Obsidian & Airtable AI Query Agent with OpenAI

Unlock Instant Airtable Insights within Obsidian with this AI Agent

This n8n workflow transforms how you interact with your data by deploying an AI Agent that connects your Obsidian notes to your Airtable bases. Simply highlight a question about your Airtable data in an Obsidian note, trigger the agent via a command, and it leverages an OpenAI model (like GPT-4o-mini) to understand your query. The agent then intelligently fetches the relevant information from your designated Airtable base and table, delivering the answer directly back into your Obsidian note, right below your question. This eliminates context switching and brings your structured data directly into your creative and planning workflows.

Key Features & Benefits

• AI-Driven Data Retrieval: Utilizes OpenAI's language understanding to interpret your natural language questions and fetch precise information from Airtable. No need to write complex formulas or leave Obsidian.
• Seamless Obsidian Integration: Works directly within your Obsidian vault. Query Airtable and receive answers without interrupting your note-taking flow, thanks to the Obsidian 'Post Webhook' plugin.
• Contextual Answers: The AI Agent's response is inserted directly below your highlighted question in Obsidian, keeping information organized and accessible.
• Boosted Productivity: Get immediate answers from your Airtable databases while drafting documents, planning projects, or conducting research in Obsidian. Perfect for quick lookups and data-informed decision-making.
• Flexible & Customizable: Easily configure the agent to connect to your specific Airtable base and table. You can also choose your preferred OpenAI model.
• Centralized Knowledge: Enhances Obsidian as your central knowledge hub by dynamically linking it to your live Airtable data, making your notes more powerful and actionable.

• An n8n instance (Cloud or self-hosted).
• OpenAI API Key with access to a suitable model (e.g., gpt-4o-mini recommended).
• Airtable Personal Access Token.
• Obsidian application installed on your desktop.
• The 'Post Webhook' community plugin installed in your Obsidian application (available from Obsidian's community plugins).

1. Download the n8n workflow JSON file.
2. Import the workflow into your n8n instance.
3. Configure the 'Webhook Set Up in Obsidian' node: Copy the 'TEST URL'. You'll need this for the Obsidian plugin.
4. In Obsidian: Go to Settings > Community Plugins. Make sure 'Restricted mode' is off. Browse and install the 'Post Webhook' plugin by Masterb1234.
5. In Obsidian's 'Post Webhook' plugin settings: Add a new webhook. Give it a descriptive name (e.g., 'Ask My Airtable AI'). Paste the n8n Webhook URL (copied in step 3) into the 'Webhook URL' field. Save the settings.
6. Back in n8n, configure the 'OpenAI Chat Model' node: Select or create your OpenAI API credential and enter your API Key. Choose your preferred model (e.g., gpt-4o-mini).
7. Configure the 'Airtable' node (this is a tool for the AI Agent): Select or create your Airtable Personal Access Token credential. Enter the 'Base ID' and 'Table Name or ID' for the Airtable you want the AI Agent to query. The AI will use this specific table to find answers.
8. (Optional) Review the default prompt in the 'AI Agent' node. It's set up to use the highlighted text from Obsidian ({{ $json.body.content }}) as the direct input/question for the AI. You can customize this further if needed.
9. Activate the n8n workflow.

How to Use:

1. In Obsidian, type a question about your data in the configured Airtable table.
2. Highlight the full question text.
3. Open the Obsidian Command Palette (Cmd+P on macOS, Ctrl+P on Windows/Linux).
4. Type the name you gave your webhook (e.g., 'Ask My Airtable AI') and select the command 'Send Selection to [Your Webhook Name]'.
5. The AI Agent will process your request, and the answer will appear directly below your highlighted text in your Obsidian note.