Stop wasting hours searching for notes. Start with a system used by 1,000+ knowledge workers.The Obsidian Starter Kit is a comprehensive knowledge system that transforms Obsidian into a complete productivity and learning environment. It combines proven methodologies (PARA, Zettelkasten, Johnny Decimal, GTD) with a battle-tested organization that scales from 10 notes to 10,000+ notes.Important: The Obsidian Starter Kit is an Evergreen project. I improve it regularly with free lifetime updates.
The Bottom Line: This system saves you 100+ hours of setup and many hours every month. Start productive on day one, not week six.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Rated 4.9/5 by 1,000+ users"Finally clicked how awesome Obsidian is!" — Cal Desmond-Pearson"Game changing for keeping track of all the details" — Dwayne Appleby
What's New:
🚀 Clearly defined note types with metadata — The whole system is now strongly typed. Each type of note has a specific type tag, specific fields, specific values, etc.
🎯 Complete Action System — Connect your big-picture goals to daily tasks. Goals → Plans → Projects → Tasks, all automatically linked. Finally, turn strategy into action.
🏷️ Hierarchical Tags — Find any note in 3 seconds. No more endless scrolling or forgotten insights. Search by zone/type/topic with surgical precision.
🗺️ First-Class Obsidian Bases Support — Database-like views for your knowledge. Manage books, projects, contacts, and more like a pro—no manual organization required.
📝 40+ Smart Templates — Stop starting from scratch. Every template auto-fills metadata, auto-files notes, and maintains perfect consistency across your vault.
📚 Brand New User Guide — 100+ pages of crystal-clear documentation. Everything from "What is Zettelkasten?" to advanced AI integration. Your complete PKM education, built-in.
🤖 AI-Ready from Day One — Connect Claude Code, use MCP, or integrate any AI tool. Your entire knowledge base becomes AI-accessible instantly.
🎉 Icons for every note type — Recognize notes at a glance, whether it's a meeting note, a daily note, a person note, ...
And SO MUCH MORE!
Shortly put: This is a HUGE release with EPIC improvements
❌ Without OSK
Spend weeks figuring out folder structure
Trial-and-error with dozens of plugins
Manually build templates from scratch
Learn PKM methods through scattered articles
Struggle with inconsistent organization
✅ With OSK
Battle-tested system, ready in 30 minutes
Scales from 10 notes to 10,000+ notes
Carefully curated plugins, pre-configured
40+ smart templates that auto-file notes
Complete PKM education built-in
Time saved: 100+ hours of setup + 10 hours/month ongoing
👥 Who Is This For?
✅ You're just starting with Obsidian and want a proven system, not trial-and-error
✅ You're overwhelmed by options and need expert guidance on structure and plugins
✅ You want to learn PKM methods (Zettelkasten, PARA, GTD) through hands-on examples
✅ You're migrating from another tool and need a solid foundation to start from
✅ You value your time and prefer learning from someone who's refined this for many years
❌ Not for you if: You enjoy spending months building from scratch or already have a perfect system
The Complete Obsidian Vault
Core Systems
💪 Solid and Scalable Structure: Everything has its place. And AI can find it all easily
🚀 Clearly defined note types with metadata — The whole system is now strongly typed. Each type of note has a specific type tag, specific fields, specific values, etc.
📝 40+ Smart Templates — Stop starting from scratch. Every template auto-fills metadata, auto-files notes, and maintains perfect consistency across your vault.
🏷️ Hierarchical Tags — Find any note in 3 seconds. No more endless scrolling or forgotten insights. Search by zone/type/topic with surgical precision.
🎉 Icons for every note type — Recognize notes at a glance, whether it's a meeting note, a daily note, a person note, ...
⚙️ Carefully Picked and Pre-configured Plugins: Everything you need for productive knowledge work
🗺️ First-Class Obsidian Bases Support — Database-like views for your knowledge. Manage books, projects, contacts, and more like a pro—no manual organization required
👁️ First-class Visual Thinking Support
And SO MUCH MORE!
PKM Methodologies Built-In
Zettelkasten: Atomic notes + permanent notes system
PARA Method: Projects/Areas/Resources/Archives organization
GTD Workflow: Capture → clarify → organize → reflect → engage
Journaling: Daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly reviews
Specialized Systems
Dot System: "Sub-atomic" knowledge capture (Breadcrumbs, Seeds, Wisdom)
Source Management: Books, articles, videos, podcasts with progress tracking
Meeting Notes: Structured templates with auto-filing and decision tracking
People Management: Contacts with relationship and interaction tracking
Content Creation: Writing system for articles, newsletters, books
Health & Habits: Track mood, energy, sleep, exercise, nutrition
AI-Ready System
OSK is fully AI-ready and has evolved with Agentic AI tools in mind. Every part of the system is easy to leverage with AI:
Analyze health data: AI gives you insights from your health tracking
Summarize meetings: AI extracts key points and action items automatically
Write articles: AI drafts content based on all your notes about a topic
Mirror your writing style: AI learns to write like you from your vault
Connect tools: Use Claude Code, Model Context Protocol (MCP), and other AI integrations
The entire Obsidian Starter Kit Reference documentation is AI-accessible, so AI tools know everything about your system instantly.
