Obsidian vault compatibility

When switching note-taking applications, the most daunting obstacle is data migration. Most modern productivity tools force you through destructive import wizards that alter your files, convert your formatting into proprietary database blobs, or strip out bidirectional hyperlinks.

If you have spent years cultivating a personal knowledge repository in Obsidian, your vault is not just a collection of notes; it is the operating system for your thinking. You should never have to sacrifice that foundation simply to access modern meeting recording and on-device AI.

Oyma is built with a strict philosophy of zero-conversion Obsidian vault compatibility. Implemented in WelcomeModal.ts and src/main/vault/vault.ts, Oyma opens your existing Obsidian vault folder directly on disk without requiring any export step, format translation, or proprietary wrapping.

Open your vault in place: Zero migration required

Getting started with Oyma requires only a single action:

1. Launch Oyma on your Mac.
2. Click Open vault… in the welcome dialog (or choose File > Open Vault).
3. Select your existing Obsidian directory in the native macOS file picker.

That is the entire onboarding process. Within seconds, your complete folder hierarchy, Markdown files, YAML frontmatter, and bidirectional links appear in the sidebar, ready for reading and editing.

There are no database schemas to configure, no proprietary metadata folders injected into your root directory, and no cloud synchronization locks placed on your storage.

Complete two-way interoperability

Compatibility in Oyma is not a one-way import pipeline; it is continuous two-way coexistence.

Because both Oyma and Obsidian read and write standard UTF-8 text files on the local filesystem, you can run both applications concurrently on the same machine:

• Record meetings in Oyma: Capture calls without a bot using zero-bot meeting recording and generate structured meeting notes with local AI.
• Inspect notes in Obsidian: Switch to Obsidian, and the new meeting records appear instantly in your file tree, fully formatted with identical callouts, tables, and links.
• Edit in either app: Modify an outline in Obsidian or update a draft in Oyma‘s live-preview Markdown editor; file change watchers reflect modifications instantaneously in both interfaces.

You are never locked into an exclusive relationship with either application. You retain complete freedom to use whichever tool best serves the task at hand.

Feature compatibility matrix

To ensure absolute transparency, here is how core Obsidian conventions behave inside Oyma:

Obsidian Feature	Behavior in Oyma	Technical Details
Plain Markdown files (.md)	Native 100% support	Direct filesystem read and write
Bidirectional [[WikiLinks]]	Native 100% support	Full autocomplete, aliases, and backlinks
Callout blocks (> [!NOTE])	Native 100% support	Styled in live preview with icons and colors
YAML frontmatter (---)	Native 100% support	Parsed for metadata, tags, and search index
Daily notes (YYYY-MM-DD.md)	Native 100% support	⌘D opens today’s note using standard format
GFM tables (`	---	---
Community plugins	Intentionally not supported	Omitted for security and performance integrity
.canvas files	Not supported	Ignored; plain text focus preserved

To verify your vault’s structural integrity prior to opening, explore our free browser-based Vault Health Inspector or consult our detailed guide to preparing an Obsidian vault.

Non-destructive handling of the .obsidian directory

Obsidian stores its internal configuration, core plugin toggles, and workspace layout states in a hidden .obsidian/ directory at the root of your vault folder.

Oyma handles this directory with strict non-destructive isolation:

• Untouched configuration: Oyma never modifies, deletes, or alters the contents of your .obsidian/ folder.
• Independent workspace state: Window tab layouts, active editor splits, and recent history for Oyma are maintained in macOS Application Support, ensuring that your Obsidian workspace layouts remain completely unaffected.
• Clean Git version control: If you track your vault with Git, opening and using Oyma produces zero phantom configuration diffs or conflicting workspace commits.

Why Oyma omits the plugin ecosystem

Obsidian’s extensive community plugin library is renowned for its flexibility, but it introduces significant architectural trade-offs:

1. Security and privacy exposure: Third-party plugins execute arbitrary JavaScript with unrestricted access to your local filesystem and the internet. A malicious or compromised plugin can secretly exfiltrate your private notes.
2. Performance degradation: As vaults accumulate dozens of plugins, application startup times slow down, text input lags, and memory consumption increases.
3. Fragility and maintenance friction: Plugin updates frequently break compatibility with new application versions, requiring constant troubleshooting.

Oyma takes a curated, batteries-included approach. Instead of requiring you to install and maintain four separate plugins to record audio, run Whisper transcription, connect to Ollama, and navigate tables, all of these capabilities are engineered natively into the core application.

The result is instant startup, silky-smooth 60 FPS scrolling, and total confidence that no rogue script can compromise your confidential notes.

Experience seamless Obsidian vault compatibility paired with modern meeting intelligence in Oyma.