# Note Companion (formerly File Organizer 2000) Turn messy captures into clean, searchable notes โ€” **transcribe audio/YouTube, chat with your vault, and auto-organize files** right inside Obsidian. Works with **Note Companion Cloud** or a **self-hosted backend** where you configure your own AI provider keys. > โœ… Best for: researchers, students, meeting-heavy workflows, and anyone with an "Inbox" full of unprocessed notes. --- ## What you can do - ๐ŸŽฌ **Transcribe YouTube videos** (multi-language, works even when captions aren't available in the usual way) - ๐ŸŽ™๏ธ **Transcribe audio & video files** (handles large files reliably) - ๐Ÿง  **Chat with your notes** using vault context (mention files/folders/tags) - ๐Ÿ—‚๏ธ **Auto-organize & format notes** (folder/tag/title/template suggestions; optional "Inbox" automation) - ๐Ÿงพ **Meeting recorder โ†’ Enhance note** (transcript, discussion points, action items, embedded audio) - ๐Ÿ”Œ **Multiple AI providers**: OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Groq, Ollama/local models, and custom base URLs - ๐Ÿ  **Self-hosting supported** (Docker + service examples) --- ## Screenshots ![File Organization Interface](docs/screenshots/organizer-demo.gif) _AI-powered tags, folders, and formatting suggestions_ ![YouTube Transcription Workflow](docs/screenshots/youtube-demo.gif) _YouTube link โ†’ Transcript + Summary + Structured Notes_ ![AI Chat with Vault Context](docs/screenshots/chat-demo.gif) _Chat with your notes using @mentions for files, folders, and tags_ ![Meeting Recorder & Note Enhancement](docs/screenshots/meeting-demo.gif) _Record meetings, then enhance notes with transcript, discussion points, and action items_ --- ## Install **Obsidian โ†’ Settings โ†’ Community plugins โ†’ Browse โ†’ "Note Companion" โ†’ Install โ†’ Enable** ### Platform support (Obsidian) **This plugin is for Obsidian on desktop only** (Windows, macOS, and Linux). It is marked **desktop-only** in the plugin manifest, so **Obsidian on iPhone, iPad, and Android will not load it** and may show it as unsupported on mobile. The plugin is built and tested for desktop Obsidian. Some features assume a typical desktop environment (for example, certain local integrations). **We do not test or support the Obsidian plugin on mobile** today. **Related:** This repo also includes a separate **Note Companion mobile app** for capture and cloud-backed workflows. Development on that app is currently **on pause**. It is not a replacement for running the Obsidian plugin inside the mobile Obsidian app. --- ## Setup Open **Settings โ†’ Note Companion** and choose one of the paths below. > **Important:** The Obsidian plugin does **not** have a screen to paste OpenAI / Claude / Gemini API keys directly. Those keys are configured on your **self-hosted backend** (see path 2). The plugin's **License Key** field is for Note Companion Cloud access only. ### Path 1 โ€” Note Companion Cloud (default) 1. Create an account at [notecompanion.ai](https://notecompanion.ai) or sign up / sign in from the plugin's **General** tab 2. Copy your **license key** from the web dashboard (**API Keys**) and paste it into **Settings โ†’ Note Companion โ†’ General โ†’ License Key** 3. Click **Activate** No cloud account is required for self-hosting (path 2). ### Path 2 โ€” Self-hosted / bring your own provider keys Use this path to run AI through **your own** OpenAI, Claude, Gemini, Groq, or compatible API keys. 1. Deploy the Note Companion backend โ€” see **[SELF-HOSTING.md](SELF-HOSTING.md)** (Docker or `pnpm build:self-host`) 2. Add provider keys to the server `.env` (e.g. `OPENAI_API_KEY`, `ANTHROPIC_API_KEY`, `MODEL_PROVIDER`, `MODEL_NAME`; optional `OPENAI_API_BASE` for Ollama or other OpenAI-compatible endpoints) 3. In Obsidian: **Settings โ†’ Note Companion โ†’ Advanced โ†’ Enable Self-Hosting** 4. Set **Server URL** to your backend (e.g. `http://localhost:3000`) 5. Leave **License Key** empty or use any placeholder โ€” self-hosted instances with `ENABLE_USER_MANAGEMENT=false` do not require a cloud license ### Path 3 โ€” Local Ollama (chat only, experimental) 1. Run [Ollama](https://ollama.com) locally 2. Self-host the backend with `OPENAI_API_BASE=http://localhost:11434/v1`, **or** enable **Experiment โ†’ Local LLM Integration** in plugin settings (requires Catalyst access for the in-plugin Ollama path) 3. Select the local model in the chat model picker ### Quick test - Open Command Palette โ†’ **Note Companion: Open Chat** - Ask: "Summarize this note and suggest tags" --- ## Quick workflows ### 1) YouTube โ†’ Note 1. Copy