Diane

Your AI vault analyst and creative consultant for Obsidian

Diane is a Claude Code plugin that transforms voice-captured notes into structured Zettelkasten notes with automatic linking and intelligent organization. Built for the Obsidian + Claude Code workflow, Diane reduces friction in your knowledge capture pipeline—from quick dictaphone-style voice memos "from the field" to polished, well-connected permanent notes.

Features

• Voice Note Processing (/playback) - Transform SuperWhisper transcriptions into atomic, well-linked permanent notes
• Semantic Link Discovery (/find-links) - Find conceptual connections across your entire vault
• Vault Analysis (/consult) - Get insights and discover patterns in your knowledge graph
• Intelligent Context Detection - Resolves vague references by analyzing recent notes
• Interactive Workflow - One-by-one review with full editorial control

Philosophy

Based on Sönke Ahrens' How to Take Smart Notes:

• Reduce capture friction - Voice → structured note in minimal steps
• Build knowledge graph - Every note connects to existing ideas
• Atomic notes - One idea, one note, many connections
• Semantic over keyword - Find conceptual relationships, not just text matches
• Progressive elaboration - Fleeting → Literature → Permanent → Ideas → Project → Output

Installation

Prerequisites

1. Claude Code installed
2. Obsidian with your vault configured
3. Templater plugin for Obsidian

Quick Start

# Add the marketplace
/plugin marketplace add https://github.com/yourusername/diane

# Install the plugin
/plugin install diane@diane

# Configure your vault (IMPORTANT - Run this first!)
/diane:setup

# Then use the commands
/diane:playback
/diane:consult
/diane:find-links

⚠️ Important: Run /diane:setup immediately after installation to configure your Obsidian vault path and folder structure. The plugin won't work until you complete setup.

For detailed installation instructions, see diane/README.md.

SuperWhisper Setup for iOS

A big part of Diane's workflow is capturing quick voice notes "from the field"—thoughts while walking, reading, or working away from your desk. SuperWhisper on iOS makes this seamless, especially when configured with the iPhone's Action Button for instant recording.

Installing SuperWhisper

1. Download SuperWhisper from the App Store
2. Open SuperWhisper and grant microphone permissions

Configuring the Action Button (iPhone 15 Pro/Pro Max or later)

The Action Button provides instant voice capture—no unlocking, no app switching, just press and speak:

1. Open Settings → Action Button
2. Scroll to Shortcut and select it
3. Tap Choose Shortcut
4. Select SuperWhisper (or create a shortcut if needed):
   • Open Shortcuts app
   • Create new shortcut
   • Add action: Open App → SuperWhisper
   • Configure to start recording immediately (see SuperWhisper settings)
   • Name it "Voice Capture" or "Diane"
5. Test by pressing and holding the Action Button

Pro tip: In SuperWhisper settings, enable "Auto-start recording" so pressing the Action Button immediately begins recording without additional taps.

File Naming Convention

Configure SuperWhisper to save files with timestamps:

• Format: YYYY-MM-DD-HHmm.md (e.g., 2025-10-13-0930.md)
• This helps track when thoughts were captured and maintains chronological order
• Diane automatically recognizes this format during processing

Workflow: Field to Vault

1. In the field - Press Action Button → speak → release
2. Auto-save - SuperWhisper transcribes and saves to 00 Diane/ in your Obsidian vault
3. iCloud sync - Note automatically syncs to your Mac
4. Evening processing - Run /diane:playback to transform voice notes into structured Zettelkasten notes

This creates a nearly frictionless path from fleeting thought to permanent knowledge.

Commands

/diane:setup - Initial Configuration

Run this first! Configure Diane with your Obsidian vault path and folder structure.

