# Getting Started with My Brain Is Full - Crew

A step-by-step guide for setting up your AI-powered vault. No technical background required.

---

## What you need before starting

### Required
- **Obsidian**: A free note-taking app. Download it at [obsidian.md](https://obsidian.md)
- **Claude Code**: Anthropic's coding assistant. You need a Claude Pro, Max, or Team subscription.
- **An Obsidian vault**: This is just a folder on your computer where Obsidian stores your notes. If you don't have one yet, Obsidian will create one for you when you first open it.
- **Git**: A tool to download the project. On Mac, the terminal will prompt you to install it automatically the first time you use it. On Windows, download it from [git-scm.com](https://git-scm.com).

### Optional (but recommended)
- **Gmail account**: If you want the Postman agent to process your emails
- **Google Calendar**: If you want calendar integration

---

## Step 1: Install Obsidian

1. Go to [obsidian.md](https://obsidian.md) and download the app for your system (Mac, Windows, or Linux)
2. Open Obsidian
3. If this is your first time, click **"Create new vault"**
4. Give it a name (e.g., "My Brain", "Second Brain", "Knowledge Base", whatever feels right)
5. Choose where to save it on your computer
6. Remember this location. You'll need it in Step 3

### Install recommended plugins

Inside Obsidian:
1. Go to **Settings** (gear icon, bottom left)
2. Click **Community plugins**
3. Click **Browse**
4. Search for and install these plugins:

**Essential (install these first):**
| Plugin | What it does |
|--------|-------------|
| **Templater** | Makes templates work with dynamic content (dates, etc.) |
| **Dataview** | Lets you query your notes like a database |
| **Calendar** | Visual calendar in the sidebar |
| **Tasks** | Better task management with due dates and queries |

**Recommended (install when ready):**
| Plugin | What it does |
|--------|-------------|
| **QuickAdd** | Rapid note capture |
| **Folder Notes** | Index notes for folders |
| **Tag Wrangler** | Manage and rename tags in bulk |
| **Periodic Notes** | Weekly and monthly review notes |
| **Omnisearch** | Better search across your vault |

Don't worry if this feels like a lot. The Architect agent will remind you about missing plugins during setup.

---

## Step 2: Install Claude Code

1. Go to [claude.ai/code](https://claude.ai/code) and follow the instructions to install Claude Code
2. You need a **Claude Pro**, **Max**, or **Team** subscription
3. You can use either the **Desktop app** (Cowork) or the **CLI** (command-line interface). The Crew works on both

---

## Step 3: Install the Crew

Open your terminal and navigate to your Obsidian vault folder:

```bash
cd /path/to/your-vault
```

> **Not sure how to open the terminal?** On Mac, press `Command + Space`, type "Terminal", and press Enter. On Windows, press `Windows + R`, type "cmd", and press Enter.

Clone the repo inside your vault:

```bash
git clone https://github.com/gnekt/My-Brain-Is-Full-Crew.git
```

Run the installer:

```bash
cd My-Brain-Is-Full-Crew
bash scripts/launchme.sh
```

The script will ask two quick questions:
1. **Is this your vault folder?** Confirm or enter the correct path
2. **Do you use Gmail or Google Calendar?** Choose yes to set up the Postman integration

When it's done, your vault will look like this:

```
your-vault/
├── .claude/
│   ├── agents/          ← 10 crew agents (Claude Code CLI)
│   ├── skills/          ← 10 crew skills (Claude Code Desktop / Cowork)
│   └── references/      ← shared docs the agents read
├── CLAUDE.md            ← project instructions
├── .mcp.json            ← Gmail + Calendar (only if you said yes)
├── My-Brain-Is-Full-Crew/  ← the repo (for future updates)
└── ... your Obsidian notes
```

> **Something went wrong?** The most common issue is that `git` isn't installed. On Mac, the terminal will prompt you to install it automatically. On Windows, download it from [git-scm.com](https://git-scm.com). If you're stuck, just show this page to a tech-savvy friend. It takes 60 seconds.

