How to Install Your AI Second Brain: jcode + Obsidian on Windows

How to Install Your AI Second Brain: jcode + Obsidian on Windows

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What You’re Building

• Obsidian = your knowledge vault (local notes, files, research)
• jcode = your AI agent that works with those files
• VS Code = where you run jcode and manage everything

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Step 1: Install Obsidian

1. Go to obsidian.md
2. Click Download for Windows
3. Run the installer
4. Open Obsidian
5. Click Create new vault
6. Name it something like SecondBrain
7. Choose a folder like C:\Users\YourName\SecondBrain
8. Click Create

✅ Your vault is now a real folder on your computer.

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Step 2: Set Up Your Vault Folder Structure

Inside your SecondBrain folder, create these subfolders:

SecondBrain/
├── 01_INBOX/
├── 02_PURSUITS/
├── 03_LIBRARY/
│   ├── Capability_Statement.md
│   ├── Service_Descriptions.md
│   └── Templates/
├── 04_RESEARCH_VAULT/
└── 05_ARCHIVE/

You can do this inside Obsidian by right-clicking the sidebar and clicking New Folder, or just create them in Windows File Explorer.

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Step 3: Install VS Code

1. Go to code.visualstudio.com
2. Click Download for Windows
3. Run the installer
4. Open VS Code
5. Go to File → Open Folder
6. Select your SecondBrain folder

✅ Now VS Code is looking directly at your Obsidian vault.

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Step 4: Install PowerShell 7 (Required for Windows)

jcode needs a modern terminal.

1. Open Microsoft Store
2. Search PowerShell
3. Install PowerShell 7
4. Open it once to confirm it works

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Step 5: Install jcode on Windows

1. Open VS Code
2. Press Ctrl + ` to open the terminal
3. Click the dropdown arrow next to the + in the terminal
4. Select PowerShell
5. Paste this command and hit Enter:

irm https://raw.githubusercontent.com/1jehuang/jcode/master/scripts/install.ps1 | iex

6. Wait for it to finish installing
7. Then type:

jcode --version

If you see a version number, you’re good. ✅

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Step 6: Connect Your AI Provider

You need to connect jcode to an AI model. Pick one you already have access to:

Option A — Claude (Anthropic)

jcode login --provider claude

Option B — ChatGPT (OpenAI)

jcode login --provider openai

Option C — Gemini (Google)

jcode login --provider gemini

Option D — GitHub Copilot

jcode login --provider copilot

Follow the login prompts in your browser. Come back to VS Code when done.

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Step 7: Point jcode at Your Vault

In your VS Code terminal, navigate to your vault:

cd C:\Users\YourName\SecondBrain

Then launch jcode:

jcode

✅ jcode is now running inside your Obsidian vault folder.

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Step 8: Test It

Type this into jcode to confirm everything works:

List all the folders in this directory and tell me what you see

It should describe your vault structure back to you.

Then try:

Create a file called 01_INBOX/test_note.md with a short summary of what an AI second brain is

Go check Obsidian — the file should appear instantly. ✅

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Step 9: Give jcode Your Business Profile

This is what makes it personal. Type this into jcode:

Here is my business profile. Remember this for all future sessions:

- My name is [YOUR NAME]
- My business does [WHAT YOU DO]
- My target clients are [WHO YOU SERVE]
- My three main service areas are [YOUR SERVICES]
- My vault is organized into INBOX, PURSUITS, LIBRARY, RESEARCH_VAULT, and ARCHIVE
- Always save notes as Markdown files in the correct folder

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Step 10: Your Daily Workflow

From now on, your routine looks like this:

Step	Action
1	Open VS Code
2	Open terminal → cd C:\Users\YourName\SecondBrain
3	Type jcode to launch
4	Tell it what you need
5	Open Obsidian to review and edit the output

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Quick Command Cheat Sheet

What you want	What to type in jcode
Summarize an RFP	Read the file in 02_PURSUITS/[folder] and summarize the key requirements
Draft a proposal section	Using my LIBRARY/Service_Descriptions.md, draft a response to section 3 of the RFP
Save a research note	Save this as a note in 04_RESEARCH_VAULT/[topic].md
Find related notes	Search my vault for anything related to labour market research
Build a checklist	Create a compliance checklist from the RFP in 02_PURSUITS/[folder]

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Troubleshooting

Problem	Fix
jcode not found after install	Restart VS Code and try again
Login not working	Try jcode login --provider claude --headless
Files not showing in Obsidian	Hit Ctrl+R in Obsidian to refresh
Terminal shows errors	Make sure you’re using PowerShell 7, not the old CMD

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You now have a fully working AI second brain running on Windows. Your Obsidian vault is the storage, jcode is the intelligence, and VS Code is the cockpit.

Want me to give you the starter Markdown templates to drop into your 03_LIBRARY folder so jcode has something to work with immediately?