ClaudeTerm

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🚀 Full-featured terminal for Obsidian

Run AI CLI tools (Claude, Gemini, OpenAI), vim, git directly in your sidebar

🎬 What Can You Do?

🤖 AI-Powered Note-Taking

Run all major AI CLI tools side-by-side with your notes:

# Claude Code - AI pair programming
claude
claude -p "Help me refactor this code"

# Google Gemini CLI
gemini "Summarize my meeting notes"

# OpenAI ChatGPT / Codex
chatgpt "Generate unit tests for this function"

Perfect workflow:

1. Write notes about a problem in Obsidian
2. Press Cmd+Shift+T to open terminal
3. Ask AI for help without leaving your notes
4. Copy AI's response back to your notes

🔄 Perfect with Obsidian Git Plugin

Install Obsidian Git for automatic version control:

1. Install Obsidian Git Plugin:

   • Go to Settings → Community plugins → Browse
   • Search for "Obsidian Git"
   • Click Install and Enable

2. Visual Git Operations:

   • Obsidian Git provides a visual interface for Git
   • Auto-commit and sync on schedule
   • View changes with built-in diff viewer
   • Stage/unstage files with clicks

3. Use ClaudeTerm for Advanced Operations:

   • When you need git commands, ClaudeTerm is right there
   • Quick git status to check changes
   • Run custom git commands when needed
   • Edit commit messages in vim/nano

Perfect combo:

• ✅ Obsidian Git handles automatic syncing
• ✅ ClaudeTerm for when you need terminal control
• ✅ Both work together seamlessly
• ✅ Best of both worlds: GUI + CLI

💻 Full Terminal Experience

Run any command just like in a native terminal - vim, python, npm, docker, and more. All tools work seamlessly.

📦 Installation

Step 1: Install Prerequisites

Check if Python 3 is installed:

python3 --version
# Should show: Python 3.x.x

If not installed:

• macOS: brew install python3
• Ubuntu/Debian: sudo apt install python3
• Other Linux: Use your package manager

Step 2: Install ClaudeTerm Plugin

Method A: Using BRAT (Recommended for beginners)

1. Install BRAT plugin first:

   • Open Obsidian
   • Go to Settings → Community plugins
   • Click Browse and search for "BRAT"
   • Install and enable BRAT

2. Add ClaudeTerm via BRAT:

   • Go to Settings → BRAT
   • Click Add Beta plugin
   • Enter: chicogong/obsidian-claude-code
   • Click Add Plugin

3. Enable ClaudeTerm:

   • Go to Settings → Community plugins
   • Find "ClaudeTerm" and toggle it ON

Method B: Manual Installation (Step by step)

Step 1: Find your vault's plugin folder

1. Open Obsidian
2. Right-click any note → Show in system explorer / 在系统中显示
3. You'll see your vault folder open
4. Look for the .obsidian folder:
   • macOS/Linux: Press Cmd+Shift+. to show hidden files
   • Windows: Enable "Show hidden files" in File Explorer
5. Open .obsidian → plugins folder

Your path should look like:

• macOS: /Users/YourName/Documents/Obsidian/YourVault/.obsidian/plugins/
• Linux: /home/YourName/Documents/Obsidian/YourVault/.obsidian/plugins/
• Windows: C:\Users\YourName\Documents\Obsidian\YourVault\.obsidian\plugins\

Step 2: Download the plugin

Option A: Using Git (Recommended)

Open Terminal/Command Prompt and run:

# Navigate to plugins folder (replace with your actual path)
cd /Users/YourName/Documents/Obsidian/YourVault/.obsidian/plugins/

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/chicogong/obsidian-claude-code.git claudeterm

# Done! The 'claudeterm' folder is now created

Option B: Download ZIP

1. Go to https://github.com/chicogong/obsidian-claude-code
2. Click green Code button → Download ZIP
3. Extract the ZIP file
4. Rename the extracted folder to claudeterm
5. Move the claudeterm folder to .obsidian/plugins/

Step 3: Verify files

Open the claudeterm folder and make sure you see these files:

claudeterm/
├── main.js           ✓ Must have
├── manifest.json     ✓ Must have
├── styles.css        ✓ Must have
├── pty_proxy.py      ✓ Must have
└── README.md         (optional)

Step 4: Enable the plugin

1. Restart Obsidian (completely close and reopen)
2. Go to Settings → Community plugins
3. Look for "ClaudeTerm" in the list
4. Toggle it ON (the switch should turn purple)
5. You should now see a terminal icon in the left ribbon!