---

## Step 4: Connect your vault

1. Open Claude Code (CLI or Desktop)
2. Open it **inside your Obsidian vault folder**. This is important: Claude needs to be in your vault to read and write your notes.

If you're using the CLI:
```bash
cd /path/to/your-vault
claude
```

If you're using Claude Code Desktop (Cowork), open the vault folder as your working directory.

---

## Step 5: Initialize your vault

This is the fun part. Just type:

> **"Initialize my vault"**

The **Architect** agent will wake up and start a friendly conversation with you. It will ask:

### About you
- What should I call you?
- What's your preferred language?
- What do you do? (student, professional, creative, researcher...)
- What brought you here? (overwhelm, organization, health, productivity...)

### About your vault
- Are you new to Obsidian, or migrating from an existing vault?
- Do you want all 10 agents, or just some?
- What areas of your life do you want to manage?

### About integrations (optional)
- Do you want email triage? (requires Gmail connection)
- Do you want calendar integration? (requires Google Calendar connection)

After the conversation, the Architect creates your entire vault structure, saves your profile, and leaves you a personalized welcome note.

---

## Step 6: Start using it

From now on, you just talk to Claude. Here are some things to try on your first day:

### Capture some thoughts
> "Save this: I had an idea about reorganizing the team standup. Maybe we should do async updates on Mondays and only meet on Wednesdays"

The **Scribe** will turn this into a clean note in your inbox.

### Dump several things at once
> "Quick notes: need to call the dentist, also Marco mentioned a book called Thinking Fast and Slow, and I should review the Q3 budget before Friday"

The **Scribe** detects multiple items and creates separate notes for each.

### Check your email
> "Check my email for anything important"

The **Postman** scans your Gmail, saves actionable emails, and gives you a summary.

### File everything
> "Triage my inbox"

The **Sorter** processes all notes in your inbox and files them to the right places.

### Search your brain
> "What do I know about the Henderson project?"

The **Seeker** searches your vault and synthesizes an answer with source citations.

---

## Step 7: Build daily habits

The Crew works best with simple daily routines:

### Morning (2 minutes)
> "Check my calendar for today" to see what's ahead
> "Any messages from the crew?" to check if agents flagged anything

### Throughout the day
> Just dump thoughts as they come. The Scribe handles the rest.

### Evening (5 minutes)
> "Triage my inbox" to let the Sorter file everything

### Weekly (10 minutes)
> "Weekly review" for a full vault health check from the Librarian

---

## Troubleshooting

### "The agent doesn't seem to activate"
Make sure Claude Code is open inside your vault folder (not a different directory). Verify the agent files exist at `.claude/agents/` in your vault. If you're using Cowork/Desktop, check that `.claude/skills/` was also created by the installer. Try saying the trigger phrase differently. Agents understand natural language in multiple languages.

### "Gmail/Calendar isn't working"
The Postman needs Gmail and Google Calendar MCP connectors. Run the installer again (`bash scripts/launchme.sh`) and answer **yes** to the Gmail/Calendar question, or manually copy `.mcp.json` from the repo to your vault root. Then authorize the connection when Claude Code prompts you.

### "My vault structure looks different from the docs"
The Architect customizes the structure based on your onboarding answers.

### "How do I update to a new version?"

```bash
cd /path/to/your-vault/My-Brain-Is-Full-Crew
git pull
bash scripts/updateme.sh
```

Only changed files are updated. Your vault notes are never touched.

### "An agent did something weird"
Open an issue on GitHub with:
1. What you asked
2. What happened
3. What you expected

### "I want to change my profile"
> "Update my profile" and the Architect will help you modify your settings

---

## Next steps

- **[Examples](examples.md)**: See real-world usage scenarios
- **[Mobile Access](mobile-access.md)**: Use the Crew from your phone
- **[Meet the Agents](agents/)**: Deep-dive into each agent's capabilities
- **[Contributing](../CONTRIBUTING.md)**: Help make the Crew better

---

*Remember: the best organizational system is the one you actually use. Start small. Talk to Claude. Let the Crew handle the rest.*