Writing & notes
obsidian-Smart2Brain
Ask questions of your Obsidian notes — can run fully offline
★ 1.2k
August 2026
MIT
Writing & notes
What we checked ourselves
Not copied from the project's own blurb. These are things we opened and verified, with the date.
- 23 Aug 2026We checked that the link to the project still resolves.
- 14 Aug 2026We read the licence text itself (LICENSE). No unusual restrictions were stated.
- 1 Sept 2026We read the project's own documentation and found signs that it may no longer be maintained.
Where this sits among the 51 tools we list in Writing & notes
- Works without using a terminal37 of 51
- Commercial use confirmed as allowed39 of 51
- Requires an API key26 that do not →
- Sends your input to the provider11 that do not →
Only 28 of the 51 meet all of the conditions above.
Counted from our own checks: every tool we list is examined against the same criteria.
What it does
An Obsidian plugin that answers questions using your own notes as the source, finding the relevant ones automatically rather than making you paste them in. Paired with a local model such as Ollama it runs entirely offline, so notes never leave the machine; connect it to ChatGPT instead and they do. Requires Obsidian, needs a capable machine for local operation, and answers should still be checked against the underlying notes.
Summary based on the project's own description. The Japanese page has a fuller beginner guide: setup difficulty, what to prepare, and a step-by-step start.
Screenshots & visuals
Before you start
- Setup difficultySome setup needed
- Command lineNot required
- API keyRequired
- Sends data onlineYes
Judged automatically from the project's own metadata. Always confirm on the official page.
obsidian-Smart2Brain FAQ
- Is obsidian-Smart2Brain free?
- obsidian-Smart2Brain itself is free, but it needs an API key for an external AI service. That service charges separately, though some have a free tier.
- Do I need to install anything or write code to use obsidian-Smart2Brain?
- You install it like a normal desktop app. No command line involved.
- Does obsidian-Smart2Brain work on a phone?
- No. It needs a computer.
- Can I use obsidian-Smart2Brain commercially?
- The licence is MIT, which permits commercial use. Conditions such as keeping the copyright notice still apply, so read the licence text before shipping it inside something.
How it compares
The conditions that decide whether you can actually use it, side by side.
| Tool | Command line | API key | Sends data out | Phone | Commercial use |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| obsidian-Smart2Brain (this page) | Not needed | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| Obsidian Copilot | Not needed | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
| obsidian-smart-connections | Not needed | Not needed | No | No | Not verified |
| obsidian-agent-client | Not needed | Required | Yes | No | Yes |
"Sends data out" means your input is uploaded to someone's server. Pick "No" when the material cannot leave your organisation.