/diane:setup

The setup wizard will guide you through:

1. Vault verification - Locating and validating your Obsidian vault
2. Folder configuration - Using your existing structure or sensible defaults
3. Naming conventions - Choose your preferred file naming style (kebab-case, snake_case, etc.)
4. Archive existing files (optional) - Move any loose files in vault root to an Archive folder for clean organization
5. Create folder structure (optional) - Automatically create the complete Zettelkasten folder hierarchy:

   [Vault Name]/
   ├── 00 Diane/              # Voice note captures
   │   └── processed/         # Archived processed notes
   ├── 10 Fleeting notes/     # Quick captures
   ├── 20 Ideas/              # Proto-projects with many connections
   ├── 30 Literature notes/   # Source insights
   ├── 40 Permanent notes/    # Atomic ideas
   ├── 50 Project notes/      # Active work
   ├── 99 Output/             # Published work
   └── _templates/            # Templater templates
   

The wizard ensures your vault is ready for a clean Zettelkasten workflow from voice capture to published output.

/diane:playback - Process Voice Notes

Process voice-transcribed notes from your Diane folder into structured Zettelkasten notes.

/diane:playback

What it does:

1. Lists unprocessed voice notes with preview
2. Expands conversational transcriptions into clear prose
3. Finds semantic connections to existing notes
4. Suggests wikilinks and destination folders
5. Creates properly formatted atomic notes

/find-links - Discover Connections

Find semantically related notes and suggest wikilinks.

/diane:find-links

What it does:

1. Analyzes note concepts and themes
2. Searches vault for related notes (semantic, not keyword matching)
3. Ranks connections by confidence level
4. Provides ready-to-paste wikilinks
5. Identifies conceptual clusters and gaps

/consult - Vault Analysis

Consult with Diane to analyze patterns and discover creative connections.

/diane:consult

What it does:

1. Reads your Zettelkasten notes
2. Identifies patterns and themes
3. Suggests unexpected connections
4. Provides fresh perspective on your thinking

Vault Structure

Slip Box/
├── 00 Diane/              # Voice note captures
│   └── processed/         # Archived notes
├── 10 Fleeting notes/     # Quick captures
├── 20 Ideas/              # Proto-projects with many connections
├── 30 Literature notes/   # Source insights
├── 40 Permanent notes/    # Atomic ideas
├── 50 Project notes/      # Active work
├── 99 Output/             # Published work
└── _templates/            # Templater templates

Daily Workflow

The Diane workflow embraces capturing thoughts exactly when and where they occur—"from the field":

1. Capture - Throughout the day, press Action Button to record voice memos

   • Walking between meetings
   • Reading in a coffee shop
   • Lying in bed with a late-night insight
   • → SuperWhisper auto-saves to 00 Diane/, syncs via iCloud

2. Process - Evening review with /diane:playback

   • Transform raw transcriptions into clear, atomic notes
   • Diane expands conversational speech into structured prose
   • Automatically finds connections to existing notes
   • Archive processed voice notes

3. Connect - Weekly review with /diane:find-links on recent notes

   • Discover semantic relationships across your vault
   • Strengthen your knowledge graph
   • Identify emerging patterns and themes

4. Consult - Ask /diane:consult for insights when exploring themes

   • "What patterns do you see in my permanent notes?"
   • "What should I work on next?"
   • "How has my thinking evolved on [topic]?"

5. Create - Build projects from connected permanent notes

   • Let your knowledge graph guide your creative work
   • Explore proto-projects in 20 Ideas/ before formalizing in 50 Project notes/
   • 50 Project notes/ pulls from 40 Permanent notes/ and 20 Ideas/
   • Publish refined work to 99 Output/

This workflow reduces capture friction to nearly zero while maintaining rigorous knowledge management standards.

Configuration

Configuration is handled through the /diane:setup wizard, which updates diane/.claude-plugin/plugin.json and all command files with your settings:

• Vault path
• Folder names
• Naming conventions
• Template locations

You can re-run /diane:setup anytime to reconfigure.

Note Format

All notes use atomic Zettelkasten structure with frontmatter, main idea, significance, evidence, and wikilinks. See templates for examples.

Contributing

This is a personal workflow plugin built for my specific Obsidian setup, but suggestions and improvements are welcome! Open an issue or submit a PR.

License

MIT

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by Sönke Ahrens' How to Take Smart Notes
• Built for Obsidian + Claude Code workflow
• Icon design inspired by Twin Peaks

---

Version: 1.0.0 Author: Marcus Estes