GitHub backup

The cloned vault still points at the upstream BibFlow repo. Switch it to your own private repo so backups go where you want.

Create your private repo

  1. github.com → New repository.
  2. Name: thesis-vault (or anything).
  3. Visibility: Private. Your literature notes contain copyrighted abstracts and your own thoughts.
  4. Skip README, .gitignore, license — the cloned vault already has those.

Switch the local remote

Inside the cloned vault:

git remote set-url origin git@github.com:USERNAME/thesis-vault.git
git push -u origin main

Replace USERNAME with your GitHub username.

Configure auto-backup

Obsidian → Settings → Obsidian Git:

Setting Value
Auto-backup interval 30 minutes
Auto-backup after file change off
Auto-pull on boot on (if you sync between machines)

Mass-deletion guard

The vault ships with a pre-commit hook at .git/hooks/pre-commit that refuses commits with 10+ deletions. To bypass intentionally:

git commit --no-verify -m "<reason>"

This catches the most common silent-loss scenario: a folder move that drops files mid-flight, then auto-backup commits the deletions before you notice.


BibFlow — a literature workflow blueprint. MIT-licensed.

This site uses Just the Docs, a documentation theme for Jekyll.