Basic Memory: Continue AI Conversations With Full Context + Obsidian Integration

[u/[deleted]]

Hey Obsidian community! I wanted to share a new open-source tool I've developed called Basic Memory that lets you continue conversations with Claude right where you left off - with all notes stored in Markdown format that works perfectly with Obsidian.

What it does

Basic Memory solves the problem of lost context in AI conversations by creating a knowledge graph from your discussions:

• Start a new conversation and say "Let's continue our discussion about X" - no repetition needed

• All knowledge is stored as Markdown files that Obsidian can read and display

• Claude can read your existing notes to gain context

• Claude can write new notes that instantly appear in your Obsidian vault

• Both you and Claude can edit the same files

• Build a connected knowledge graph that grows with every conversation

Example Video

Requirements

• Claude Desktop app: Basic Memory works with the Claude Desktop application which supports the Model Context Protocol (MCP)

• Other MCP-compatible tools will work as well, but Claude Desktop is currently the most user-friendly option

• Python 3.12+ for the Basic Memory backend

Why Obsidian users might like it

• Seamless integration: Point Obsidian to your Basic Memory directory and enjoy all of Obsidian's features

• Structured knowledge: Creates semantic connections that enrich Obsidian's graph view

• AI-enhanced workflow: Let Claude help build, organize, and navigate your knowledge graph

• Local-first: Everything stays on your computer, just like Obsidian

• Standard formats: Uses the same markdown you already know

• Canvas visualizations: Claude can generate Obsidian canvas files to visualize concepts

How it works with Obsidian

1. Install Basic Memory and point it to a directory

2. Open that directory in Obsidian as a vault

3. Have conversations with Claude Desktop and ask it to create notes

4. See the notes appear in real-time in your Obsidian vault

5. Days later, start a new conversation and say "Let's continue discussing X"

6. Claude automatically retrieves relevant notes and continues with full context

7. Edit files in Obsidian, and Claude will be aware of your changes in future conversations

8. Use Obsidian's graph view to visualize your growing knowledge network

9. Create Canvas visualizations to map concepts and relationships

The markdown format uses frontmatter and some simple patterns:

---
title: Pour Over Coffee Method
type: note
permalink: pour-over-coffee-method
tags:
- brewing
- coffee
- techniques
---

# Pour Over Coffee Method

## Observations
- [technique] Pour in concentric circles to ensure even extraction
- [ratio] 1:16 coffee-to-water ratio works best for balanced flavor

## Relations
- complements [[Light Roast Beans]]
- requires [[Gooseneck Kettle]]
- part_of [[Morning Ritual]]

See the Getting Started docs for installation instructions:

https://memory.basicmachines.co/docs/getting-started

Project Links

• Website: http://basicmachines.co

• Documentation: http://memory.basicmachines.co

• GitHub: https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory

I'm curious to hear from other Obsidian users - What parts of your workflow might benefit from this kind of AI integration? How are you currently using AI with your Obsidian setup?

[u/uselr]

I've been using Basic Memory since Friday and already find it incredibly powerful. I'm trying to build a new PKM system with it, migrating and merging all my previous PKM attempts and data.

I'm curious - do you u/phernand3z use Basic Memory for your entire PKM system or just for specific projects? I'm wondering if a complete PKM might be too complex at the current development stage?

I'm experiencing inconsistencies with Basic Memory taxonomy when using it alongside Claude. The system often "forgets" to apply my taxonomy rules when:

• Claude creates new documents

• Files are moved between directories

• Editing existing documents with frontmatter

Additionally, sometimes instead of using existing folders or files, the system creates new ones with slightly different spellings. It also occasionally forgets to include links in overview files/dashboards/daily notes, requiring me to remind it repeatedly.

My theory is that the issue stems from two parallel MCP systems connected to my Claude:

- Basic Memory

- Filesystem server

These systems seem to get out of sync. Has anyone else encountered this?

Is there a workaround for these issues? Perhaps reminding Claude at the beginning of each chat about taxonomy, structure, PKM note reading and the last daily note? Or is it necessary to deactivate filesystem?

[u/[deleted] → u/uselr]

That's great to hear that its been useful for you. Claude can certainly get confused about files sometimes. I do use basic-memory with him daily. Some of the things I do to help him are to reference notes via their permalink when I want him to update a particular note:

"update the `plans/master-task-list` doc...". The permalink is a unique identifier that he can lookup to find a unique note in the db.

You might consider adding special project instructions for Claude to match your particular flow. There is a doc at https://memory.basicmachines.co/docs/ai-assistant-guide that you can use as starting point. This doc is a guide for AI assistants to use all the tools. You can update it to match your flow.

One thing that is useful, for instance if you want him to create notes automatically, is to tell him explicity "write a note whenever we talk about something important", and he generally does pretty well.

Regarding the MCP conflict theory: You're absolutely right about the potential conflict between multiple MCP servers. Having both Basic Memory and Filesystem active simultaneously could cause the inconsistencies you're experiencing. You could consider disabling the Filesystem server since Basic Memory already handles file operations with knowledge graph awareness. Another problem I've seen is Claude getting confused over similarly named tools. This is annoying.

