DeveloPassion's Newsletter 206 - BuilderOS Foundation

Hello everyone! I'm Sébastien Dubois, your host. You're receiving this email because you signed up for DeveloPassion's Newsletter. Thank you for being here with me ✨

If you enjoy this, please forward it to your friends 👍. If this email was forwarded to you, then don't forget to subscribe and become a supporter. You can also follow me on X, Bluesky, Mastodon and YouTube.

Welcome 

Welcome to all the new readers ❤️

Another week, another newsletter! I hope that you all had a great one 🤩

I can finally walk again! 🎉
I'm not running around, but I can at least MOVE. And it's such a relief! I took my first proper walk with my dog Zwan this week. Small wins matter.

I also had a wonderful moment this weekend teaching my son Matthieu about domain names, DNS, setting up his first VPS, and explaining SSH and various IT security concepts. There's something magical about passing on knowledge to the next generation. He now has his own server running, and I got to be the cool tech dad for a day 😂

Alright, let's gooooo 🚀

This Week's Highlights 

• 🏪 Store Website LAUNCHED: It's finally live at https://www.store.dsebastien.net/!
• 🔌 Dataview Serializer 2.0: Massive Dataview Serializer plugin for Obsidian update with DataviewJS support
• 🦵 Recovery Progress: Walking again and back to normal activities

Before You Go Any Further 

I want to reach more people. Got 20 seconds? Then share the link with one friend/colleague who would benefit from joining us! And of course, don't forget to also mention the Knowii Community ❤️

And if you bought some of my products or courses? Then please leave a rating/review. It REALLY matters a lot ❤️

The Lab 🧪 

After weeks of ~2.5 weeks of building, testing, and polishing, I've recently launched the "Knowledge Forge"; my new store website. It's the best place to explore my products, courses & services: https://www.store.dsebastien.net/

Knowledge Forge - Sébastien Dubois

Courses, Systems & Tools for Knowledge Workers and Creators. Build your personal knowledge system and boost your productivity.

Knowledge ForgeSébastien Dubois

Last week I've added a "Quiz" page that you can use to find what is relevant for you: https://www.store.dsebastien.net/quiz

Learn more about it here (included the ongoing promotion): https://www.dsebastien.net/introducing-the-knowledge-forge-where-raw-information-becomes-powerful-knowledge/

It's still a bit soon to know if it's thanks to this launch, but I just hit a new sales milestone this month 🎉

Dataview Serializer 2.0: A Massive Update 

I've shipped one of the biggest (set of) updates ever to my Dataview Serializer plugin for Obsidian. This plugin solves a fundamental problem: Dataview queries generate results on the fly, which means those results don't exist in your Markdown files. They don't show up in your Graph view, don't appear on Obsidian Publish, and can't be read by AI.

What's New:

• DataviewJS support: You can now serialize JavaScript queries, not just DQL
• Inline query support: Serialize =this.field expressions
• TASK query support: Your task queries finally serialize to Markdown
• Four query types: Auto, manual-only, run-once, and run-once-and-eject
• One-click refresh button: A 🔄 button next to each query for instant updates
• Convert existing queries: Commands to migrate your standard Dataview queries
• Force update folders: Keep index files always fresh
• Link format control: No more sync conflicts from changing link formats
• Better performance: Batching and idempotency checks

👉 Read the full article: https://www.dsebastien.net/dataview-serializer-2-0-powerful-queries-without-sacrificing-data-portability/
👉 Plugin docs: https://developassion.gitbook.io/obsidian-dataview-serializer
👉 Release notes: https://github.com/dsebastien/obsidian-dataview-serializer/releases

I've also published a video about it here:

Concepts Website 

I've continued expanding the Concepts Website over at https://concepts.dsebastien.net. There are now >2.1K concepts available!

Concepts - A Curated Collection

A curated collection of concepts, methods, and principles.

ConceptsSébastien Dubois

A fellow blogger at codemaclife.net recently mentioned it:

"Concepts (dsebastien.net) is a curated library that gathers more than 1,700 useful concepts, frameworks, mental models, techniques and principles for knowledge‑workers and creators. Created by Sébastien Dubois, it is designed as a searchable reference hub to help people discover, organise and apply these ideas in their personal and professional projects."

It's always wonderful to see people finding value in what I create. Thank you for the mention! 🙏

Obsidian Publish Sites Discovery 

I'm always curious about other Obsidian Publish Websites out there. There are many gems, and passionate people who share awesome Digital Gardens.

So I created a script to help me discover more of those: https://github.com/dsebastien/obsidian-publish-sites

Nothing fancy, but it helped me discover quite a few I didn't know about.

Little mentions ❤️ 

Just noticed that Mike Schmitz mentioned my Life Tracker plugin for Obsidian in his latest video: https://youtu.be/xAIqgokfE10?t=160. Always feels nice when others discover your work.

BuilderOS: The System Behind Everything I Do 

This week's theme is one I've been wanting to talk about for a while. The store launch is a great excuse to finally do it.

