AI Assisted Search / Q&A / Chatbot / Text Generation

Feature requests
41

Most AI plugins for Obsidian are a serious mess or unreliable. It would be great to have AI features available as core Obsidian plugins.

Khoj is an even more unusable mess.

In response to the above two kneejerk reactions, I’m not sure why anyone would “leave” obsidian for AI features you would obviously have the option to disable, but I guess cognitive flexibility is not very common these days.

If Obsidian doesn’t implement a native AI solution it’s going to be quickly replaced by competitors who are swiftly integrating it, and very effectively I’ll add.

2 Likes
42

We are aware that there is hype/demand for this and, believe it or not, this is not technically challenging provided that you are willing to send your data to ClosedAI. In fact, I think we are getting closer to ten plugins that interface with OpenAI.

2 years later… crickets.

1 Like
43

Be civil, please.

44

@CawlinTeffid It works better my way, trust me.

1 Like
45

It’s not how we do things here.

46

That’s why nothing ever gets done.

1 Like
47

Drop it, please, and let’s keep the thread on topic. Thank you.

48

I created an account to defend Libby’s point.

I understand the need to maintain civility, but I believe Libby’s comment about cognitive flexibility was not meant to be offensive and is actually a valuable contribution to this discussion. Their point highlights a broader issue: resistance to new features like AI integration could limit Obsidian’s potential, especially as competitors are moving forward with effective solutions. While the phrasing could have been softer (e.g., “It would be helpful to consider more perspectives”), the underlying argument encourages open-mindedness, which is critical for constructive debate and innovation.

Libby’s comment responds directly to users expressing strong opposition to AI as a core feature, pointing out that optional features wouldn’t force anyone to change their workflow. This perspective aligns with the thread’s topic—exploring AI’s role in Obsidian—and fosters discussion about balancing user preferences with progress. Rather than shutting down this viewpoint, I think it’s worth engaging with, as it challenges us to think critically about Obsidian’s future without dismissing anyone’s concerns.

49

It seems the world is very thin skinned when such a simple comment is so triggering to people. Strange world, indeed. You’d think we’re school children and the teachers are running around waving their fingers. Pretty sad world to live in, honestly.

50

… which was their right imho :blush: … Libby could have just ignore them if they wanted to make a point, add to the conversation…

From my side of the screen, Libby’s comment was just rude, antagonistic and unhelpful …

And I could say the same thing for this part of your comments …

… which I find just insulting.
All that was asked was to be civil, as after all we’re on community where some rules are in place to keep the mood pleasant for everybody :woman_shrugging:

How does that help to move the conversation further ?

But like always, different persons, different perspectives, different opinions :blush: …

On AI within Obsidian, I get some want it… as it seems useful to some…

But, personally, I’m completely fed up having to hear about AI every single day, each time I use a tool or another …
I don’t need it, I don’t use it (ever) … and I simply don’t want any AI near my notes (and no, I don’t care if it runs locally or not).

I won’t leave Obsidian if that ever comes to life, as long as it’s opt-in instead of opt-out but you have to remember that most tools out there forced AI on their users, whether they wanted it or not (with a potentially somewhat hidden somewhere opt-out option, if there was ever one) leading some to distrust the tool they previously enjoyed using …

So yes, some might want to look elsewhere if Obsidian choose to implement and AI feature and again, different persons, different perspectives, different opinions…

On an opt-in option Obsidian could potentially implement, my wish would go for an optional core plugin maintained by the team (something similar to what has been done for the Importer)…

To me, implemented in this way, it could possibly appease the minds of everybody (as well, AI tend to be a polarizing subject).

Those who use/need it could download the plugin and “upgrade” their Core Obsidian experience while absolutely nothing would change for those who don’t want it :blush: …

But I don’t know if that would be feasible :innocent: …
It’s just a thought, a wish…

52

It’s a feature request open to everybody out here…

And everybody has the right to provide opinions/ideas about said feature … which I did :woman_shrugging:

55

I’m not sure which part of this was unclear. Libby’s comment was rude, which violates our code of conduct.

Yours is off-topic, and your later comments are belligerent. Please read and follow our code of conduct if you’d like to continue posting here.

56

Everyone: Let’s drop this conversation and keep the thread on topic, please. Thank you!

1 Like
57

I think it might be best to have a separate apps for:

  1. no AI,
  2. local AI
    and
  3. fully AI

Local first design allows for separate apps.

Obsidian itself could

A) stay as it is and reinforce security to MARKET and IDENTIFY itself more strongly as non-AI,
while a completely separate APP works on the vault for those who want that.

Or Obsidian could
B) make LOCAL ONLY AI as a core feature, again building on its USP as a private, local first approach.

Or
C) Just get AI into the app as all the competitors are doing, and work on making it clear that if you don’t enable that core plugin, your data is still secure. IMHO, this is a key cost to what makes Obsidian unique, and I’m sure this is why the team have been thinking long and hard about this debate.

58

Feature Request: Integrate Chrome’s Built-in AI for Local, Private, and Free AI Features

Use case or problem

Currently, users who want to utilize AI within Obsidian for tasks like summarization, translation, or text generation face a friction-filled choice:

  • Cloud APIs: Use plugins that require API keys (OpenAI, Anthropic), which incur costs and send private notes to external servers, breaking the “local-first” privacy promise.
  • Local LLMs (Ollama/LM Studio): Run local servers, which requires significant technical setup, separate software installation, and high system resources.

I want to be able to use AI features (summarizing a long note, translating a paragraph, or rewording text) natively, privately, and for free, without leaving the Obsidian environment or managing complex external dependencies.

Proposed Solution

I propose that Obsidian leverages the newly introduced Chrome Built-in AI APIs (specifically the Prompt API and Translator API).

These APIs represent an opportunity to “ride the wave” of browser-level innovation. Google is integrating Gemini Nano directly into the browser, allowing for on-device execution.

How it would work:

  • Obsidian could expose these APIs for the users on Chrome
  • The model (Gemini Nano) runs locally on the user’s Chrome browser.
  • Privacy: No data leaves the device.
  • Cost: Free (no API tokens needed).
59

Obsidian already has decent and fast search capabilities, and there are people asking for even more granular search option. But what about natural language search? How much more confident would you be in retrieving relevant notes from the past if you had google to search your notes for you?

Related Request: AI Powered Obsidian (May 2020)

I think this would actually change not only my behaviour in writing notes — I would probably write more freely and naturally — but also my emotional state as I write; I would be less anxious about remembering all the right tags and links in the moment and more confident that I will be able to find this note later via search.

As an aside, Mem.ai is working on building this kind of search.

3 Likes
60

I’ve only just started using this but it looks much closer to what you want than the built in search: Omnisearch
obsidian://show-plugin?id=omnisearch

1 Like
61

I just released Khoj for Obsidian. It allows you to use natural language to search through your markdown notes. The search is incremental, so you can see results as you type. Let me know if that satisfies your use case?

See the announcement post for more details

62

I think so; based on the demo video this really seems like what I’m looking for, but I can’t get the backend to run yet for me.

63

Good to know that this may help with your use-case🤞🏾

Unfortunate that you weren’t able to get the khoj backend running yet. I can investigate the issue you’re facing if you can open a new discussion on the Khoj Github.

1 Like