.md Notetaking
Markdown-based notes are the perfect companion for Copilot CLI - and we recommend Obsidian as the tool to manage them.
⏱️ Estimated time: 5 minutes
Why Markdown Notetaking?
Copilot CLI works with files on your machine. If your notes are plain .md files in a folder, Copilot can read, search, create, and update them - no plugins, no APIs, no special integration. That’s why we recommend a markdown-based notetaking app.
Why We Chose Obsidian
Obsidian is a local-first markdown note-taking app. Your notes live in a vault, which is just a regular folder of .md files on your computer. No cloud account required, no proprietary format - just plain text files organized however you like.
What a Vault Looks Like
A vault is just a folder. You organize it however makes sense to you - by project, by date, by topic. Here’s a typical structure:
My-Vault/
├── Daily/
│ ├── 2026-03-27.md
│ └── 2026-03-28.md
├── Projects/
│ ├── Project-Alpha.md
│ └── Architecture-Decisions.md
├── Meeting-Notes/
│ └── 2026-03-27-Sprint-Review.md
└── Templates/
└── meeting-template.md
There’s no magic here - every note is a .md file, every folder is a regular directory. That’s exactly what makes it so powerful with Copilot CLI. You can say “read everything in my Meeting-Notes folder” and it just works.
Key Obsidian Features That Matter
Obsidian isn’t just a text editor - it has a few features that turn a pile of markdown files into a connected knowledge system:
[[Links]] - You link notes together with [[double brackets]]. This creates a web of connected knowledge rather than isolated documents. When you write [[Project-Alpha]] in your meeting notes, Obsidian creates a clickable connection between the two - and Copilot can follow these references to understand how your ideas relate.
Tags - Use #tags to categorize notes (e.g., #architecture, #decision, #follow-up). Tags make it easy to find and filter notes later, and Copilot can search for them across your entire vault.
Graph View - Obsidian can visualize your notes as an interactive graph of connections. Nodes are notes, edges are links between them. It’s a genuinely beautiful way to see how your knowledge connects - and often reveals relationships you didn’t realize were there.
Everything is plain text - Your notes are standard markdown files on your filesystem. No vendor lock-in, no proprietary database, no subscription required to access your own writing. If you stop using Obsidian tomorrow, your notes are still right there as .md files.
Why It’s Great for Knowledge Management
Here’s the real unlock: Obsidian gives your knowledge structure, and Copilot CLI gives it intelligence.
Build a personal knowledge base that Copilot can search, summarize, and enrich. Meeting notes, architecture decisions, code snippets, project context - all in one searchable place. Since everything is just markdown files in a folder, Copilot CLI can read, create, update, and search them naturally without any plugins or APIs. Ask it to pull insights across dozens of notes, draft a new document from existing context, or connect ideas you hadn’t linked yet. It’s the difference between having notes and using them.
Why It Works So Well with Copilot CLI
Copilot CLI can read and write any file on your machine. Since an Obsidian vault is just a folder of markdown files, Copilot can:
- Search your notes - “Find all notes mentioning Project Alpha”
- Summarize content - “Summarize the key decisions from my meeting-notes folder”
- Create new notes - “Create a note in my vault called ‘Architecture Decisions’ with…”
- Update existing notes - “Add a section to my onboarding.md with the setup steps we just discussed”
No plugins or special configuration needed. Just point Copilot at your vault folder.
Getting Started
1. Install Obsidian
Download from obsidian.md - it’s free for personal use. Create a vault in a folder you can easily find (e.g., ~/Documents/Notes).
2. Use Copilot CLI with Your Vault
Open Copilot CLI and reference files in your vault by path. For example:
Summarize all the markdown files in ~/Documents/Notes/projects/
Create a new note at ~/Documents/Notes/workshop-recap.md summarizing what I learned today
Search my vault at ~/Documents/Notes for anything related to "API design" and list the key points
You can use the
git-exploreskill (Module 4) to deeply analyze any folder - including your Obsidian vault - and produce a structured summary.
Alternatives
Obsidian is just one option. Any markdown-based note system works the same way since Copilot CLI operates on plain files. Logseq, a plain folder of .md files, or even VS Code with markdown files all work. The key insight: if it’s a file on disk, Copilot CLI can work with it.
🎯 Try it yourself: Point Copilot CLI at a folder of markdown files (your Obsidian vault or any notes folder) and ask: “Read through these notes and create a summary of the main topics covered.”