Obsidian Copilot is a plugin that adds an AI chat right into the Obsidian interface.
Two options: free (you need an API key from OpenAI/Gemini/DeepSeek) and the paid Copilot Plus ($15/month) with a built-in model.
Key modes: chat with the current note or with the whole vault after indexing.
Main plus: it works inside Obsidian without switching between apps.
Main minus: the free version requires technical API setup, the paid one is expensive for basic functionality.
Who it suits: those who want an AI assistant right in Obsidian and are ready to pay or set up an API.
In previous articles we looked at external services (NotebookLM, Claude MCP). Obsidian Copilot is an internal solution that turns your Obsidian into an AI assistant without leaving the app.
What Obsidian Copilot is
Obsidian Copilot is a community plugin that adds an AI-chat panel right into the Obsidian interface. You can ask questions about the current note or the whole vault, without switching between apps.
Two ways to use it:
- Free: you connect your own API key (OpenAI, Gemini, DeepSeek, etc.)
- Paid Copilot Plus: $15/month for a built-in model with no setup
Setting up the free version
Step 1: Installing the plugin
- Settings → Community plugins → Browse
- Find “Copilot” → Install → Enable
- Important: don’t confuse it with other AI plugins
Step 2: Getting an API key
The problem with the OpenAI API:
- Requires at least $5 on the balance
- May require additional network settings in some regions
- Extra registration complications
Alternatives (simpler):
- Gemini API — a free limit, easier registration
- DeepSeek — cheap and good quality
- Grok — if you have an X Premium subscription
OpenRouter:
- Register at openrouter.ai
- Add any API (e.g. from OpenAI)
- Get a single key for all models
- Downside: a 5% commission + you need to top up $2
Step 3: Connecting it in Obsidian
- Open the Copilot settings
- Paste the API key into the relevant field
- Choose a model (GPT-4, Claude, Gemini, etc.)
- Test it: write a question in the chat panel
Two modes of operation
Mode 1: Chat with the current note
Active by default — the AI sees only the open note.
Practical cases:
- Improving text: “Make this paragraph clearer”
- Creating checklists: “Build an action plan based on this note”
- Finding links: “How is this topic connected to productivity?”
- Generating questions: “Create 5 questions for self-checking”
Mode 2: Chat with the whole vault
Requires indexing — the plugin creates a vector database of all your notes.
Important: indexing only works with direct APIs (OpenAI, Anthropic), NOT with OpenRouter.
What you can do after indexing:
- Searching by content: “Find the note about how to cope with stress”
- Synthesising information: “Combine all my ideas about productivity”
- Analysing patterns: “Which topics do I study most often?”
- Creating a MOC: “Make a map of content for the Projects folder”
The paid Copilot Plus version ($15/month)
Main advantages
Ease of use:
- ✅ The built-in Copilot Plus Flash model — works right away
- ✅ Automatic indexing with no API setup
- ✅ Processing YouTube videos by link
- ✅ Web search right from the chat
- ✅ A projects mode with context
Extra features
YouTube integration:
- You type the
@sign → choose YouTube - Add a link to the video
- The AI summarises the content and can create a note
Web search:
@→ web search- The AI looks for current information
- It can supplement your notes with fresh data
Projects mode:
- You create a project with a specific context
- You specify folders, tags, notes to analyse
- The AI works only within the chosen context
Practical usage scenarios
My prompts:
- Socratic dialogue
- An analyst for folders and notes in Obsidian
- Creating quizzes from your notes
- An analysis of your daily notes from the past week
- Finding connections for the current note across the whole vault
1. Daily planning
Prompt: “Analyse my tasks for today and suggest the optimal order to do them in”
System instruction: “You are a productivity assistant. Always answer briefly and in a structured way.”
2. Learning and note-taking
Workflow:
- You take notes during a lecture
- You ask the AI: “What’s the main thing I missed in this topic?”
- You generate questions for self-checking
- You create links to previous notes
3. Research work
With web search (Plus only):
- “Find the latest research on the topic of my note”
- “Update the statistics in this section”
- “Check whether this data is current”
4. Custom prompts
Creating templates:
/analyze— analyse the current note/connections— find links to other notes/improve— improve the structure and style/questions— generate questions for study
Honest downsides and limitations
The free version
Technical difficulties:
- You need an API key (registration, topping up the balance)
- May require additional network settings for some services
- Vault indexing doesn’t work with OpenRouter
- Manual setup of models and parameters
Costs add up:
- API requests cost money
- With active use — $10-20/month
- Indexing large vaults takes a lot of tokens
The paid version
High cost:
- $15/month just for an AI chat in Obsidian
- More expensive than full AI subscriptions (ChatGPT 20)
- Questionable value for basic functionality
A limited ecosystem:
- Tied to one plugin
- The quality of the built-in model is unknown
- No guarantees of long-term support
Common problems
Performance:
- Can slow down Obsidian when working with large vaults
- Indexing takes time and resources
- Instability with frequent plugin updates
Comparison of all three solutions
| Aspect | NotebookLM | Claude MCP | Obsidian Copilot |
|---|---|---|---|
| Cost | Free | $20/month | $15/month or API |
| Setup | Simple | Complex | Medium |
| Integration | External | Medium | Full |
| Data size | Up to 25M words | Limited by context | The whole vault |
| Updates | Manual export | Real-time | Real-time |
| Features | Podcasts, analysis | Artifacts, games | Chat, search |
Who it suits, who it doesn’t
✅ Worth using if:
- You live in Obsidian and don’t want to switch between apps
- You need an AI assistant for daily work with notes
- You’re ready to spend time setting up an API (the free version)
- You’re ready to pay $15/month for convenience (the paid version)
- You work with small-to-medium vaults (up to 1000 notes)
❌ Not for you if:
- A limited budget — NotebookLM gives more for free
- You need advanced features — Claude MCP is more powerful for creating content
- You don’t want to depend on plugins — it can break on updates
- A huge vault — indexing will be slow and expensive
- You rarely work with notes — you’d overpay for unused functionality
Final recommendation for the whole series
For beginners: start with NotebookLM — free, powerful, easy to use.
For content creators: Claude MCP — if you need interactive materials, games, sites based on notes.
For daily work: Obsidian Copilot — if you spend a lot of time in Obsidian and need a constant AI assistant.
The optimal strategy: test all three approaches on a limited set of notes and choose the one that fits your workflow and budget best.
The main principle: AI should simplify working with notes, not complicate it with extra setup and costs.
All the materials in the series, prompts and links to tools are available on EltonLabs.org — go there for extra resources and updates!
Keep going?
Keep going?