Behind every article, newsletter, course, podcast episode, and product I ship, there's a system. I didn't stumble into it. I built it piece by piece, layer by layer, over the years. I call it BuilderOS — my Creator Operating System.

It sits on top of my LifeOS (my personal organization and life management system). LifeOS handles the "living well" and "working sanely" parts. BuilderOS handles the "creating and sharing at scale" part.

What BuilderOS Actually Is 

BuilderOS is the full stack of tools, processes, and workflows I use to go from "scattered ideas in my head" to "published content that reaches thousands of people and generates revenue." It's not one tool. It's a system of systems.

Here's what it covers:

• Capture & Create ➤ My PKM system (Obsidian + plugins + templates + workflows + other tools) is where everything starts. Ideas land here. They get connected, developed, and turned into raw material for content
• Draft ➤ Publish ➤ Crosspost ➤ Articles and newsletters go to my public notes, to my website and get cross-posted to Substack, Medium, and LinkedIn. Podcasts get distributed everywhere. Social posts land on X, Bluesky, and Mastodon. Each format has its own workflow, and they all feed from the same knowledge base
• Platform Strategy ➤ Where I publish, why, and how I think about ownership vs. rented land. This one is crucial and often overlooked
• Visuals & Video ➤ Tools for creating thumbnails, editing videos, screen recordings, and all the visual assets that go with content. This part has evolved a lot recently, and it keeps getting better with AI evolutions
• Automation ➤ Workflows that reduce repetitive work, keep things in sync, and let me focus on the thinking and writing; not the logistics
• Community & Ecosystem ➤ How the Knowii Community fits into the picture. How community drives product development, content ideas, and business growth
• Promote & Market ➤ How I get content in front of the right people. SEO, social strategy, community engagement, cross-promotion between channels
• Business Operations ➤ Sales, refunds, accounting, product development, offers that build an ecosystem rather than sitting in isolation
• ...

Why I'm Telling You This 

Because it works. And because I want to share it.

The store launch is just one more proof that the overall system I rely on works. I didn't build that store through heroic all-nighters or by winging it. I built it through consistent work, a clear system, and steady progress. Some days I added one feature. Other days I fixed bugs. But every day moved the needle forward, without exhausting me. The same goes for all the things I work on.

That's what BuilderOS does. It turns chaos into consistent output. It turns scattered ideas into published content. It turns content into a business that scales without burning me out.

What's Coming 

BuilderOS is solid enough to be shared. I'm working on formalizing and documenting the whole system so that other creators can understand it, adapt it, and build on it, leveraging everything I've learned. Just like the Obsidian Starter Kit, it's a system I use myself extensively, and that I will keep improving/expanding. And you'll get to discover all the gory details.

This is going to be a big one. Stay tuned 🚀

In the meantime:

• Creating more content that serves creators
• Improving existing products based on feedback
• Building more tools that solve real problems
• Growing the Knowii community

The foundation is set. Now it's time to build on it, and to help you do the same for yourself.

If you want to learn more about my systems and be among the first to use my system, then make sure to join the Knowii Community

Knowii Community - Master Knowledge Management + AI | From €4.99/month

Join 350+ members mastering Knowledge Management AND AI. Community + Courses + Tools integrated. €500+ value in Knowledge Master tier.

Knowledge ForgeKnowledge Forge

Knowii News 

Upcoming Workshops 

The next set of community workshops are going to focus on how to combine Obsidian with AI; in particular, Claude Code.
And pay attention, because it's not only for software developers! It helps in many many ways for all sorts of workflows and tasks.

These workshops will be available to Knowledge Builders and Knowledge Masters in the community. If you're interested in any specific topic, let me know!

Join the Knowii Community: https://www.store.dsebastien.net//product/knowii

Latest Videos 

This week I've published two videos showing the evolution of the Obsidian Starter Kit (over 4 years of work) and of my own Obsidian vault. Nothing fancy. I used Gource to generate those two:

It got me thinking about building a plugin that does something similar right in Obsidian... ;-)

And I've also published this video about the Dataview Serializer plugin for Obsidian:

Latest Articles 

Dataview Serializer 2.0: Powerful Queries Without Sacrificing Data Portability 

Turn your Obsidian vault into a dynamic knowledge system that works everywhere and also with AI.

