My Obsidian And Gemini CLI Wor

Overcoming ADHD with Systemization #

• Traditional "Second Brain" systems often fail for individuals with ADHD due to the friction of manual maintenance and organization.
• The goal is to move from a system that requires manual upkeep to a system that "builds itself" through automation.
• Centralizing decision-making and folder management into CLI tools reduces cognitive load.

The Gemini CLI in Obsidian #

• The workflow utilizes a terminal integrated directly into Obsidian to interact with Google’s Gemini API.
• A custom CLI tool (written in Go) allows for piping text from the vault into the AI and receiving structured output.
• This approach favors "Unix philosophy" (small, modular tools) over monolithic AI plugins.

Centralized "Skills" via Dotfiles #

• Instead of scattered prompts, the creator uses a central "skills" directory within their dotfiles (~/.config/genai/skills).
• Each skill is a markdown file containing a specific System Prompt (e.g., structure.md, summarize.md).
• This architecture allows the same AI prompts to be used across different projects, directories, and editors, not just within Obsidian.
• Versioning prompts in a git-controlled dotfile repo ensures consistency and portability.

Automated Folder Structure and Organization #

• The structure skill analyzes a list of filenames or messy notes and suggests a logical folder hierarchy.
• The CLI can take the output of an ls command and pipe it to Gemini to generate mkdir and mv commands, automating the cleanup of a cluttered vault.
• This solves the "blank page" problem and the "where do I put this" anxiety common in PKM (Personal Knowledge Management).

Managing Daily Notes and "Interstitials" #

• The workflow highlights the use of "Interstitial Journaling" throughout the day to track progress and context switches.
• At the end of the day, the AI processes these raw logs to extract key themes, achievements, and tasks for the next day.
• This transforms a chaotic stream of consciousness into a structured daily summary without manual effort.

Scalable Agent Workflow #

• By treating AI interactions as CLI commands, the user can chain operations together (e.g., fetch web content -> summarize -> file into Obsidian folder).
• The workflow supports a "Human-in-the-loop" model where the AI proposes a file structure or summary, and the user approves it before the file system is modified.
• This setup prepares the vault for future "agentic" workflows where the AI can autonomously maintain the knowledge base as it grows.

Summary #

The video outlines a high-efficiency Obsidian workflow designed for users who struggle with the manual overhead of personal knowledge management. By integrating a custom Gemini CLI tool and centralizing "AI Skills" in system dotfiles, the creator automates folder organization, daily note summarization, and metadata management. This "Unix-style" approach moves away from rigid plugins in favor of a modular, scriptable system that reduces friction, handles the heavy lifting of organization, and ensures the "Second Brain" evolves automatically with minimal human intervention.