Integrating Claude Code with Obsidian: Claudian Plugin Installation & Configuration Guide

You will learn:

• How to manually install the Claudian plugin into Obsidian
• Configuring the Claude Code executable path
• Methods to use Claude Code within Obsidian
• Troubleshooting common issues
• Best practices and usage tips

What is the Claudian Plugin?

Claudian is an Obsidian community plugin that integrates the Claude Code CLI tool into the Obsidian interface. With Claudian, you can invoke Claude Code directly while editing notes for AI-assisted writing, code generation, content rewriting, and more, without switching between the terminal and Obsidian. The plugin supports context awareness, understanding current note content to provide relevant suggestions.

Obsidian’s powerful plugin ecosystem allows us to build it into a personalized second brain. With the release of Claude Code, bringing this powerful AI programming and text assistant into Obsidian has become especially important. This article details how to seamlessly integrate Claude Code’s capabilities into your Obsidian workflow via the Claudian plugin.

Preparation

Before starting, ensure you have completed the following:

1. Install Obsidian: Obsidian is installed and a vault is configured locally.
2. Install Claude Code: Ensure Claude Code is installed and logged in on your system terminal.
   • You can verify this by running claude --version in the terminal.
   • If not installed, refer to Anthropic’s official documentation for installation (usually npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code).

1. Download Plugin Files

Since the Claudian plugin may not yet be available in the official Obsidian community plugin store, we need to install it manually. You need to download the following necessary files from the GitHub project’s Releases page (or channels provided by the developer):

• main.js
• manifest.json
• styles.css (if available)

2. Create Plugin Folder

Manual installation requires placing files in a specific hidden directory within your Obsidian vault.

1. Open the folder containing your Obsidian vault.
2. Navigate to the .obsidian -> plugins directory.
   • Note: .obsidian is usually a hidden folder. On Mac, use Cmd + Shift + . to show hidden files.
3. Inside the plugins directory, create a new folder named claudian.

The final path structure should look like this:

/path/to/your/vault/.obsidian/plugins/claudian/
├── main.js
├── manifest.json
└── styles.css

3. Import and Enable Plugin

1. Copy and paste the downloaded files (main.js, manifest.json, etc.) into the claudian folder you just created.
2. Return to the Obsidian software interface.
3. Click the Settings icon in the bottom left corner.
4. Select Community plugins from the left menu.
5. Click the Reload plugins button (usually at the top or side of the installed plugins list).
6. Find the Claudian plugin in the list and click the toggle switch on the right to Enable it.

Tip: If you don’t see it in the list, try restarting Obsidian.

4. Configure Claude Code Path

After enabling the plugin, you need to tell it where your Claude Code executable is located.

1. Get Claude Code Path: Open your terminal and enter the following command:

   which claude

   The terminal will return a path, e.g., /opt/homebrew/bin/claude or /usr/local/bin/claude. Copy this path.

2. Configure Plugin:

   • In Obsidian settings page, scroll down the left menu to find Claudian plugin settings.
   • Paste the copied path into the Client Path (or similarly named) input box.
   • Save settings.

5. Usage Experience

Once configured, you can call Claude Code directly in Obsidian.

Basic Usage

1. Open any note or create a new one.
2. Open the command palette (Cmd + P or Ctrl + P).
3. Type Claudian-related command keywords (specifics depend on plugin features, typically “Chat”, “Ask”, or “Code”).
4. Experience the fluidity of conversing with Claude, generating code, or optimizing text directly within your notes.

Practical Scenarios

Scenario 1: AI Assisted Writing

• Select a paragraph of draft text
• Open command palette → “Claudian: Improve Writing”
• Claude rewrites and optimizes the text

Scenario 2: Code Generation

• Describe requirements in a code block
• Open command palette → “Claudian: Generate Code”
• Claude generates complete code implementation

Scenario 3: Content Summarization

• Select long text
• Open command palette → “Claudian: Summarize”
• Get a concise summary

Scenario 4: Q&A Chat

• Open command palette → “Claudian: Chat”
• Ask questions in the chat box, Claude understands current note context

Troubleshooting

Issue 1: Claudian not visible in plugin list

Symptom: After following steps, Claudian is not found in the community plugins list.

