Disclaimer
Is this project open source? No
Is this project completely free? Yes
Is this project made with AI beyond the author’s ability to comprehend how it works? No
Hi everyone — I built Video Notes, a free Chrome and Firefox extension for people who take notes while learning from YouTube.
It integrates with Obsidian through Markdown export; it is not an Obsidian plugin and does not need one. My workflow is:
- Capture a note at the current YouTube timestamp.
- When useful, draw arrows, highlights, shapes, or text on the exact paused frame.
- Return to saved moments from the video timeline.
- Export the notes as a customizable Markdown file and add that file to an Obsidian vault.
A simple exported section can look like this:
Video title
Source: YouTube URL
- [03:42] My explanation of the idea
- [08:10] A question to review later
Notes and drawings stay in local browser storage unless you intentionally create a share link, and no Video Notes account is required.
You can try it here: https://videonotes.dev/
I’d especially appreciate feedback from Obsidian users on the Markdown structure and what metadata would make the export fit your vault better.