# Save Entry: Obsidian Document Archiving via OpenClaw Agent

**Date**: 2026-04-04
**Type**: research
**Tags**: obsidian, openclaw, telegram, archiving, pdf, ocr, skills

## Context
- **What**: Designing a workflow to archive documents (PDFs, images) into the Obsidian vault using an OpenClaw agent on a Razer Blade laptop
- **Why**: User wants to send documents via Telegram, have the agent convert them to markdown, and save both originals + markdown into the vault
- **Where**: `/Users/ylu/Documents/me/obsidian-yanxin` (git-synced between Mac and Razer Blade)

## Vault Structure
- 179 markdown files
- Key folders: `copilot/`, `documents/` (has `argo/` subfolder), `journals/`, `notes/` (books, martial_arts, medical), `Readwise/`, `templates/`, `travels/`, `writing/`
- Git-synced repo, master branch

## Key Findings

### OpenClaw Capabilities (from docs.openclaw.ai)
1. **Telegram integration** is production-ready with media support (PDFs, images, audio)
   - Supports long polling (default) and webhook mode
   - Media files up to 100MB (`mediaMaxMb`)
   - Inbound media normalized into shared channel envelope
2. **PDF tool** built-in: extracts text from PDFs, supports local paths and URLs, native mode for Anthropic/Google providers
3. **Vision** available for image OCR/transcription
4. **Skills system**: AgentSkills-compatible folders with `SKILL.md` files
   - Skill locations (priority order): workspace skills > project agent skills > personal agent skills > managed skills > bundled > extra dirs
   - Install custom skills in `~/.openclaw/skills/<skill-name>/SKILL.md` or workspace `skills/` folder
   - Browse/install from clawhub.ai
5. **Slash commands** supported for triggering skills

### Proposed Architecture
- **No inbox folder needed** - Telegram IS the inbox
- User sends PDF/image via Telegram to the OpenClaw agent
- Agent receives media, processes it (PDF tool or vision), converts to markdown
- Agent saves original + .md to `documents/archive/` in the vault
- Agent runs `git add`, `commit`, `push`
- User pulls on Mac to get the files

### What Needs to Be Built
- A custom OpenClaw skill (e.g., `/archive`) in `~/.openclaw/skills/archive-to-vault/SKILL.md`
- The skill should:
  1. Receive media file from Telegram message
  2. Use PDF tool or vision to extract content to markdown
  3. Save both files to `documents/archive/` in the vault
  4. Git commit and push

## Next Steps
1. Look at OpenClaw skill SKILL.md format/examples more closely
2. Scaffold the `archive-to-vault` skill
3. Configure git on the Razer Blade for auto-commit/push
4. Test with a sample PDF and image via Telegram

## References
- Docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/
- Telegram channel docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/channels/telegram.md
- Skills docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/skills/
- PDF tool docs: https://docs.openclaw.ai/tools/pdf.md
- Vault repo: `/Users/ylu/Documents/me/obsidian-yanxin`