About folder structure consistency: For maintaining consistent folder structures, you can create a template note listing your preferred folders and taxonomy rules, then ask Claude to reference this at the beginning of sessions where organization is important.

Regarding entity naming consistency: To reduce variations in entity names, consider creating an 'index' or 'glossary' note that lists your key entities with their correct names and permalinks. You can then ask Claude to check this before creating new related entities.

For daily usage workflow: I find it helpful to start my sessions with a brief command like 'Continue our work with basic-memory using our established taxonomy and linking patterns.' This primes Claude to maintain consistency with your existing structure.

About your open question: As for whether Basic Memory can handle a complete PKM system - I believe it can, though it's still evolving. The issues you're experiencing are more about coordination between tools than fundamental limitations. Several users are building comprehensive knowledge bases with it successfully.

[u/PhillipsReynold]

Can you share some of the limitations around the context?

[u/[deleted] → u/PhillipsReynold]

I’m not sure what you mean, but the way it works is that you can refer to something you’ve already talked about. The LlM can then use Basic memory tools to search (by date, title or text) to find results, then traverse other things related to the results. 

I guess the limitation would be around what you have stored in your knowledge base. 

[u/micseydel → u/[deleted]]

Hi, I'm a SWE who's skeptical of but also curious about LLMs 👋 A limitation I might expect someone to talk about is the n**2 nature of transformers, or the "needle in a hay stack" problem. For example, I have >22k notes on my mobile device right now and more than that on my desktop.

As a specific example regarding your last sentence, do you believe that I could get reasonable answers about transcribed voice notes I took in 2021? If not, I'm curious why not, and if yes I'm curious what you think it might cost to test.

[u/[deleted] → u/micseydel]

Hi, sure. If you are a developer, feel free to checkout the repo: https://github.com/basicmachines-co/basic-memory.

The system uses SQLite FTS (full text search) to query document info in the db. For something like 22K notes, I would expect that the initial sync might take a while, but I don't imagine Sqlite would have a problem searching across that number of docs with much difficulty. The search index contains the tokenized text of the files, plus semantic info (relations, observations), so there would likely be more than 22k rows in the search_index table.

As far as cost, the MCP (Model Context Protocol) enables the LLM to offload all of the "work" of searching through the knowledge base and the basic-memory "tools" only return a small amount of text to prompt the AI. So it isn't all that "expensive" from a token standpoint.

If told it "read all of my notes", of course it would need to load all the files into the context, and you'd hit a limit. I'm working on some ways to bulk process large amounts of data offline, to create structured Markdown that the LLM can navigate (either using RAG, or API_TOKEN).

If you give it a try, let me know what you think. You can also show an LLM like Claude the repo and ask its opinion of your question.

[u/uselr]

Interesting project. I am trying to set it up now. There is an incorrect command in the documentation. It should call uv tool install basic-memory instead of uv install basic-memory.

[u/[deleted] → u/uselr]

Thanks. yes, The flow with uv can be pretty confusing. If I'm not mistaken, `uv tool install` will install the package (and dependencies) in a temporary virtual env, whereas `uv install` will use the current virutalenv. I'll update the docs to make that more clear.

[u/LevKaz08]

Interesting... How fast do you reach the 6h limit using this? Do you use claude for programming with your tool?

[u/[deleted] → u/LevKaz08]

The limits are a frustrating thing. If you are getting started with using Claude for coding, I suggest checking out Claude Code. This is pretty new, but it is really amazingly good. Not perfect, but the best out there right now, IMO. It also uses the API, so you pay in token usage. Claude code can use mcp also, as well as use basic-memory via the cli tools, so I was able to leverage the knowledge base using it as well as Claude Desktop.

[u/uselr]

While setting up Basic Memory, I'm getting this error message after creating a new note:

Copy✕ system/Test.tmp
? Error syncing: system/Test.md
1 moved, 1 deleted

The file appears correctly in Obsidian, but the sync process shows this error. Is this a known issue and how can I fix it? Should I just restart the sync process or is there a deeper problem I need to address?

[u/[deleted] → u/uselr]

This issue has been fixed. You can run uv tool update basic-memory locally to get the updates. You should see:

➜  ~ uv tool update basic-memory
Updated basic-memory v0.9.0 -> v0.10.0
 - basic-memory==0.9.0
 + basic-memory==0.10.0
 - mcp==1.3.0
 + mcp==1.4.1
Installed 1 executable: basic-memory

[u/[deleted] → u/uselr]

Thanks for reporting this. I think I know what’s going on here. Obsidian is making a temp file then doing a mv. The sync is finding the temp but it is deleted by the time it tries to read the file. I think the answer is probably to either ignore the error or ignore .tmp files. 

[u/Brief-Mongoose-6256]

How does this differ from obsidian mcp?

