๐ฅ Check out this insightful post from Hacker News ๐
๐ **Category**:
๐ **What Youโll Learn**:
Turn a folder of Markdown notes (an Obsidian vault or a
gbrain export) into one
self-contained, interactive HTML knowledge map โ a force-directed graph coloured by
theme, a timeline you can scrub to watch the base grow, and a click-to-inspect panel.
Works with: Claude Code ยท OpenAI Codex ยท Cursor ยท Gemini CLI ยท OpenClaw ยท or just run the script.

See it in 5 seconds (no setup)
A prebuilt demo ships in this repo โ no notes to generate, no embeddings, no gbrain,
no Python. Open the file:
open demo/brain-map.html # macOS
xdg-open demo/brain-map.html # Linux
start demo/brain-map.html # Windows
992 fictional notes across three themes (work ยท study ยท life). Scrub the timeline,
press โถ Play growth, click nodes, toggle filters.
Build from your own notes
python3 scripts/build_map.py <notes_dir> out.html --title "My Second Brain"
open out.html
= your Obsidian vault, or a gbrain export --dir directory. The map
reads plain Markdown: YAML frontmatter (tags, created) + [[wikilinks]].
Dependencies are optional
| Setup | Result |
|---|---|
| Nothing (stdlib Python only) | Builds anywhere; the browser computes the layout (Cytoscape cose). |
pip install -r requirements.txt (networkx, numpy, scipy) |
Layout pre-computed โ 1000-node maps open instantly and look cleaner. |
The builder auto-detects networkx and picks the better path. No gbrain, no embeddings,
no server required either way.
- Theme = top-level folder (
Work/,Study/,Life/) โ node & edge colour. - Type = subfolder / tags โ node shape (person, meeting, journal, lecture, project,
link, todo, index, note). - Edges = resolved
[[wikilinks]]. Node size scales with link count; hubs get labels. - Timeline =
createdtimestamps, bucketed by month, stacked by theme.
The richer your cross-linking (people cards, meeting attendees, index pages), the more
legible the map. Designed to pair with the save-note
skill, which writes exactly this shape.
- Scrub / Play the timeline โ the graph reveals notes up to that month; Play animates
the whole base growing from empty to today. - Filter by theme and type (live counts); search highlights matches.
- Click a node โ dim the rest, light its neighbourhood, open a detail panel (summary,
tags, date, connected notes). - Responsive down to a phone.
Install as an agent skill
Claude Code
git clone https://github.com/vladignatyev/brain-map-skill ~/.claude/skills/brain-map
OpenAI Codex
git clone https://github.com/vladignatyev/brain-map-skill ~/.agents/skills/brain-map
Cursor / others โ paste SKILL.md into your agent’s instructions; it’s self-contained.
Regenerate the demo corpus
python3 scripts/generate_demo_notes.py /tmp/demo-vault # 992 invented notes
python3 scripts/build_map.py /tmp/demo-vault demo.html
All demo people, orgs and events are fictional โ no real data.
brain-map-skill/
โโโ SKILL.md # agent skill spec
โโโ scripts/
โ โโโ build_map.py # the builder (Markdown dir โ interactive HTML)
โ โโโ generate_demo_notes.py # writes the fictional demo vault
โโโ demo/
โ โโโ brain-map.html # PREBUILT โ open it, zero setup
โ โโโ vault/ # 992 source Markdown notes
โ โโโ preview.png
โโโ requirements.txt # optional: networkx, numpy, scipy
โโโ LICENSE
MIT
โก **Whatโs your take?**
Share your thoughts in the comments below!
#๏ธโฃ **#vladignatyevbrainmapskill #Interactive #HTML #knowledge #map #folder #Markdown #notes #Obsidiangbrain #themed #force #graph #growth #timeline #Ships #prebuilt #demo #GitHub**
๐ **Posted on**: 1781340914
๐ **Want more?** Click here for more info! ๐
