Decisions

  • Decided: Git-based sync via Obsidian Git plugin (FR-020 decision)
  • Pending: Mobile app — Obsidian Mobile (iOS/Android) or just view via synced files?
  • Pending: Plugin scope — minimal (just what’s needed) or full power-user setup?
  • Pending: Workflow Control blocks — custom plugin or use existing community plugin (like Buttons/Templater)?

User Tasks


Summary

Set up Obsidian as the primary vault viewer/editor on laptop and phone, with plugins that make FR specs interactive and the vault navigable.

Problem / Motivation

Currently vault files are opened as plain Markdown — no Obsidian features (backlinks, graph view, templates, interactive controls). This means:

  • No visual overview of vault structure or connections
  • No interactive workflow controls in FR specs (Nexie has nexus-uc-actions blocks)
  • No mobile editing with Obsidian’s polished UI
  • Templates aren’t auto-applied via Obsidian’s Templater
  • No quick capture via Obsidian on phone

Proposed Solution

Install and configure Obsidian on laptop (and phone via Obsidian Mobile), set up a curated plugin stack, and create a Workflow Control integration that renders action buttons inside FR specs.

Core plugins:

PluginPurpose
TemplaterAuto-apply FR template with date/ID variables
DataviewQuery FRs by status, priority, tags — live dashboards
ButtonsInteractive buttons in FR specs (Approve, Reject, Implement)
KanbanVisual board view of feature lifecycle stages
TasksCheckbox tracking across vault with queries
GitCommit/push from within Obsidian
QuickAddFast capture: ideas, FRs, inbox items from a hotkey
HomepageLanding page with links to dashboards, active FRs, inbox

Workflow Control blocks: Using the Buttons plugin (or a custom plugin), FR specs get interactive controls:

  • “Approve” button moves FR to planned/
  • “Start Implementation” button triggers /go equivalent
  • “Mark Done” button moves to done/, updates dashboards These replace Nexie’s nexus-uc-actions code blocks.

Open Questions

1. Sync Method

Question: How should the vault sync between devices?

OptionDescription
A) Obsidian Sync (paid)Official, reliable, supports mobile, $4/mo
B) SyncthingFree, peer-to-peer, needs both devices online
C) Git-basedFree, works with existing setup, no conflict resolution UI

Recommendation: Depends on FR-020 decision. Git-based if VPS is set up, Obsidian Sync for simplest mobile experience.

Decision:

2. Workflow Control Approach

Question: How to implement interactive controls in FR specs?

OptionDescription
A) Buttons pluginCommunity plugin, renders buttons from code blocks, can run commands/scripts
B) Custom Obsidian pluginFull control, more work, could integrate with CLI
C) Templater scriptsUse Templater’s script execution for actions

Recommendation: Option A — Buttons plugin is mature, widely used, and sufficient for approve/reject/implement actions.

Decision:


Phase Overview

PhaseDescriptionStatus
Phase 1Laptop Obsidian setup + core plugins
Phase 2Workflow Control blocks in FR template
Phase 3Phone setup + sync
Phase 4Dataview dashboards + Homepage

Phase 1: Laptop Obsidian Setup —

Goal: Obsidian installed, vault opened, core plugins configured.

File / FeatureDetailsOwnerStatus
Install ObsidianDownload + install on Windowsmv
Open vaultPoint Obsidian at C:\Users\marij\Opus\vaultmv
Install TemplaterConfigure template folder to vault/_templates/mv
Install Git pluginConfigure auto-commit intervalmv
Install QuickAddConfigure quick capture for ideas + inboxmv
Configure hotkeysSet up keyboard shortcuts for common actionsmv

Phase 2: Workflow Control Blocks —

Goal: FR specs have interactive buttons that trigger workflow actions.

File / FeatureDetailsOwnerStatus
Install Buttons pluginConfigure button renderingmv
Design button setApprove, Reject, Start, Mark Doneopus
Update FR templateAdd Workflow Control section with button code blocksopus
Test with existing FRsVerify buttons work on real FR filesmv

Phase 3: Phone Setup + Sync —

Goal: Vault accessible and editable from phone.

File / FeatureDetailsOwnerStatus
Install Obsidian MobileAndroid (Play Store)mv
Configure syncObsidian Git plugin — see vault/00_system/mobile-sync-guide.mdmv
Test round-tripEdit on phone appears on laptop and vice versamv
Configure mobile QuickAddFast capture from phonemv

Phase 4: Dataview Dashboards + Homepage —

Goal: Live dashboards that query vault data, replacing static markdown tables.

File / FeatureDetailsOwnerStatus
Install DataviewConfigure for vaultmv
Feature dashboard (Dataview)Query all FRs by status, show counts, linksopus
Decision dashboard (Dataview)Query open decisions across all FRsopus
Inbox dashboard (Dataview)Show unprocessed itemsopus
HomepageLanding page with all dashboards, quick links, recent changesopus
Install Homepage pluginConfigure as startup pagemv

Prerequisites / Gap Analysis

Requirements

RequirementDescription
REQ-1Obsidian installed on laptop
REQ-2Vault folder exists and is git-tracked
REQ-3FR-020 decided (for sync method)

Current State

ComponentStatusDetails
Vault folderdoneC:\Users\marij\Opus\vault exists
Git trackingdoneRepo initialized
ObsidianNot installed
PluginsNone configured

Gap (What’s missing?)

GapEffortBlocker?
Obsidian installationLowNo
Plugin configurationMedNo
Sync setupMedFR-020
Custom workflow controlsMedNo

Test

Manual tests

TestExpectedOwnerActualLast
Obsidian opens vault correctlyAll folders visible, no errorsmvpending-
Templater creates FR from templateNew FR with auto-filled date/IDmvpending-
Buttons render in FR specsClickable buttons visiblemvpending-
Dataview dashboard shows live FR countsCorrect counts matching file systemmvpending-
Mobile sync round-tripEdit on phone appears on laptop within 1 minmvpending-
QuickAdd captures ideaNew file created in ideas/mvpending-

AI-verified tests

ScenarioExpected behaviorVerification method

E2E tests

ScenarioAssertion

Integration tests

ComponentCoverage

Unit tests

ComponentTestsCoverage

History

DateEventDetails
2026-03-04CreatedObsidian setup with plugins, workflow controls, mobile access
2026-03-20UpdatedSync decision resolved (Git), mobile guide linked, Quartz web viewer added

References

  • FR-020 (Vault Sync Strategy) — sync method decision
  • FR-038 (Kanban Feature Overview) — could use Obsidian Kanban plugin instead
  • FR-068 (Personal Task Management) — could use Obsidian Tasks plugin
  • vault/10_features/01_ideas/obsidian-chat-assistant.md — related idea