Handwritten notes that file themselves
Drop a PDF of handwritten notes into a Drive folder. Minutes later it's a clean, searchable note in your Obsidian vault — transcribed word-for-word, titled, tagged, and filed.
01Notability PDF Added
Watches one Drive folder. The moment a new PDF lands, the run starts.
02Set Config
Holds the model choice and the exact transcription rules Claude must follow.
03Download PDF
Pulls the actual file out of Drive so the pages can be read.
04To Base64
Re-packs the PDF into the format the Claude API accepts.
05Anthropic Transcribe
Claude reads the handwriting — word-for-word, structure kept, unsure words flagged.
06Parse Output
Turns Claude's answer into a tidy note: title, tags, key points, front-matter.
07Markdown to File
Wraps the finished note into a real .md file, named after its title.
08Write MD to Vault
Saves it where Obsidian syncs from. It appears in your vault like you wrote it there.
- Steps
- 8
- Services
- 3
- Watches
- Every minute
- License
- MIT, free
Handwriting helps you think. But the notes pile up as PDFs and photos nobody can search, and “I’ll type them up later” never happens. The thinking stays trapped on paper.
A watcher checks one Google Drive folder every minute. When a new PDF lands — an export from Notability, a phone scan, anything — it hands the pages to Claude with strict instructions: transcribe exactly what's written, keep the headings and lists, and never guess.
The result comes back as a structured note — title, topic tags, key points, action items — and is written into the folder your Obsidian vault syncs from. Open Obsidian, and the note is just there. Like you typed it yourself.
- Transcribes word-for-word — it doesn't “improve” your writing
- Words it can't read are flagged [like this?] — never silently invented
- Headings, bullets, and numbering survive the trip
- Every note gets front-matter: title, type, tags, and import date
Small workers, one society.
Every box in the schematic is one member with one job. Here is each of them, in the order they work.
- 01
The watcher
Notability PDF AddedWatches one Drive folder. The moment a new PDF lands, the run starts.
Google Drive · trigger
- 02
The rulebook
Set ConfigHolds the model choice and the exact transcription rules Claude must follow.
n8n · logic
- 03
The courier
Download PDFPulls the actual file out of Drive so the pages can be read.
Google Drive · storage
- 04
The translator
To Base64Re-packs the PDF into the format the Claude API accepts.
n8n · logic
- 05
The reader
Anthropic TranscribeClaude reads the handwriting — word-for-word, structure kept, unsure words flagged.
Claude API · ai
- 06
The librarian
Parse OutputTurns Claude's answer into a tidy note: title, tags, key points, front-matter.
n8n · logic
- 07
The binder
Markdown to FileWraps the finished note into a real .md file, named after its title.
n8n · file
- 08
The filing clerk
Write MD to VaultSaves it where Obsidian syncs from. It appears in your vault like you wrote it there.
Google Drive · storage
Five minutes to running.
Everything is in the file — your accounts plug in where ours came out.
- An n8n instance — cloud or self-hosted, the free tier works
- A Google Drive account with two folders: an inbox for scans, and the folder your vault syncs from
- An Anthropic API key (pay-as-you-go)
- Obsidian, with its vault synced to that second Drive folder
- 01Download the JSON file below.
- 02In n8n: Workflows → Import from File.
- 03Connect your Google Drive account and paste your Anthropic key.
- 04Pick your two folders in the first and last steps — then flip it on.
handwritten-notes-to-obsidian.json · 9.5 kb · MIT license · no email asked
Anyone can claim their automations work. We'd rather hand you one and let you run it. If it saves you an evening of retyping, you'll know exactly how we build — and who to call when you want one built around your business.
Want one of these built around your business?
This one files notes. Yours might chase invoices, answer the same email forty times, or fill the spreadsheet nobody wants to. A free 20-minute call finds it.