👉 Read it: https://www.dsebastien.net/dataview-serializer-2-0-powerful-queries-without-sacrificing-data-portability/

Quotes of the Week 

Good systems prevent chaos. Great systems turn chaos into opportunities

Take imperfect action today, rather than dream about perfect action tomorrow

Data ownership trumps convenience when building systems for life

Progress only comes through action

Every great system starts with thoughtful design

Meme of the Week 

New & Interesting Links 

PKM / Thinking / Learning 

• Claude Skills for Obsidian
  • By Steph Ango: https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills
  • https://github.com/fredoliveira/obsidian-skills
  • https://github.com/heyitsnoah/claudesidian
  • I'm going to add some of those (and others) in future versions of the Obsidian Starter Kit
• Quick tip: use qmd to create embeddings for your note and use the included MCP server to improve the way AI explores your notes!
• Wonderful introduction to Obsidian: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hSTy_BInQs8
• Obsidian mobile version improvements overview: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ROFFaUZftJE
• Interesting tip for Obsidian on mobile: https://x.com/kepano/status/2010770867555336227
• More ways to connect AI to your Obsidian notes with RAG: https://medium.com/@haiyangli_38602/make-knowledge-graph-rag-with-llamaindex-from-own-obsidian-notes-b20a350fa354
  • https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1gfpess/rag_in_obsidian/
  • https://github.com/ParthSareen/simple-rag
  • https://github.com/hinterdupfinger/obsidian-ollama
• Comprehensive Obsidian setup guide with Obsidian Bases and Obsidian Web Clipper: https://www.reddit.com/r/ObsidianMD/comments/1q2b6fp/my_comprehensive_obsidian_setup_web_clipper_bases/
• Neovim plugin for Obsidian: https://github.com/epwalsh/obsidian.nvim
• How to write blogs in Obsidian and publish instantly with Git/GitHub/Hugo: https://ingau.me/blog/how-i-write-my-blogs-in-obsidian-and-publish-instantly/
• Is the Zettelkasten method relevant for non writers: https://www.reddit.com/r/Zettelkasten/comments/1cmcqrh/is_zk_worth_for_non_article_writers/
  • My opinion: YES, if you don't overthink it!
• Interesting take on periodic notes: https://vaultofjosh.com/blog/obsidian-periodic-notes/
• Questions you must answer before you embrace a new tool: https://ellanew.com/ptpl/162-2025-06-23-4-questions-before-embracing-a-new-tool
• Pitfalls of leaving Obsidian: https://ellanew.com/2025/05/12/ptpl-156-leaving-obsidian-remember-insurance
• Thymer is pretty cool: https://thymer.com/. Not ready to replace Obsidian for me, but worth taking a look!

AI 

• Writing good specs for AI: https://addyosmani.com/blog/good-spec/
• Claude for non-coders: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mT_9zr8QQBM
• Claude Code in Action (Anthropic course): https://anthropic.skilljar.com/claude-code-in-action
• Simon Willison on Claude Cowork: https://simonwillison.net/2026/Jan/12/claude-cowork/
• Open Skills (community-driven skills for AI): https://github.com/numman-ali/openskills
• MDFlow: https://mdflow.dev
• Claude Code is all you need: https://dwyer.co.za/static/claude-code-is-all-you-need.html

Tech 

• AGENTS.md file for building plans: https://www.aihero.dev/my-agents-md-file-for-building-plans-you-actually-read
• A Command Line Interface (CLI) to extract text from images, PDFs, and audio files using Apple's Vision and Speech APIs https://github.com/freedmand/textra

That's it for today! ✨

Go Further

Why Obsidian is All You Need - From Simple Notes to Complete Productivity

Discover why Obsidian isn't just another note-taking app, but a complete system for managing your knowledge, tasks, projects, and digital life.

Sébastien DuboisSébastien Dubois

Obsidian for Beginners: The Complete Guide to Getting Started

The complete guide to getting started with Obsidian for beginners. Learn the basics, set up your vault, discover essential plugins, and build a personal knowledge base that grows with you.

Sébastien DuboisSébastien Dubois

How to Structure Your Daily Notes in Obsidian

Discover the ultimate guide on structuring daily notes in Obsidian to maximize productivity and clarity. Learn practical tips and strategies to organize your thoughts, tasks, and projects effectively

Sébastien DuboisSébastien Dubois

Want to go deeper?

Obsidian Starter Kit - Stop Configuring, Start Thinking | Knowledge Forge

Complete Obsidian vault with 40+ auto-filing templates, pre-configured plugins, and PKM methodology. 1,000+ users. 20+ years expertise. 30-day guarantee.

Knowledge ForgeSébastien Dubois

About Sébastien

I'm Sébastien Dubois, and I'm on a mission to help knowledge workers escape information overload. After 20+ years in IT and seeing too many brilliant minds drowning in digital chaos, I've decided to help people build systems that actually work. Through the Knowii Community, my courses, products & services and my Website/Newsletter, I share practical and battle-tested systems.

I write about Knowledge Work, Personal Knowledge Management, Note-taking, Lifelong Learning, Personal Organization, Productivity, and more. I also craft lovely digital products and tools.

If you want to follow my work, then become a member and join our community.

Ready to get to the next level?

Since you're interested in Obsidian:

• 🚀 Obsidian Starter Kit — Skip weeks of setup with 40+ templates
• 🎬 Obsidian Starter Course — Master Obsidian in 2+ hours
• 📚 KM for Beginners — 10+ hours of structured video lessons
• 🎯 Join Knowii — Community + ALL courses & tools