Comprehensive User Guide: 100+ pages covering every feature and system
Migration Guides: Step-by-step from v2 or custom setups
Reference Docs: Quick-access guides for every system
Theory: Deep explanations of Zettelkasten, PARA, Johnny Decimal, Atomic Notes, and many more Knowledge Management concepts. The result of thousands of hours of research and practice
Workflows: Step-by-step processes for all systems
Best Practices: Tips, tricks, and recommendations
Video Course (premium version only): 2h20m covering Obsidian + PKM principles
Lifetime Access: Knowii Community for support and learning
Direct Connection: Other OSK and Obsidian users
Expert Access: Knowledge Management professionals
Priority Support: Direct help via email and community
✅ All Future Updates: Free access to future versions
✅ Evergreen Content: Growing tutorials and guides
✅ Priority Support: Direct help via email and community
✅ Community Access: Lifetime membership to PKM community
Aspect | Building Yourself | Obsidian Starter Kit |
---|---|---|
Time to productive | 4-8 weeks | 30 minutes |
Folder structure | Trial and error | Battle-tested, scales to 10k+ notes |
Plugin selection | Research 1k+ plugins | Carefully curated and pre-configured |
Templates | Build from scratch | Carefully curated and pre-configured |
PKM education | Self-study scattered resources | Complete guide built-in |
Ongoing updates | Maintain yourself | Free lifetime updates |
Support | Public forums and communities only | Community + direct support |
Cost | "Free" (100+ hours) | One-time investment |
The Backstory
I'm Sébastien Dubois. I've been passionate about information, Knowledge Management, and PKM for more than 20 years. As an author, blogger, entrepreneur and Knowledge Worker, I needed solutions to store and organize an enormous amount of information.Over the years, I've explored, used, and advocated many tools but have settled on Obsidian. With the Obsidian Starter Kit, I offer you the result of my own research and experimentation. It's like a cheat code to jump straight to stress-free note-making.I've spent months refining and perfecting my Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) system, and have spent countless hours tweaking my system so you don't have to.The Obsidian Starter Kit is a ready-made Obsidian vault that includes my recommended system and explains my own approach.
🌟 Trusted by 1,000+ Knowledge Workers
👨💼 Product Managers
👨🎓 Researchers
✍️ Writers
👨💻 Developers
👨🏫 Educators
🎯 Consultants
📊 Analysts
🚀 Entrepreneurs
By the Numbers:
1,000+ active users worldwide
4.9/5 average rating
95% would recommend to a colleague
20+ years of Knowledge Management expertise behind it
3+ years continuous improvement and updates
The Obsidian Starter Course is a video course (~2h20) of content covering:
Obsidian: installation, user interface, key features, plugins, automation, tips and tricks, ...
The Markdown syntax
YAML metadata
Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) techniques, principles, frameworks and methods such as the Johnny Decimal system, the PARA method, the Zettelkasten method, the LIFT principle, the FILE framework, Atomic notes, Maps of Content (MoCs), Evergreen notes, ...
Journaling
Periodic reviews
Templating and Templates
Automation
Task management
Best practices and recommendations
Hands-on explanations
And more!
The Obsidian Starter Kit user guide is expanding week after week, year after year
Theory
Detailed workflows
Tutorials
Tips and tricks
...
The Obsidian vault also evolves over time:
The structure improves
New templates are added
New plugins are added
etc.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Game Changing"
"The Obsidian Starter Kit has been game changing for me in providing a ready to go framework for keeping track of all the details. The templates have simplified my tasks, enhanced my efficiency, and even seem to have improved my memory. Overall, this has been a joy to adopt as a work tool."
— Dwayne Appleby⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Finally Clicked"
"Finally clicked how awesome Obsidian is! Thanks to your excellent Obsidian Starter Kit!"
— Cal Desmond-Pearson⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "100% Worth It"
"As someone who has bounced around trying to find the right Knowledge tool, I've realized many of my issues have been related to complexity. The structure, design and explanations in OSK have finally given me the foundation I needed. 100% worth it."
— Michael Aaron⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "1-2 Days to Intermediate Level"
"Starting as an absolute beginner, this kit allowed me to jump to what I feel is an intermediate level of Obsidian understanding and effective note taking in the span of 1-2 days, and I am grateful that I found it."
— Blake Holder⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Easy, Complete and FANTASTIC!"
"Easy, complete and FANTASTIC!!!"
— Miriam G⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ "Must-Have for PKM"
"The Obsidian Starter Kit is an excellent resource for anyone interested in Personal Knowledge Management (PKM) and building their own 'second brain.' A must-have for those looking to take control of their knowledge and productivity!"
