Obsidian vault integration: import vault notes into workspace memory + wikilink-aware dashboard rendering

[umi-appcoder]

Summary

Let a workspace connect to an Obsidian vault (a folder of markdown notes with YAML frontmatter and [[wikilinks]]) so notes flow into the workspace memory system and render nicely in the dashboard. Obsidian vaults are just plain markdown on disk, so this is very feasible — most of the machinery already exists in the repo.

Why

• The memory subsystem already syncs Claude's file-based markdown memory (frontmatter + [[wikilinks]]) into SQLite via charts/workspace/memory/sync.py. An Obsidian vault is the same shape — user-authored instead of agent-authored.
• Users keep durable personal/project knowledge in Obsidian; agents in the workspace should be able to search and cite it (via the existing memory_search MCP tool + auto-injection hook) without copy-pasting.
• The dashboard already has a Files tab, a docs viewer, and marked-based markdown rendering — wikilink-aware rendering is a small delta.

Existing building blocks

Piece	Where	Relevance
File→SQLite memory sync (frontmatter parse, mtime fingerprint, namespacing, tags)	charts/workspace/memory/sync.py	~70% of the vault importer already written
SQLite store + embeddings + memory_search MCP	charts/workspace/memory/, mcp_memory.py	vault notes become searchable by all agents
Markdown rendering (marked)	dashboard web (charts/workspace/web/)	render notes; add wikilink resolution
Files route	web/src/routes/files/	browse the vault
Prompt auto-injection hook	memory_inject_hook.py	relevant vault notes surface in agent prompts automatically

Proposed scope

Phase 1 — vault import (MVP)

• Vault location convention: /home/dev/vault by default, overridable (env var / values.yaml / Settings). Users get content there however they like — typically git clone of a vault repo (Obsidian's git plugin is the standard headless sync path; Obsidian Sync is proprietary and not reachable headlessly).
• Extend memory/sync.py (or a sibling vault_sync.py reusing its scanner) to import vault notes:
  • namespace vault.<relative-path-slug>, tags auto-imported,obsidian-vault
  • parse Obsidian YAML frontmatter (tags, aliases) into entry tags
  • one-way (vault → SQLite), mtime-fingerprinted like the existing sync; vault files stay canonical
  • skip .obsidian/, templates, and honor a size cap per note
• Notes then automatically become searchable via memory_search and eligible for prompt auto-injection.

Phase 2 — dashboard UX

• Wikilink-aware markdown rendering: [[Note Name]] resolves to the target note (Files tab viewer + Memory tab detail).
• Vault section/filter in the Memory tab (filter by the obsidian-vault tag) and a "Vault" entry point in Files.
• Settings card: vault path + sync on/off + last-sync status.

Stretch (separate follow-up issues, not this one)

• Two-way: export workspace memories as Obsidian-formatted notes into the vault (agent knowledge visible in the user's own Obsidian app).
• Graph view of wikilink structure.
• Periodic git pull/push of the vault repo.

Non-goals

• Obsidian Sync (proprietary protocol) — git is the sync transport.
• Running the Obsidian desktop app in the workspace (possible via VNC but heavy; not needed since vaults are plain files).
• Obsidian plugin compatibility (Dataview queries etc.) — render as plain markdown.

Acceptance criteria

• With a vault at /home/dev/vault, notes appear in the dashboard Memory tab (tagged obsidian-vault) within one sync interval.
• memory_search from any agent harness returns vault content.
• Editing a note re-imports it; deleting it removes/tombstones the entry.
• Wikilinks in the dashboard viewer navigate to the linked note.
• No vault → existing behavior unchanged.

[umi-appcoder]

Moved to the ideas parking lot: #591.

Not rejected, and the implementation path stays clear — memory/sync.py already syncs exactly this shape (markdown + frontmatter + [[wikilinks]]) for Claude's own file-based memory. Parked only because nobody has asked for it. Promote the moment someone does.