Sync Obsidian Across Devices with GitHub

Step 1 — Create a Private GitHub Repository

1. Go to github.com/new
2. Name it (e.g., my-obsidian-vault)
3. Set it to Private
4. Click Create repository

Step 2 — Set Up Your First Device (Mac or Linux)

Install Git (if not already installed):

# Mac (with Homebrew)
brew install git

# Linux (Debian/Ubuntu)
sudo apt install git

Clone the repo:

cd ~
git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/my-obsidian-vault.git

Open as Obsidian vault:

1. Open Obsidian
2. Click "Open folder as vault"
3. Select the cloned folder

Step 3 — Install the Obsidian Git Plugin

1. In Obsidian, go to Settings → Community plugins
2. Turn off Restricted mode if prompted
3. Click Browse → search for "Obsidian Git"
4. Install it, then Enable it

Step 4 — Configure Auto-Sync

Go to Settings → Obsidian Git and set:

• Auto pull interval: 2 minutes (or your preference)
• Auto push interval: 2 minutes
• Pull on startup: ✅ enabled
• Push on startup: ✅ enabled

Step 5 — Set Up Your Second Device

Install Git:

• Windows: Download from git-scm.com and run the installer with defaults
• Linux: sudo apt install git

Clone the repo (open terminal or Command Prompt):

git clone https://github.com/YOUR-USERNAME/my-obsidian-vault.git

Set your Git identity (first time only):

git config --global user.name "Your Name"
git config --global user.email "your-github-email@example.com"

Open in Obsidian → "Open folder as vault" → select the cloned folder.

Install the Obsidian Git plugin (same as Step 3).

Step 6 — Test the Sync

1. Create a test note on Device A
2. Wait for the auto-push interval (or use Command Palette → "Obsidian Git: Push")
3. On Device B, wait for auto-pull (or manually pull)
4. The note should appear

Gotchas & Tips

• Large files: Add *.mp4, *.zip, and other large files to .gitignore — GitHub has a 100MB file limit and large files slow down sync
• Merge conflicts: If you edit the same file on two devices simultaneously, you may get conflicts. The plugin handles most cases, but avoid editing the same note on two devices at the same time
• Authentication: If git push asks for credentials repeatedly, set up a Personal Access Token for smoother auth
• .obsidian folder: This syncs your plugins and settings across devices too — that's a feature, not a bug
• Mobile: This method works on Android with Termux + Git, but iOS is trickier. Consider Obsidian's official sync for mobile if needed

What You've Built

Your Obsidian Vault
    │
    ├── Private GitHub Repo (you control it)
    │     └── Full version history of every edit
    │
    ├── Device A (Mac / Linux / Windows)
    │     └── Auto-sync every 2 minutes
    │
    └── Device B (any other machine)
          └── Auto-sync every 2 minutes

A free, self-sovereign note sync system. Your notes live in a Git repo you control, changes sync automatically, full version history of every edit, works on any device that runs Obsidian + Git. No subscription fees, no vendor lock-in.