Transcriber — User Guide

Transcriber converts images in your Obsidian vault to Markdown using Ollama vision models running locally on your machine. No data leaves your computer.

Key features

  • Transcribe individual images, entire folders, or all images embedded in a note
  • Output .md files are created alongside source images
  • Install, select, and remove AI models directly from the command palette — no terminal needed
  • Configurable vision model and transcription prompt
  • Progress notifications for batch operations
  • No cloud dependency — everything runs locally via Ollama

Prerequisites

  • Desktop Obsidian — this plugin is desktop-only (it requires a local Ollama server)
  • Ollama — installed and running on your machine

Quick start

  1. Install the plugin from Settings > Community plugins and enable it
  2. Ensure Ollama is running
  3. Open Settings > Transcriber and click Test to verify the connection
  4. Install a model: open the command palette (Ctrl/Cmd+P) and run Install AI model, or install from settings
  5. Right-click an image in the file explorer and select Transcribe image

Further reading

  • Usage — commands, context menu actions, and workflows
  • Configuration — all settings explained
  • Tips — model recommendations, performance, and troubleshooting
  • Release notes — version history

About

Created by Sébastien Dubois.

My other Obsidian plugins

Plugin What it does
Agentic Resource Discovery Server Local-first Agentic Resource Discovery publisher and registry that serves your AI skills and tools to agents over a local HTTP and MCP server
Book Exporter Export books (one manifest note + linked chapter notes) to EPUB and PDF via Pandoc
Bookshelf Base Display your notes as a visual bookshelf via a custom Bases view
Dataview Serializer Serialize Dataview queries to Markdown, and keep the Markdown representation up to date
Expander Replace variables across your vault using HTML comment markers. Supports static values and dynamic functions
Ghost Publish Publish your vault notes to a Ghost blog with configurable presets for tags, newsletters, and frontmatter conventions
Graph Explorer Base View A custom Bases view that renders notes as an interactive force-directed graph with explored/unexplored tracking
Hidden Folders Access Index hidden root-level folders (e.g. .claude) so they appear in the file tree, metadata cache, and Bases
Journal Bases Custom Base views for journaling and periodic reviews
Kanban Action Planner Render your notes as configurable Kanban boards and calendars inside Bases, with statuses, ordering, relationships, and scheduling
Life Tracker Capture and visualize the data that matters in your life
Note Village A 2D pixel art village where your notes become villagers you can explore and chat with using AI
Obsidian Starter Kit Adds strong typing support and powerful automation support for notes
Remarkable Synchronizer Connect to the reMarkable cloud, list, download, and sync notebook pages as images
Replicate Use AI models with ease via the Replicate.com integration
REST and MCP server Exposes CLI commands as RESTful API endpoints and an MCP server for AI tool integration
Time Machine Browse, compare, and restore previous versions of your notes using built-in file-recovery snapshots
Typefully Publish social media posts with ease using the Typefully integration
Update Time Automatically update front matter to include creation and last update times

Everything I build is documented in my newsletter and on my YouTube channel.

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