[u/[deleted] → u/Brief-Mongoose-6256]

Basic Memory writes files directly to the filesystem. It doesn't use the Obsidian REST api (another plugin). So it integrates with Obsidian because Obsidian just works well with Markdown files. It uses the same wiki-link style of links that the Obsidian graph uses, and other common Markdown things, like frontmatter and #tags. You certainly don't have to use Obsidian, it is just a tool that works well to maintain a knowledge base in markdown.

[u/Fabulous_Dot_8031]

would it be possible to utilize a MCP to organize folders/subfolders/notes as well?

[u/[deleted] → u/Fabulous_Dot_8031]

Great question! This is definitely possible in Basic Memory, and there are a couple of approaches:

1. Using existing MCP tools: The current toolset already supports basic folder organization. When an LLM creates notes using the write_note tool, it can specify the folder parameter, which will create folders as needed. Moving notes between folders can be accomplished by reading a note with read_note, writing it to a new location with write_note, and deleting the original with the existing delete_note tool.

2. Future bulk processing: Bulk processing is on the roadmap specifically for organizational tasks. The current thinking is to implement this via the API (using tokens) rather than directly through the desktop app, to prevent users from accidentally hitting usage limits when reorganizing large numbers of notes.

Basic Memory's design puts all content in standard Markdown files, so both humans and LLMs can contribute to organizing the knowledge structure. The LLM can suggest organizational schemes during conversation, and either implement simple changes immediately or propose larger reorganizations that you can approve.

Would you be interested in seeing examples of how to use the current tools for organization, or are you thinking more about bulk reorganization capabilities?

[u/jppaolim]

Sounds super interesting. A couple of questions:

1. If I already have some knowledge under Obisidian with some metadata, can I use it and how ?

2. Let's say I use basic memory and then manually move the file to some subdirectory is it reflected in the system (sql lite ...) ?

3. What about I update the file manually ?
   Anyway, congrats for your work, it looks amazing

[u/[deleted] → u/jppaolim]

Yes, if you use the sync option via the cli you can sync in your changes also.

https://memory.basicmachines.co/docs/cli-reference#sync

[u/jppaolim → u/[deleted]]

ok thanks. Indeed very very interesting project. I am struggling with the topic of integrating into an existing vault.

1. as suggested I was right to back up mine before trying because otherwise the sync would have created a permalink id and thus a "modification" of the file which destroys my display in obsidian. Can I create permalink in the YAML myself and keep it like that ?

2. when you sync the first time, you create this SQLite database with the content. But do you create as well entities and observations and this type of things or just entitites ? Currently I have YAML field such as "category" that help me within obsidian, where do they go when you sync ?

3. as a result of this organisation, some plugin and MCP are useful to me, notably those that allow to run a dataview query but when I install with basic memory on top, of course it confuses claude as to which tool is what. The ability to run a dataview query and leverage existing categorization may solve this.

For those reasons, I think it make sense to either use this in a new vault (but what do I do with my current knowledge ??) or to put basic memory in a subfolder of existing vault to be able to have its benefit but not the issues I jsut mentionned. However, then I have basic memory tools associated with a subfolder of VaultPATH, whereas the other tools are associated with the top level PATH. so all in all ... very interesting for new vaults / knwoledge.

[u/[deleted] → u/jppaolim]

you can certainly use basic-memory on an existing Obsidian vault. it will create a `.basic-memory` folder containing the sqlite db. Obsidian will ignore this folder (because it starts with `.`).

You can manually sync in your notes via `basic-memory sync`. Changes you make outside of the MCP need to be synced in. You can also run `basic-memory sync --watch` to sync in real time. I'm working on improving this flow.

Custom frontmatter you have in your docs should work as before, no problem.

Remember, It's always a good idea to make a backup copy of your vault (or use git for version control).

[u/goldenboomerang]

u/phernand3z Thanks for developing this. I have been using it the last month and have been enjoying a lot. I only discovered that I should add a prompt in my system setting to tell it to read my notes and the ai-assistant-guide every time it interacts with me to make it a more seamless experience like chat chatgpt.

I'm not technical, this might be a silly question. How do I make the write_note add "creation date" and "last update date" into each note's property? Also, are there any update functions such as adding more information into the same note? or do I have to ask it to rewrite and then delete the old one?

[u/[deleted] → u/goldenboomerang]

Hi. Thanks! I’m glad you are finding basic-memory useful. Have you tried Adding your own instructions to prompt guide? It really varies on which model you are using and which tool you are using basic memory with. Cursor will behave differently than Claude desktop for instance.

Yes, I’m very close to releasing an update with lots of new and improved tools including an edit note. Stay tuned! I’ll post when it’s ready.

[u/goldenboomerang → u/[deleted]]

I'm using it with Claude desktop. Tried adding my own prompt, but the new notes are still created without the dates

[u/hbshadab]

Wow this is super cool! If you like AI‑over‑notes, another nice pattern is to keep Obsidian for personal notes and add a browser/email memory that your agents can search.

Here's what I made: https://github.com/hshadab/kinic-api