Graphify Obsidian Claude Code

Graphify is a free, open-source tool that creates a knowledge graph (a map of connections between files) for any project. When you point it at a repository containing code, documentation, PDFs, or images, it builds this map. The key problem it solves is that AI coding assistants like Claude Code often struggle to understand the full context of a large project. Without a map, the AI can miss important relationships between files, leading to slower, less accurate responses. Graphify gives Claude that map so it can return faster and more precise answers.

Obsidian is a note-taking app that visualizes information as a connected graph. Graphify can take its structured data—usually saved as a JSON file—and push it into an Obsidian vault. This lets you see a visual overview of your project’s relationships. Note that Claude Code pulls data directly from Graphify’s output, not from Obsidian itself. Obsidian is just a way to view the map.

This matters for AI development because it introduces neurosymbolic AI (combining symbolic maps with neural networks) as a practical approach. Instead of only using raw file searches or complex retrieval systems, you get a clear symbolic map that supports the AI’s neural processing. Graphify’s creator notes this was developed through years of research on knowledge graphs and hybrid retrieval systems that combine vector databases (systems for searching by meaning) with graph architectures. The result is a tool that sits between a simple note app and a full RAG infrastructure, giving you flexible, project-wide memory for your AI assistant without massive setup costs.

To use Graphify with Obsidian and Claude Code, first install Graphify (a tool that creates a knowledge graph—a map of connections—for any project). In your terminal, run `graphy claude install`. This makes Claude Code always use Graphify automatically; you don’t need to flag it every time. Now point Graphify at a folder. For example, if you’ve cloned a codebase called Open Design, open Claude Code inside that directory. Type `/graphify {dot}` and Graphify will scan every file—it processed 203 files in about six minutes. After that, to push everything into Obsidian, use the Obsidian flag: with one command, Graphify creates an entire Obsidian vault and fills it with the knowledge graph. You do not need to do anything special on the Obsidian side; Graphify handles nearly everything. The resulting Obsidian graph gives you a visual representation of how all documents fit together. For the demo, Graphify turned a set of unstructured docs into a knowledge graph, then folded that graph into Obsidian. Claude Code then queries the graph directly from the Graphify JSON file, not from Obsidian itself—Obsidian’s job is only to give you a visual overview. If you get stuck, ask Claude Code; it understands Graphify’s structure.

Graphify (a knowledge‑graph builder) is not an alternative to Obsidian (a note‑taking vault) — you combine them. The common mistake is thinking Claude Code reads your Obsidian notes directly. It doesn’t. Claude Code reads the JSON file that Graphify produces; Obsidian is only a visual display of that same data. Every time you start a new Claude Code session, it rereads all files from scratch, wasting thousands of tokens (units of text the model processes) trying to remember what it already knew. Using Graphify alone cuts that waste because the knowledge graph remains available as a structured file Claude can query without re‑reading your whole codebase.

A key pitfall: you might think you can skip Graphify and just use Obsidian by itself for Claude’s memory. That won’t work — Obsidian doesn’t produce the structured JSON that Claude Code needs. The best practice is to always install Graphify as a hook (a script that runs on events) by running `Graphy Claude install`. That command makes Graphify answer every Claude question automatically — you never have to remember to use it. You can also use an Obsidian flag to create an entire Obsidian vault from the Graphify output with one command, but the actual functionality still comes from the JSON file.

For maximum benefit, point Graphify at any repository — a codebase or a set of documents — and then fold that knowledge graph into Obsidian so you get a visual graph of your project’s relationships. Claude can then query that graph at will. This stack gives Claude Code a persistent second brain without wasting tokens on repeated file reads.