Life OS

Goal

Build a version of Life OS that is fully independent of any single app, AI, or platform. Notes remain accessible, editable, and interconnected no matter what tools change around them — whether that’s Obsidian, Claude, or anything else.

Why This Matters

AI tools and apps come and go. Plain Markdown files last forever.
Obsidian is excellent but proprietary in its plugin ecosystem — certain features (Canvas, Bases, MediaDB) don’t exist outside of it.
The vault should be usable — not just readable — without Obsidian if needed.
Connections between notes (links, backlinks, graph) are the core value of a PKM. These must survive any migration.

Pillars

Pillar	What It Means
Access	Notes are readable anywhere — browser, phone, desktop, without any specific app
Editability	Notes can be created and edited with a good UI, not just raw text
Connections	Links between notes are preserved, navigable, and meaningful
Portability	No proprietary formats, no lock-in. Plain Markdown + YAML frontmatter is the foundation
AI-agnostic	Claude is a tool, not a dependency. Workflows should work if Claude is replaced

Roadmap

Phase 1 — Solid Foundation (current)

Ensure the vault itself is clean, consistent, and portable.

Phase 2 — Independent Access Layer

A way to read and navigate the vault outside of Obsidian.

Life OS UI — browser-based reader/navigator (in progress at _Tools/life-os-ui/)
People view in UI
Wiki/graph view working (D3 force graph)
Obsidian deep links working correctly from UI
Make Claude CLI path version-agnostic

Phase 3 — Independent Edit Layer

Ability to create and edit notes with a polished UI — not just read them.

Full note editor in Life OS UI (Markdown + YAML frontmatter)
Wikilink autocomplete in editor (type [[ → suggests existing notes)
New note creation from UI (with template selection)
Vocab flashcard / quiz mode (German A2 focus)
Global search across all notes (minisearch or similar)

Phase 4 — Connection Layer

First-class support for note relationships — beyond just wikilinks.

Graph view that shows all links and backlinks for any note
Backlinks panel in note editor
Ability to create new connections from within the UI
Relationship types (e.g. related, contradicts, supports) as frontmatter
Wiki cross-reference health check (orphaned pages, missing links)

Phase 5 — Full Platform Independence

The vault works identically whether opened in Obsidian, the Life OS UI, or any standard Markdown editor.

All Canvas files have a Markdown equivalent summary note
Life OS Operations.md created — AI-agnostic ops manual, mirrors CLAUDE.md
All .base views documented and reproducible via standard frontmatter queries
MediaDB-dependent notes have all metadata in frontmatter (not plugin-generated)
Export/backup workflow — scheduled ZIP of vault to external location
Vault health check script (broken links, missing frontmatter, orphan notes)

Tasks

Now

Fix Science.base (missing underscore prefix)
Fix _Public Figrues.base (typo — should be _Public Figures.base)
Audit templates — confirm all note types are covered
Enable Linter YAML Timestamp and run “Lint all files” to backfill created/modified
Remove stray/empty notes from 0 INBOX/
Document all .base files → wiki/topics/Bases & Views.md
Fix broken .base filters (_Languages, _Science, _Albums, _AI)
Fix “Artificial Inteligence” typo — folder, hub note, and all frontmatter

Soon

Canvas files → Markdown summary equivalents (Start Page, Wiki Map)
Vault backup/export automation (scheduled ZIP/rsync)
Broken internal links audit
Life OS UI: People view (in progress)
Life OS UI: Note editor (Phase 3 foundation)
Life OS UI: Global search (minisearch)
Life OS UI: Vocab flashcard mode
Life OS UI: Version-agnostic Claude CLI path

Later

Graph view with backlinks in Life OS UI
Wikilink autocomplete in editor
Relationship types as frontmatter
Vault health check script (broken links, missing frontmatter, orphan notes)

Notes

On Markdown as the Foundation

Wikilinks ([[Note Name]]) are the one semi-proprietary element — but they’re widely supported (Obsidian, Logseq, Foam, many editors). They’re worth keeping as the connection standard.

On Obsidian

Obsidian remains the primary editor and is excellent. The goal isn’t to replace it — it’s to ensure the vault doesn’t require it. Think of Life OS UI as a complement and a fallback.

On AI

Claude Code (Allan and team) handles vault operations now. The goal is that the outputs — notes, wiki pages, frontmatter — are AI-agnostic. Any AI, or no AI, should be able to work with the vault’s content.

On Bases / Canvas

These are Obsidian-specific. Document what each .base and .canvas file does so the logic can be recreated elsewhere if needed.

On CLAUDE.md vs Life OS Operations.md

CLAUDE.md is the AI instruction file — Claude-specific language, behavioral rules, persona instructions. Life OS Operations.md is the human-readable mirror — same information, no AI dependencies. Both files must be updated together whenever the vault system changes.

Explorer

Life OS — Platform-Proof PKM