Build your own AI second brain
Give your computer a helper that remembers your work, writes your notes, and picks up right where you left off. It's free, it runs on your own machine, and you don't need any tech skills — just follow the five steps below.
It's a free helper called Claude Code living in one folder on your computer. You talk to it like a person. It keeps tidy notes for you and never forgets what you were doing. You set it up once — then you just talk.
Get Claude Code on your computer
This is the helper. It's free to install.
The easy way: open the Claude Code page and follow its "Install" steps. It will ask you to sign in with a Claude account (make one if you don't have it).
If you like typing instead
1. Install Node.js (free) from nodejs.org — pick the big green "LTS" button.
2. Open a terminal (Step 2 shows you how) and type this, then press Enter:
npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-codeIf the official page says something different, follow the page — it's always right.
Open a terminal
A "terminal" is just a window where you type commands. Don't worry — you only type a few.
Press the Windows key, type PowerShell, and press Enter. A blue window opens. That's your terminal.
Press Command (⌘) + Space, type Terminal, and press Enter. A small window opens. That's your terminal.
Press Ctrl + Alt + T, or search your apps for Terminal. That's your terminal.
Make a folder and start the helper
This makes a home for your Brain, then opens the helper inside it.
Type these lines into the terminal, one at a time, pressing Enter after each:
mkdir "$HOME\Desktop\Brain"
cd "$HOME\Desktop\Brain"
claudemkdir -p ~/Desktop/Brain
cd ~/Desktop/Brain
claudeThe first time, claude will ask you to sign in. Follow what it says. When you see it waiting for you to type, you're ready.
Copy the setup and paste it in
This is the magic part. One copy, one paste.
Click the button below. It copies a big set of instructions. Then click your terminal, paste (right-click, or Ctrl+V / ⌘+V), and press Enter.
Prefer to see the text? Open this and copy it by hand
Answer a few easy questions
The helper will ask you four simple things.
- What to call your Brain
- What it's for
- Your first name
- What computer you're on
Answer in plain words. Then it builds everything by itself and tells you it's done. That's it — you're set up. 🎉
What you just got — and why
Five simple parts. Each one saves you effort.
A wiki (your notes)
Plain pages the helper writes and links for you. Why: your knowledge stacks up instead of getting lost.
It remembers
Every time it starts, it reads what you were doing. Why: you never have to re-explain yesterday.
The word "handoff"
Say it when you finish a job and it saves cleanly. Why: one word, nothing forgotten.
Auto-save safety net
When a session ends, it tucks away your work automatically. Why: nothing is ever lost.
Mission Control board
A simple page showing what you're working on. It's a file on your computer (wiki/Board.html) — bookmark it. Why: see everything at a glance.
Three buttons
Start, save, and see your work. Why: your whole day in three clicks.
Your daily routine
🟡 Start — open a session (or the yellow button). Just talk to it.
💬 Work — ask it to write notes, look things up, build things. When a job is done, say "handoff".
🔴 Close out — at the end of the day, say "handoff", then click the red button. It saves everything (and backs it up online if you've connected GitHub).
🟢 The green button opens your Mission Control board any time.
How your Brain remembers — and why it matters
This is what makes a Brain different from normal notes. It never forgets where you were.
Why a Brain at all?
A normal chat forgets everything the moment you close it. A Brain doesn't. Every time you finish a piece of work, it writes a short, tidy note to itself. So your knowledge stacks up instead of starting from zero each day. Over weeks it gets smarter about your work — and you stop re-explaining things you already said.
The "handoff" — your one magic word
When you finish a job, just say "handoff". The Brain writes a short resume note so the next session can pick up cold — with no memory of the chat needed. We researched what a good resume note has to contain, and it always saves these few things:
- Goal — what you were doing, and why it matters now.
- State — exactly where it got to.
- Hang-up — the one thing in the way, if anything.
- Read first — which notes to look at to catch up fast.
- Next — the single next thing to do.
Each one answers a question that tomorrow-you would ask: Why am I back here? Where did I stop? What's blocking me? What do I do next? Short and specific beats long every time.
Closing out your day (the 🔴 red button)
Two simple parts, in order:
- Say "handoff" to the Brain first. That writes your resume note.
- Then click the 🔴 red button. It saves everything to your history — and online too, if you've connected GitHub.
The word writes the notes. The button saves the files. Do both, and tomorrow starts clean.
🟢 Mission Control
Click the green button any time to open your Mission Control board — a simple page showing what you're working on, what's next, and anything stuck. It's a file on your own computer, so it's instant and always up to date. Bookmark it in your browser.
Three things that finish your Brain
These complete the setup — set them up early, not "someday". Obsidian gives you a clear window into your notes, GitHub backs everything up online, and Graphify draws an automatic map that makes your Brain cheaper and sharper. You don't install any of them by hand: just ask the Brain, and it sets them up for you (or gives you a link if it needs one).
Add Obsidian — a window into your notes
Obsidian (free) shows your notes as a searchable, linked library, with a map you can actually see.
In your session, just say: "Install Obsidian and open my Brain in it." The Brain installs the app, drops in the plugins we use (auto-save, the connection map, tidy settings) and turns them on. Prefer to do it by hand? Download it from obsidian.md.
You click two things once — both are safety steps no app can skip: "Open folder as vault" (pick your Brain folder), then "Trust author and turn on community plugins." The Brain does everything else.
Connect GitHub — back up to the cloud
This keeps a safe copy online, so nothing is lost if your computer dies — and you can pick up on another machine.
First, make a free account at github.com — that one step is yours, because it needs your email. Then say: "Connect my Brain to a new private GitHub repo." The Brain installs what it needs and does the rest. After this, "handoff" and the 🔴 red button also save to the cloud automatically.
One click is yours: when it pops open GitHub in your browser, press "Authorize." That's the only manual step.
Set up Graphify — an automatic map of your notes
Graphify draws a map of how all your notes connect. Its real job is to save you money: instead of re-reading every page to get its bearings, the Brain reads one short map first.
In your session, just say: "Set up graphify for my Brain." The Brain installs it and builds your first map, then keeps it up to date by itself. Set it up early — it only gets more useful as your notes grow.
Graphify needs a free tool called Python. If your computer doesn't have it, the Brain installs it for you, or points you to the one-click download. That's the only extra step.
Common questions
Quick answers to the things people ask most.
What is an AI second brain?
It's a helper on your computer that remembers your work and writes your notes for you. You talk to it in plain words, and it keeps everything tidy in one place so nothing gets lost.
Is it free?
Yes. The helper (Claude Code) is free to install, and Obsidian, GitHub, and Graphify are all free too. You only pay if you later choose a paid Claude plan for heavier use.
Do I need to know how to code?
No. You set it up by copying and pasting one block of text, then you just talk to it in normal language. There is nothing to program.
Where is my information kept? Is it private?
Everything is saved as plain text files in one folder on your own computer. Nothing is shared anywhere unless you choose to back it up online later.
Which computers does it work on?
It works on Windows, Mac, and Linux. The steps above show you exactly what to do for each one.
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