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Using Dex with Obsidian

Obsidian is a free markdown editor with powerful graph visualization. It's completely optional, but many users love seeing their knowledge as a connected graph.

New to Obsidian? Watch this beginner's guide (5 min) to see what it can do.

What You Get with Obsidian

Graph View: See your entire knowledge system as connected nodes

  • People you've met
  • Projects you're working on
  • Companies you interact with
  • Meetings and their connections

Wiki Links: Click any reference to jump instantly

  • [[John_Doe]] → Opens John's person page
  • [[04-Projects/Mobile_App]] → Opens project page
  • [[2026-01-28 - API Review]] → Opens meeting note

Search and Backlinks: See everywhere a person/project is mentioned

Installation

  1. Download Obsidian (free): https://obsidian.md
  2. Open your Dex vault: File → Open Folder → Select your Dex directory
  3. Enable Obsidian mode: Run /dex-obsidian-setup in Cursor/Claude

Obsidian vs Terminal/Cursor

Both are first-class experiences:

Feature Obsidian Terminal/Cursor
Graph visualization ✅ Yes ❌ No
Clickable navigation ✅ Wiki links ⚡ File search
File editing ✅ WYSIWYG ✅ Plain text
AI integration ❌ Limited ✅ Native
Speed ⚡ Fast ⚡⚡ Faster

Recommendation: Use both! Obsidian for visual navigation and reading, Cursor/Claude for AI-powered workflows.

Setting Up Later

Already using Dex without Obsidian? No problem.

Run /dex-obsidian-setup and we'll:

  1. Enable wiki link formatting
  2. Convert your existing notes (1-2 min for most vaults)
  3. Generate Obsidian config (optional)
  4. Start the sync daemon (optional)

Migration is safe and reversible.

Tips for Obsidian Users

Graph View Filters

Focus on specific areas:

  • Right-click nodes to filter by type
  • Use search to highlight specific connections
  • Adjust depth to see more or fewer connections

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Cmd/Ctrl + O - Quick open (fuzzy file search)
  • Cmd/Ctrl + G - Open graph view
  • Cmd/Ctrl + Shift + B - Toggle backlinks pane
  • Cmd/Ctrl + E - Toggle edit/preview mode

Recommended Plugins

Consider these community plugins for enhanced Dex experience:

  • Dataview - Create dynamic task lists and tables
  • Calendar - Visual calendar view of daily notes
  • Recent Files - Quick access to recent notes

Task Syncing

If you enable the sync daemon (via /dex-obsidian-setup):

  • Check a task box in Obsidian → syncs to Tasks.md, person pages, meeting notes
  • Check a task in Cursor → syncs to Obsidian
  • Works bidirectionally, zero maintenance

Troubleshooting

Wiki links not working?

  • Make sure obsidian_mode: true in System/user-profile.yaml
  • Re-run /dex-obsidian-setup to convert existing files

Graph view showing too many connections?

  • Use filters to focus on specific types (People, Projects)
  • Adjust depth slider to reduce clutter

Sync daemon not working?

  • Check System/obsidian-sync.log for errors
  • Restart: launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.dex.obsidian-sync.plist && launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/com.dex.obsidian-sync.plist

Additional Resources