Can I vibe code Obsidian?
A local-first markdown knowledge base with backlinks and a plugin ecosystem.
Obsidian's core is famously simple in concept: plain markdown files on disk, [[wiki-links]] between them, and a graph of the connections. You can build that personal knowledge base in a weekend and it will genuinely work. What you can't rebuild is the ecosystem — a thousand community plugins, mobile apps, and paid Sync — plus years of editor polish. The note-graph is a weekend; being Obsidian is the plugin community.
Build me a local-first markdown knowledge base inspired by Obsidian. Features: create and edit markdown notes; link notes with [[wiki-link]] syntax that autocompletes existing note titles; a live backlinks panel showing which notes reference the current one; instant full-text search; and a simple force-directed graph of note connections. Store notes locally (File System Access API or IndexedDB) with an optional sync to a hosted Postgres so I can read them elsewhere. Use Next.js App Router, keep the editor fast with markdown preview, and be honest in the README that the plugin ecosystem, mobile apps, and polished sync are the parts you're not reproducing.
A local-first markdown notes app with [[wiki-links]], a live backlinks panel, full-text search, and a simple connections graph.
- The huge community plugin ecosystem and themes
- Polished mobile apps and paid end-to-end-encrypted Sync
- The mature graph view, canvas, and editor refinements
- Cross-device reliability you don't have to build
Obsidian itself is free; people pay for Sync and lean on the plugin ecosystem — the moat isn't the markdown editor, it's the community and the cross-device reliability around it.
A prompt is the first move, not the whole game. Course 01 teaches you to take a prompt like this one to a shipped, working app — reviewing, correcting, and steering the agent the whole way.
Start Course 01 →