Solution:

# 1. Confirm files are placed correctly
ls ~/.obsidian/plugins/claudian/
# Should see: main.js, manifest.json, styles.css (if any)

# 2. Confirm manifest.json format is correct
cat ~/.obsidian/plugins/claudian/manifest.json | python3 -m json.tool

# 3. Restart Obsidian (Quit completely and reopen)

# 4. Check Obsidian version (newer version required)
# Settings → About → Check version number

Issue 2: Plugin enabled but unusable

Symptom: Plugin shows as enabled, but Claudian commands are missing from command palette.

Solution:

# 1. Confirm Claude Code path configuration is correct
which claude
# Copy output path to plugin settings

# 2. Test if Claude Code works
claude --version

# 3. Check path in plugin settings
# Obsidian Settings → Claudian → Client Path
# Should contain: /opt/homebrew/bin/claude (Example)

# 4. Check Obsidian Developer Console
# Press Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I
# Check Console tab for error messages

Issue 3: “Claude Code not found” error

Symptom: Prompt saying Claude Code not found when using plugin.

Solution:

# 1. Verify Claude Code is installed
which claude

# 2. If not installed, install Claude Code first
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
# Or refer to official docs

# 3. Confirm path configuration is absolute
# ✅ Correct: /opt/homebrew/bin/claude
# ❌ Incorrect: claude (Relative path won't work)
# ❌ Incorrect: ~/bin/claude (Tilde might not be recognized)

# 4. Use full absolute path
readlink -f $(which claude)  # Linux
realpath $(which claude)     # Mac

FAQ

Q1: Is the Claudian plugin free?

A: The Claudian plugin itself is a free open-source project. However, using Claude Code requires:

• Free Tier: Limited usage quota
• Claude Pro: $20/month, higher limits and more features

The plugin is just an interface tool; actual costs depend on your Claude Code subscription.

Q2: Does Claudian upload my note content?

A: Depends on how you use it:

• Local Context Only: If chatting locally only, data is not uploaded.
• Calling Claude API: When using AI features, selected text is sent to Anthropic servers for processing.

Recommend checking Anthropic Privacy Policy for details. Use AI features cautiously with sensitive content.

Q3: Can I customize Claudian shortcuts?

A: Yes. In Obsidian settings:

1. Settings → Hotkeys
2. Search “Claudian”
3. Assign hotkeys to common commands

Recommended settings:

• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + C: Open Claudian chat
• Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + I: Improve selected text

Q4: Does Claudian support multiple languages?

A: Yes. Claude Code itself natively supports multiple languages, and Claudian inherits this capability. You can:

• Ask in Chinese, get Chinese reply
• Ask in English, get English reply
• Mix multiple languages

Q5: How to update the Claudian plugin?

A: Manually installed plugins need manual updates:

# 1. Visit GitHub to download latest version files
# 2. Replace files in ~/.obsidian/plugins/claudian/ directory
# 3. Restart Obsidian

# In the future, if listed in official store, automatic updates will be available

Q6: Difference between Claudian and Copilot / ChatGPT plugins?

A: Main differences:

Choice depends on primary use: Claudian for writing, Copilot for pure coding.

Q7: Can I use Claudian on mobile Obsidian?

A: Not currently supported. Claudian relies on the locally installed Claude Code CLI, and mobile Obsidian cannot run command-line tools. This feature is limited to desktop versions (Windows/Mac/Linux).

Usage Tips

Tip 1: Create Template Commands

Create common Claudian command templates in Obsidian’s Templater plugin:

---
claudian_command: "Summarize the core points of this note"
---

Tip 2: Combine with Dataview

Use Dataview plugin to filter notes needing AI processing:

TABLE claudian_command as "AI Task"
FROM #needs-processing
WHERE claudian_command

Tip 3: Batch Processing

Select multiple notes and use Claudian to batch execute the same task (e.g., generate summaries, translate, etc.).

Related Tutorials

Want to boost Obsidian’s AI capabilities further? Recommended reading:

• Obsidian Canvas Automation Guide - Auto-generate knowledge graphs
• Claude Code Skills Complete Guide - Understand Skills modular extension
• Claude Agent SDK Tutorial - Build custom AI Agent workflow
• OpenCode Installation Guide - Another powerful AI coding CLI tool