The Perfect Note-Taking Stack: Obsidian, Git, and AI

For more than ten years, I've been carrying my notes with me — sometimes in notebooks, sometimes in Apple Notes, Evernote, Notion, or just plain text files. Every few years, I'd try a new app, hoping this would finally be "the one." Spoiler: it never was.

At some point, I realized I needed something better structured — something that could really work as a second brain. That's when I found Obsidian.

Writing as Thinking

I've always been a writing person. For me, writing isn't just about documentation or specs — it's how I think. The simple act of putting an idea into words makes it more objective. An idea floating in my head can feel huge — the same idea written down is often just… small, even manageable.

This habit's saved me from more than a few overthinking spirals, especially living as an expat in Germany. Whenever I feel overwhelmed, I write — sometimes a to-do list, sometimes a brain dump. It gives me perspective.

The Mess: Ten Years, Many Apps

Truth time: I'm not a minimalist. My notes have ended up scattered everywhere — different notebooks, apps, eras. Apple Notes, Evernote, Notion, random text files… you name it.

Eventually, I realized I wanted everything unified and future-proof. Not a trendy app of the year, but something I could actually build upon for years.

Why Not Apple Notes, Notion, Evernote?

I didn't want a subscription-based app. Notes don't need "cloud servers at scale" — paying just to access my own text felt wrong.

Apple Notes had the ecosystem allure, but I can't sync personal notes to my work laptop. Exporting from Apple Notes is a headache too.

Discovering Obsidian

Then I found Obsidian — and it just clicked.

• File & folder based: Everything lives as plain files. Easy to export, backup, move, or open with another tool.
• Markdown format: Clean, lightweight, universal. No lock-in.
• Community extensions: With plugins, Obsidian really feels like my own space.

Claude Code for Note Organization

You might ask, "Why use Claude Code — a coding agent — for organizing notes?" Good question. Claude Code isn't just another text bot; it's an actual file wrangler. It can create, move, or remove folders, generate and organize files, and tidy things up on command.

• Need yearly journals sorted by year and month? Claude can scan and reorganize in seconds.
• Dumped a hundred meeting notes into a "Random" folder? Ask, and they're sorted instantly.
• Want to split a text dump into topic-based markdown files? Claude does it, with internal links and clean formatting.

Having this kind of "hands-on" AI means I spend less time tidying notes and more time doing real thinking.

Sync with Git

One last hurdle: sync. Obsidian supports iCloud, but since I can't use iCloud on my work devices, that's a no-go.

So, I use Git with GitHub. As a software engineer, Git is second nature. It gives me:

• Reliable sync across devices
• Full history of changes
• Peace of mind with backups

Takeaways

• Writing is thinking. If you struggle with overthinking, write it down.
• Don't underestimate the value of owning your notes. Steer clear of lock-in.
• Obsidian stands out because it's simple, portable, and endlessly extensible.
• Claude Code and AI agents can do more than code — they can help organize your life.
• Git isn't just for code; it's perfect for syncing and backing up notes.