Troubleshooting:

If ClaudeTerm doesn't appear in the plugin list:

1. Check folder name is exactly claudeterm (lowercase, no spaces)
2. Make sure files are directly in claudeterm/, not in a subfolder
3. Close Obsidian completely and reopen
4. Check if manifest.json exists and is valid

Step 3: Configure ClaudeTerm

1. Open Settings:

   • Settings → ClaudeTerm

2. Choose a theme:

   • Light (default) - Clean and professional
   • Dark - Easy on the eyes
   • Custom - Design your own colors

3. Configure behavior:

   • ✅ Auto-cd to note directory (Recommended ON)
     • Terminal opens in current note's folder
     • Perfect for running commands related to your notes

🚀 How to Use

Opening the Terminal

Method 1: Ribbon Icon (Easiest)

• Click the terminal icon (📟) in the left sidebar

Method 2: Command Palette

• Press Cmd+P (Mac) or Ctrl+P (Windows/Linux)
• Type "Open Terminal"
• Press Enter

Method 3: Keyboard Shortcut (Fastest)

• Set it up in Settings → Hotkeys
• Search for "ClaudeTerm"
• Recommended: Cmd+Shift+T or Ctrl+Shift+T

Available Commands

Customize shortcuts in Settings → Hotkeys:

Terminal Features

Auto-cd to note directory:

# When editing: Projects/MyApp/notes.md
pwd
# → /vault/Projects/MyApp

# Perfect for project-specific commands!
npm test
git status

All terminal features work:

• ✅ Interactive commands (vim, nano, htop)
• ✅ Colors and formatting
• ✅ Tab completion
• ✅ Command history (↑/↓ arrows)
• ✅ Ctrl+C to cancel
• ✅ Copy/paste

🎨 Themes & Customization

Built-in Themes

Light Theme (Default)

• Professional look
• Perfect for daytime use
• Matches Obsidian's light mode

Dark Theme

• Easy on the eyes
• Great for nighttime
• Matches Obsidian's dark mode

Custom Theme

Full control over terminal colors:

1. Enable custom theme in settings
2. Customize each color:
   • Background & Foreground
   • Cursor & Selection
   • All 16 ANSI colors (black, red, green, etc.)
3. Preview changes instantly
4. Reset to defaults anytime

🔧 Troubleshooting

Terminal won't open

Problem: "Failed to start Python proxy"

Solution:

1. Check Python installation:

   which python3

2. If not found, install Python 3
3. Restart Obsidian
4. Try opening terminal again

Plugin not showing up

Check these:

1. ✅ Folder name is claudeterm (not obsidian-claude-code)
2. ✅ Files exist: manifest.json, main.js, pty_proxy.py
3. ✅ Plugin is enabled in settings
4. ✅ Restart Obsidian

Terminal looks weird

Solutions:

1. Try switching themes (Light ↔ Dark)
2. Resize Obsidian window
3. Use "Restart Terminal" command
4. Check if Python 3 is working: python3 --version

Characters appear twice

Already fixed in current version!

If you still see it:

1. Update to latest version
2. Use "Restart Terminal" command

🗺️ Roadmap

✅ Completed Features

• [x] Full terminal emulation (PTY support)
• [x] All AI CLI tools (Claude, Gemini, OpenAI)
• [x] Git integration (perfect with Obsidian Git)
• [x] Custom themes (Light/Dark/Custom)
• [x] Auto-cd to note directory
• [x] Keyboard shortcuts

🔮 Coming Soon

• [ ] Windows support - Using conpty/winpty
• [ ] Multiple tabs - Switch between terminals
• [ ] Session persistence - Remember state on restart
• [ ] Visual git diff - See changes in Obsidian UI
• [ ] AI shortcuts - Quick commands for AI tools
• [ ] Terminal profiles - Save different configurations

💡 Tips & Tricks

Combine with Obsidian Git

Install Obsidian Git plugin alongside ClaudeTerm:

1. Obsidian Git auto-syncs your vault
2. Use ClaudeTerm to review changes: git diff
3. Stage specific changes: git add -p
4. Commit with detailed messages
5. Perfect workflow for version control!

Use with AI CLI Tools

Claude Code:

claude           # Interactive mode
claude -p "..."  # One-shot prompt

Gemini CLI:

gemini "question"
gemini -m gemini-pro "complex task"

OpenAI:

chatgpt "question"
openai "generate code for..."

Quick File Editing

# Edit in vim
vim notes.md

# Edit in nano (easier for beginners)
nano notes.md

# Quick changes
echo "# New note" > temp.md

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome!

Found a bug? Open an issue

Have an idea? Start a discussion

Want to help?

git clone https://github.com/chicogong/obsidian-claude-code.git
cd obsidian-claude-code
# Edit code
# Test in Obsidian (Cmd+R to reload)
# Submit PR

See ARCHITECTURE.md for technical details.

📄 License

MIT License - see LICENSE

Free to use, modify, and distribute!

🙏 Credits

Built with:

• xterm.js - Terminal emulator
• Obsidian - Note-taking platform
• Obsidian Git - Git integration

Supports:

• Claude Code - AI coding assistant
• Google Gemini - AI assistant
• OpenAI - AI platform

Inspired by obsidian-terminal

Made with ❤️ for developers who live in Obsidian

Report Bug · Request Feature · Discussions