a YouTube link 2. In **Note Companion Chat**, paste the link 3. Get transcript + summary + optional structured notes ### 2) Audio recording โ†’ Meeting note (best demo) 1. Open **Meetings** tab โ†’ Start Recording 2. Stop Recording โ†’ select a note โ†’ **Enhance Note** 3. You'll get: - embedded audio - transcript - discussion points + action items ### 3) Inbox auto-organization 1. Create an Inbox folder (configured in settings) 2. Drop raw notes / links inside 3. Note Companion suggests (or auto-applies) folder + tags + title + formatting --- ## Providers & privacy | Mode | Where provider keys live | Plugin configuration | |------|--------------------------|----------------------| | **Note Companion Cloud** | Note Companion servers | License key in **General** tab | | **Self-hosted (BYOK)** | Your server `.env` | **Advanced โ†’ Self-Hosting** + Server URL | | **Local Ollama** | Your machine (Ollama) | Self-hosted `OPENAI_API_BASE` and/or **Experiment โ†’ Local LLM** | Your data handling depends on the mode you choose. View our full privacy policy at [notecompanion.ai/privacy](https://notecompanion.ai/privacy) **Cloud Service:** - Files are processed through our secure API for AI analysis - Usage statistics collected for billing and rate limits - Your vault content remains private and is only processed when you explicitly use plugin features - Account sign-in on the **web dashboard** may offer Google OAuth (Clerk); the in-plugin sign-up uses email/password **Self-hosted / your provider keys:** - Provider keys are set on the backend, not in the Obsidian plugin UI - All AI processing runs on infrastructure you control - No cloud usage tracking when `ENABLE_USER_MANAGEMENT=false` --- ## Self-hosting Want full control and local infrastructure? โžก๏ธ See **[SELF-HOSTING.md](SELF-HOSTING.md)** for Docker + service setups and security notes. --- ## Troubleshooting **If transcription fails:** - Check provider key, model availability, and file size limits - Verify API key is valid and has sufficient credits - For large files (>25MB), consider splitting or compressing **If YouTube import fails:** - Try a different fallback method - Ensure the video is accessible and not private/restricted - Check network connectivity **If local model doesn't respond:** - Verify Base URL and CORS/network settings - Ensure the local server (e.g., Ollama) is running - Check firewall settings **If plugin can't connect to server:** - Verify **Server URL** under **Settings โ†’ Note Companion โ†’ Advanced** (check for typos, trailing slashes, http vs https) - Confirm the backend is running (`curl http://localhost:3000/api/health` or your configured URL) - Check firewall/network settings **If chat doesn't work:** - **Cloud:** verify your **license key** is activated in **General** - **Self-hosted:** verify provider keys and `MODEL_PROVIDER` / `MODEL_NAME` in the server `.env`, and that self-hosting is enabled in **Advanced** - Check model availability for your provider - Enable **Debug Mode** in **Advanced** and review logs there --- ## Support / feedback - **GitHub Issues**: [Report bugs or request features](https://github.com/Nexus-JPF/note-companion/issues) - **Documentation**: [notecompanion.ai/docs](https://notecompanion.ai/docs) - **Website**: [notecompanion.ai](https://notecompanion.ai) - **Obsidian Forum**: [Share feedback and discuss](https://forum.obsidian.md) _(add forum thread link when available)_ --- ## For developers If you want to build or contribute, start here: **[CONTRIBUTING.md](CONTRIBUTING.md)** --- ## Important Disclosures ### Account & Payment Requirements - **Payment required for cloud service**: The plugin requires a paid subscription to use the cloud-hosted service - **7-day free trial**: New subscriptions include a 7-day trial period - **Self-hosting option available**: You can run your own instance for free (see [Self-Hosting](#self-hosting) above) - **Account creation**: Using the cloud service requires creating an account at [notecompanion.ai](https://notecompanion.ai) ### Network Usage This plugin communicates with the following remote services: - **Note Companion API Server** (cloud service): For AI-powered features including file classification, formatting, transcription, and chat - **YouTube API**: For fetching video transcripts when processing YouTube links - **AI Provider APIs**: When self-hosting or using your own keys, you'll connect directly to your chosen AI provider (OpenAI, Anthropic, Google, etc.) --- ## License This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the [LICENSE](LICENSE) file for details.