP server guide has the config and setup for both options.

4. Connect your vault folder to Cowork

Cowork is Claude's agent for everyday work, on paid plans. It sees no files until you connect a folder; it asks the first time you want it to work with files. Connect your vault folder, then ask Cowork to work on your notes.

Since October 6, 2026, new Cowork tasks on Pro, Max and Ultra run in Anthropic's cloud. Your folders stay on your computer, and Claude reaches a connected folder through the desktop app, only while it's open. Anthropic points people who want tasks to run only on their own computer to Claude Code.

5. Add a Claude API key to a plugin

An API key from the Claude Console is billed per use, separately from a Claude subscription. Several free plugins take one:

• Text Generator runs prompt templates on your notes.
• Smart Composer chats with notes you pick with @ and suggests edits. It is no longer actively developed.
• Copilot chats with your vault on its free plan with your own key.

Claude Code can use the key too. If an ANTHROPIC_API_KEY variable is set on your computer, Claude Code uses it instead of your subscription, and you pay API prices. Before you sync or share your vault, check where each plugin keeps the key.

Bring your Claude chats into Obsidian

To keep past conversations as notes, export them from Claude: Settings, Privacy, Export data, then download the zip from the email. Our free chat export converter turns a Claude or ChatGPT export into one Markdown note per conversation. The file is converted in your browser and not uploaded.

AI on your phone and hosted features

Claude Code runs on desktop only. On Obsidian for iPhone or Android, SystemSculpt's chat uses its hosted AI instead. Hosted AI also powers transcription, related notes and PDF conversion.

Eligible new SystemSculpt accounts get 500 one-time starter credits with no card. After that it costs $9 a month or $90 a year. Running your own Claude Code in SystemSculpt stays free.

What leaves your computer

Claude Code, Claude Desktop and Cowork send what they read to Anthropic through your account, under Anthropic's terms. An API key plugin sends the notes it uses to Anthropic the same way. SystemSculpt's hosted AI goes through SystemSculpt's server, a model-routing service and model providers; the privacy policy has the details. Before you point any of these at private notes, pick a mode that asks first.

Questions

Is there an official Claude plugin for Obsidian? No. Neither Anthropic nor Obsidian publishes one. Community plugins bring Claude in: SystemSculpt, Claudian, Agent Client and Copilot run Claude Code on your Claude plan, and Text Generator, Smart Composer and Copilot take an API key.

Can I use my Claude Pro subscription in Obsidian? Yes, through Claude Code. Sign Claude Code in with your Claude account, then choose it in a plugin such as SystemSculpt. It uses your plan's limits, with no API key.

Can Claude read my Obsidian vault? Not Claude on the web on its own. Claude Code can, inside Obsidian or in your vault folder. Claude Desktop can through a local MCP server, and Cowork can once you connect the folder.

Is it free? The plugins are free. The AI runs on your Claude plan, your API key, or hosted credits. On the Free Claude plan, Claude Desktop with a local MCP server costs nothing.

Do I need an MCP server for Claude Code? No. Claude Code works on the vault's files directly. Add one only if you want Obsidian's own search and commands.

Install SystemSculpt free from the Obsidian plugin directory, or compare its plans if you want hosted AI.

Sources

Checked November 3, 2026.

• Anthropic: Claude Code with your Pro, Max or Ultra plan, plans and pricing, connectors, Cowork on web, desktop and mobile, get started with Cowork
• MCP: Connect to local MCP servers, Local REST API
• Plugin facts: Best Obsidian AI plugins in 2026, checked November 2, 2026
• SystemSculpt: Choose your AI, chat workspace guide, pricing, privacy policy