A tool idea: AI answers at your cursor, saved into Obsidian
A Reddit user shared an idea for a macOS menubar tool. In any app, the user could select text or take a screenshot, then see an AI answer near the cursor. The Q&A would be saved as a new markdown note in one inbox folder inside an Obsidian vault. The author asked whether people would install it, how they save AI answers today, and whether automatic file writing feels useful or alarming.
Key points
- The post describes a learning problem: AI answers often disappear after the chat tab is closed.
- The proposed tool would work from any app using selected text or a screenshot.
- The AI answer would appear near the cursor instead of requiring a separate chat window.
- Each Q&A would be saved as a new markdown note in an Obsidian vault inbox folder.
- The app would be append-only, meaning it would not edit existing notes.
Quick term guide
- macOS menubar
- The top menu area on a Mac where small apps can run for quick access.
- screenshot
- A digital image that shows exactly what is visible on a computer screen.
- Markdown
- A simple text format for headings, lists, links, and other basic document structure.
- Obsidian vault
- A folder where Obsidian stores a person’s notes.
- Obsidian
- A note-taking app that stores all notes as plain text files on your own computer, making them easy to access by other programs.
- Solo makers
- People who build and launch their own products or services entirely on their own.
- workflow
- A repeatable set of steps for getting a task done.
- privacy
- How a tool protects personal data, such as voices and conversation content.