Quick Start Guide¶

This guide walks you through setting up the system and creating your first project using AI commands while observing the results visually in Obsidian.

Prerequisites¶

• Obsidian installed
• Node.js 18+ installed
• Claude Desktop or Cursor IDE
• An empty Obsidian vault (or create a new one)

Step 1: Install MCP Server (5 minutes)¶

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "obsidian": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "obsidian-accomplishments-mcp"],
      "env": {
        "VAULT_PATH": "/absolute/path/to/your/vault",
        "DEFAULT_CANVAS": "main.canvas"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step 2: Install Plugin (5 minutes)¶

1. Clone and build the plugin:

git clone https://github.com/ostanlabs/obsidian_plugin.git
cd obsidian_plugin
npm install
npm run build

1. Copy to your vault:

mkdir -p /path/to/vault/.obsidian/plugins/canvas-project-manager
cp main.js manifest.json styles.css /path/to/vault/.obsidian/plugins/canvas-project-manager/

1. In Obsidian:

2. Settings → Community Plugins → Enable Canvas Project Manager

3. Create a canvas file:

4. Create new file: main.canvas

Step 3: Create Your First Project with AI (5 minutes)¶

Now let's create a simple learning project using AI and watch it appear on the canvas!

3.1 Create the Learning Milestone¶

Ask your AI assistant:

Create a milestone called "Learn Obsidian Project Management" with target date 
one week from today, workstream "learning", and priority "High"

Expected Response:

✓ Created M-001: Learn Obsidian Project Management
  - Target: [date]
  - Workstream: learning
  - Priority: High

3.2 Add Stories¶

Ask your AI:

Create two stories under M-001:
1. "Set up the system" - status "Completed"
2. "Create first real project" - status "Not Started"
Both in workstream "learning"

Expected Response:

✓ Created S-001: Set up the system (parent: M-001)
✓ Created S-002: Create first real project (parent: M-001)

3.3 Add Tasks¶

Ask your AI:

Create three tasks under S-002:
1. "Define project goals" - status "Open"
2. "Break down into milestones" - status "Open"  
3. "Create initial stories" - status "Open"
All in workstream "learning"

Expected Response:

✓ Created T-001: Define project goals (parent: S-002)
✓ Created T-002: Break down into milestones (parent: S-002)
✓ Created T-003: Create initial stories (parent: S-002)

Step 4: Visualize on Canvas (2 minutes)¶

Now let's see what we created!

1. Open main.canvas in Obsidian

2. Run command (Ctrl/Cmd+P):

3. "Project Canvas: Populate from vault"

4. Run command again:

5. "Project Canvas: Reposition nodes"

You should see:

graph TD
    M[M-001: Learn Obsidian PM<br/>Target: date | Priority: High]
    S1[S-001: Set up<br/>✓ Complete]
    S2[S-002: Create<br/>Not Started]
    T1[T-001: Define goals]
    T2[T-002: Break down]
    T3[T-003: Create stories]

    M --> S1
    M --> S2
    S2 --> T1
    S2 --> T2
    S2 --> T3

    style M fill:#e3f2fd
    style S1 fill:#c8e6c9
    style S2 fill:#fff9c4
    style T1 fill:#ffe0b2
    style T2 fill:#ffe0b2
    style T3 fill:#ffe0b2

Step 5: Iterate and Observe (3 minutes)¶

Now let's practice the AI → Visual workflow:

Check Status¶

Ask AI:

What's the status of M-001?

Take Action¶

Ask AI:

Mark T-001 as Complete

Observe Change¶

1. In Obsidian, refresh canvas (close and reopen, or run "Populate from vault" again)
2. See T-001 now shows as complete with different styling

Report Progress¶

Ask AI:

Show me what's left to complete M-001

Move Forward¶

Ask AI:

Mark T-002 as InProgress and assign it to me

Refresh canvas → See T-002 status updated

🎉 Success!¶

You've now:

• Set up MCP Server and Plugin
• Created a 3-tier project structure via AI
• Visualized it on Obsidian canvas
• Iterated: AI action → Visual review

Next Steps¶

Troubleshooting¶

For more help, see FAQ