Ziqi Chen

If you are going through hell, keep going.

Synapse

Motto: Your Personal Knowledge Engine. No Internet Required.

1. Vision & Mission

Vision: To democratize access to world-class learning tools by creating a self-contained, AI-powered personal knowledge system that works entirely offline.

Mission: We are building Synapse, an educational application (Obsidian plugin) that integrates the structured note-taking power of Obsidian with the local AI capabilities of Ollama. Our mission is to empower students in remote and low-connectivity areas to actively build, connect, and explore knowledge, transforming learning from a passive consumption activity into an active, personalized journey.

2. Video Demo

3. The Problem

Students in remote areas face a multi-faceted educational gap:

  1. The Connectivity Barrier: Reliance on cloud-based AI tools (ChatGPT, Gemini, etc.) and learning platforms (Khan Academy, Coursera) is a non-starter. Unreliable or non-existent internet access creates a significant disadvantage.

  2. Passive Learning: Traditional learning materials are often static (PDFs, textbooks). Even video lectures promote passive consumption. Students lack interactive tools to question, deconstruct, and synthesize information.

  3. Ephemeral Chat Interfaces: Standard AI chatbots provide answers in a linear, conversational format. This interaction is fleeting. The knowledge isn’t structured, integrated, or retained in a way that builds a lasting, interconnected understanding. The context is lost once the window is closed.

4. Target Audience (Persona)

Name: Priya

  • Age: 17

  • Location: A small town with intermittent, slow internet connectivity.

  • Goal: Preparing for university entrance exams in subjects like Physics, Biology, and History.

  • Resources: A moderately powerful, second-hand laptop. A collection of digital textbooks (PDFs) and notes.

  • Pain Points:

    • “I get stuck on a concept in my physics textbook, and there’s no one to ask. Searching online takes forever and often fails.”

    • “My notes are just a bunch of disconnected documents. I know concepts are related, but I can’t see how.”

    • “I tried a chatbot on my phone when I had a signal, but I forgot the explanation later. I wish I could have saved it and linked it to my class notes.”

5. The Solution: Synapse - The Gamechanger

Synapse is not another chatbot. It’s a knowledge co-processor. It integrates Ollama directly into the Obsidian environment to generate structured, interlinked notes, transforming the user’s knowledge vault into a dynamic, living organism.

The core paradigm shift: Instead of asking a question and getting a text answer, the user gives a command, and the AI builds a piece of their knowledge graph.

User Experience Flow:

  1. Priya is reading a note about Cellular Respiration. She highlights the term ATP Synthase.

  2. She right-clicks (or uses a command palette) and selects an AI action: “Explain & Create Note”.

  3. Synapse, powered by a local Ollama model, generates a new note titled ATP Synthase.md.

    • This new note contains a clear explanation, a simple analogy, and key properties.

    • Crucially, Synapse automatically embeds a link to this new note [[ATP Synthase]] back in the original Cellular Respiration note right in place.

  4. The knowledge graph instantly updates, showing a new node for ATP Synthase connected to Cellular Respiration.

  5. Priya can then ask a follow-up question within the ATP Synthase note, like “Create Flashcards for this”, and the AI appends a section with markdown-based flashcard syntax.

This is a generative notes experience, not a chat experience. The AI’s output becomes a permanent, connected part of the student’s own knowledge base.

6. Core Features (Minimum Viable Product - MVP)

Goal: To validate the core value proposition: generating structured, interconnected knowledge offline is superior to ephemeral chat. This phase focuses on seamless setup and foundational generative tools.

  • Feature 1: One-Click Installer

    • Description: A platform-native installer (Windows, macOS, Linux) that bundles Obsidian, Ollama, a pre-selected efficient LLM (e.g., Phi-3-mini), and the Synapse plugin.

    • User Value: Eliminates technical barriers. Users download a single file, click “install,” and have a fully functional learning environment ready to use. This simplicity is crucial for our target audience.

  • Feature 2: Generative Command: “Explain & Link”

    • Description: Users highlight any text (e.g., “Mitochondrial Eve”) and invoke this command. The AI generates a new note explaining the concept and embeds a link [[Mitochondrial Eve]] in the original note.

    • User Value: Drives the growth of a personal knowledge base. Learning becomes an active process of building a connected, personalized encyclopedia.

  • Feature 3: Generative Command: “Summarize Note”

    • Description: The AI reads the current note and generates a concise 3-5 bullet point summary, placed at the top of the note.

    • User Value: Provides quick overviews of dense notes, ideal for last-minute reviews or exam preparation.

  • Feature 4: Generative Command: “Create Flashcards”

    • Description: The AI identifies key terms and definitions from selected text or an entire note and generates Q&A pairs in markdown format (e.g., Term::Definition).

    • User Value: Instantly transforms notes into study materials for active recall, enhancing memorization and retention.

  • Feature 5: Automatic Knowledge Graphing

    • Description: Leverages Obsidian’s core functionality to visually represent relationships between notes. Every “Explain & Link” action updates the knowledge graph in real time.

    • User Value: Offers an intuitive, visual way to explore and understand connections between concepts, fostering a deeper understanding of the material.

  • Feature 6: Persistent Chat History

    • Description: Records live chat interactions in a dedicated note, integrating conversational insights into the knowledge base.

    • User Value: Combines the familiarity of chat interfaces with the permanence of structured notes, ensuring no valuable context or information is lost.

Feel free to try Synapse in community plugins or contribute to the repository!