An Obsidian vault template is a pre-configured starter vault — folder structure, plugins, hotkeys, daily-note format, and dashboards already wired up — that you can fork and adapt instead of starting from scratch. Templates below cover everything from minimal PKM setups to complete second-brain frameworks, including a growing number of AI-powered vaults worth exploring for inspiration.
Why use a vault template?
Setting up an Obsidian vault from scratch is genuinely time-consuming: you have to pick plugins, decide on a folder structure, configure daily notes, create dashboards, and wire up a tagging system. A template hands you a working starting point that someone else has already iterated on. Even if you don't keep all of it, you'll spot patterns and conventions worth borrowing.
Popular template flavours
The most common shapes are PKM systems (PARA, Zettelkasten, Johnny Decimal), productivity frameworks (GTD, Para-style with task management plugins), academic vaults (literature notes, research workflows, citations), AI-powered vaults (LLM integrations, automated linking, smart prompts), and themed workflows for specific roles like writers, students, or product managers. Browse the gallery and pick one that matches how you already think — switching frameworks is harder than tweaking one.
How to install a template
Most templates ship as a downloadable zip or a Git repo. Drop the folder somewhere on your disk, open it in Obsidian as a new vault, install any required community plugins it asks for, and start replacing the example content with your own. Don't merge a template into an existing vault — the conflicts and overlapping configs will cost you more time than starting fresh in the new template and migrating notes over gradually.