— Franjo Pehar"I was a novice to Obsidian & not a techie person. This is one of the best Obsidian Starter kits to get you started with Obsidian. You will not be disappointed. 😉"
— Yaaqoub"Flawless design and easy to use with detailed explanations behind every design. Now I can take notes stress-free!"
— Chananan Srasri"Great content - got me up to speed with what I was looking for fast! Sébastien answered some questions by mail also which was much appreciated!"
— Sam Gonzales"Although I was already using Obsidian in earnest on a day to day basis when I purchased it, I've found this guide / set up invaluable as a way to round out my understanding of features and plugins. Whether you're just starting out or need some guidance taming the data in your vault this kit is a really useful resource."
— M G ZANDSTRA"I absolutely love your kit and it has been so immensely helpful"
— Ashwin Appiah"This is a practical and well thought out tool for organising Obsidian. The kit provided me with a solid framework, helpful templates, and automations that made it easier to manage my vault without feeling overwhelmed."
— Ghada"Sebastien's Obsidian Starter Kit is a powerful tool for those looking to dive into the world of Obsidian without being overwhelmed. It significantly shortens the learning curve."
— Lubos Kolouch"Excellent package to get started with Obsidian or optimize what you already have. The developer has tried it all and distilled a core setup that you can use out-of-the-box or adapt."
— Henry F."Thanks for making the product. I'm making efforts to start using Obsidian more in my daily workflow and having a place to start makes the task much less daunting!"
— Liam Weight"The Obsidian Starter Kit is a really great way to get going with Obsidian, and Sebastien's writing and knowledge is so insightful and helpful"
— Rick Elliott"More intuitive, increased depth of information from Sebastien, growing the Starter Kit product, has expanded my utilization of @Obsidian. Better and getting better. Worth the investment in KM..."
— Charles F McMaster"I love this product. Obsidian can be overwhelming with all you can do with it. Sebastien has pulled together a great collection of add-ons and templates and is a great starting point to get productive and begin your personal knowledge management journey"
— Todd Walters"Just to thank the work and content that allowed me to discover the background of a custom vault. It was a real boost for me and given the price, it was a real investment of time and learning."
— Trobrillant"If you have been wanting to try Obsidian but overwhelmed with options and unsure where to start, Sebastien makes it easy with his 'ready to go' vault."
— Andrew Zavitsanos"Extremely comprehensive and most worthwhile!"
— Mike Nall"A very good starting point for your Personal Knowledge Management."
— Fredrik Nordstrom"Great starter kit, love it!"
— Naya Moss"Very helpful to give you a framework to develop from"
— Brenton James"Useful learning for Obsidian. Appreciate updates"
— Adrian McLachlan"Easy to follow and well done!"
— Edouard Kutter"If you have been searching 😖 and searching for the right Obsidian Starter Kit??? This is the answer!!! It's a great start to set up the foundation of your system in Obsidian."
— Yaaqoub Eliyyahu"Extraordinario para comenzar a trabajar con Obsidian"
— Manuel Miguel"I'm very new to PKM, but the Obsidian Starter Kit has been a tremendous help in getting me started"
— Fredrik Nordström"Sebastien's Obsidian Starter Kit is a powerful tool for those looking to dive into the world of Obsidian without being overwhelmed. It's a comprehensive solution that significantly shortens the learning curve, providing an impressively structured way to start capturing notes and facilitating daily journaling. The kit's integration of automated tasks and pre-designed templates are a boon to beginners, alleviating the initial intimidation of starting from scratch. If you're new to Obsidian and need a solid starting point, this starter kit comes highly recommended. It doesn't just help you navigate Obsidian, but also empowers you to harness its full potential right from the get-go."
— Lubos Kolouch
Q: I'm brand new to Obsidian. Is this too advanced?
A: No! OSK is designed for beginners and experts alike. The user guide explains everything step-by-step. Many users start with OSK on day 1 and become productive in under a few hours.Q: What if OSK doesn't fit my workflow?
A: OSK is a starting point, not a straitjacket. Everything is customizable—tweak the structure, templates, and plugins to match your needs. Plus, 30-day money-back guarantee if it's not right for you.Q: How do updates work?
A: Free lifetime updates via the store. You'll get all future updates at no additional cost. Updates are announced via email and the community. Release notes and migration guides are provided.Q: Do I need to pay for Obsidian?
A: No! Obsidian is free for personal and professional use. OSK is a pre-built vault + comprehensive documentation + community access.Q: Is support included?
A: Yes! Lifetime community access + priority email support + migration help. I personally respond to questions and help users get started.Q: Can I use OSK for work/commercial purposes?
A: Yes, absolutely. Many consultants, project managers, and knowledge workers use OSK for their professional work. Just follow Obsidian's licensing (free for personal use, paid for commercial use of Obsidian itself).
The PKM community is a home for people interested in getting started or getting better at Personal Knowledge Management (PKM).Our intent is to create a space where lifelong learners can share ideas, workflows, tools, interesting articles, tips, tricks, and hacks about knowledge management and how to build a second brain.