Use case or problem
Obsidian users who rely on AI workflows currently lack a direct, secure way to connect their vaults to OpenAI’s ecosystem.
With OpenAI’s recent launch of native app integrations (“Connectors”), ChatGPT can now interact with services such as Google Drive, Notion, SharePoint, and Dropbox — but Obsidian is not yet supported.
This prevents users from leveraging ChatGPT for advanced knowledge management tasks directly over their markdown vaults, such as contextual queries, note summarization, or semantic linking.
Given Obsidian’s strong community of power users, developers, and researchers, the absence of an OpenAI connector limits its potential compared to other connected knowledge systems.
Proposed solution
Develop an official OpenAI Connector for Obsidian, enabling ChatGPT to:
- Securely access and query selected vault content (read/write with user consent)
- Perform natural language searches, summaries, and link suggestions inside vaults
- Generate and update markdown notes directly from ChatGPT
- Integrate seamlessly with Obsidian’s plugin architecture and data privacy model
The integration should respect Obsidian’s local-first philosophy, with granular control over what folders or notes are shared, and whether the connection is cloud-based or local via API token.
This would align Obsidian with tools like Notion and Google Drive already present in OpenAI’s “Connectors” panel, bringing the same convenience while preserving privacy and offline flexibility.
Current workaround (optional)
Some users currently rely on third-party community plugins such as AI Assistant, Copilot for Obsidian, or AI Providers.
However, these solutions:
- Require manual API key configuration and lack OAuth-level security
- Don’t integrate with ChatGPT’s native connectors UI
- Have inconsistent maintenance or token limits
A native connector would provide a more robust and officially supported solution.