Supernote and the Digest App: How I’m Building a Living Database

For the longest time, my Supernote was simply a space for writing — a digital notebook where I captured thoughts, sketched ideas, and managed projects. I never thought much about the Digest App or even the Partner App. They felt like accessories, not essentials.

But when I finally gave Digest a try, I realized something I hadn’t expected: my Supernote is quietly becoming more than just a digital notebook. It’s beginning to surpass even my use of Obsidian as a personal knowledge management (PKM) tool.

With Digest, I’m no longer just writing notes. I’m building connections, archiving references, and querying my own data. It’s becoming a living system — one where everything I capture has a place and every idea can link back to something else.

This reflection is divided into four parts:

Functionalities of the Digest App – more than just storage.
Examples of how I use it – from physical books to digital sources.
A case study – how I’m tying it all together into a personal database.
Comparison with Obsidian – why Supernote is quietly overtaking my PKM workflow.

Part 1: Learning to See Digest as More Than Storage

The Digest App is easy to underestimate. At first glance, it’s just a place to save clippings. But after using it, I’ve come to see it as the missing piece between fleeting information and deep knowledge.

With Digest, I can:

Capture quickly
- Handwrite text
- Type
  - With a bluetooth keyboard connected to Supernote
  - Within Supernote Partner App
    - Mac or Windows
      - Scan Text
- Copy and Paste text to the Partner App
Tag and categorize – so entries aren’t lost in a sea of notes.
- Add titles and tags to digests
  - Example “Book Quotes- Research “
  - “Ebook Highlights - Chapter 3”
Query results – searching across my digests to surface patterns.
Sync through the Partner App – bridging online sources, ebooks, and even scanned documents into my Supernote.

It’s not flashy, but it doesn’t need to be. Digest works quietly in the background, weaving threads across what I’m reading, writing, and learning.

Typing on BT keyboard that’s connected to Supernote

Part 2: The Ways I Use Digest

I didn’t realize how flexible Digest could be until I started trying different workflows. Here are the ones that stood out:

1. Physical Books with a Bluetooth Keyboard

There’s something grounding about sitting with a book, Bluetooth keyboard connected, and typing passages directly into Digest. It feels deliberate — like I’m creating my own anthology of quotes and ideas that matter enough to preserve.

Reading and Typing in Supernote Partner App.

2. Partner App + Book Reading

On my MacBook, I open the Partner App and type digests directly while reading a book. It’s efficient, and the syncing back to Supernote keeps it all in one place.

Copying text from Kindle ebook (below) to Digests in Supernote Partner App (Top).

3. Copy-Paste from Digital Sources

The moment I realized Digest could handle online sources was a breakthrough. While reading an ebook in Kindle or scrolling through an article, I can copy text, paste it into the Partner App, and watch it appear in my Supernote Digest.

The only downside is having to use the Partner App as a middle step. But the upside — clean, precise capture — makes it worth it.

4. Scanning with Partner App

This one feels like a glimpse into the future. I can scan text through the Partner App and send it to Digest. The OCR isn’t perfect, but it’s good enough to hint at where this technology is heading. It shows me that even print sources don’t have to stay disconnected from my knowledge system.

5. Creating Digests Directly from PDFs in Supernote

This has become one of my favorite workflows. When I open a PDF inside Supernote, I can highlight passages or select text and send them straight into Digest.

It’s a simple feature, but it makes a huge difference. I don’t have to juggle between devices or rely on the Partner App — the text flows from the PDF I’m reading directly into my Digest library.

The beauty here is in the immediacy. Instead of my highlights being trapped inside the PDF, they now live in my Digest system, searchable and tagged, ready to connect with my notebooks. It turns reading PDFs into something much more interactive — not just passive reading, but active knowledge building.

Each of these methods feels like a different door leading into the same room: a growing archive of the things I’m learning and the sources I value.

Part 3: Digest as the Foundation of My PKM

Here’s where the realization struck me.

For years, I thought of Obsidian as my main PKM tool. It gave me backlinks, queries, and the feeling of building a web of connected notes. But lately, I’ve noticed that my Supernote — with Digest at the center — is quietly surpassing it.

Why? Because with Digest:

I can add entries directly while reading, without breaking flow.
I can query results to surface connections across books, sources, and notes.
I can build links between digest entries and notebooks, turning scattered highlights into an interconnected database.

This layering has changed how I see my Supernote.

Digest = Raw archive (quotes, clippings, references).
Notebooks = Meaning-making (my reflections, interpretations, and connections).

Notebooks are where I expand my ideas and Digest is where I collect the raw materials that fuel them.

Together, they form a system that’s more natural and personal than my Obsidian vault. Instead of a digital graph of nodes, I’m building something closer to a lived archive — one that reflects not just what I’ve read, but how it shaped me.

Part 4: Obsidian vs. Supernote Digest

To explain why this shift happened, it helps to compare the two.

Obsidian still shines in some areas (especially complex queries and visualization), but the truth is that my Supernote has taken the lead in actual day-to-day PKM.

It isn’t about feature lists — it’s about friction. Supernote reduces it. When I’m reading, I can instantly capture. When I’m reflecting, I can reference my digests without leaving the device. What used to take multiple tools now lives in one ecosystem.

Closing Reflection

I didn’t expect my Supernote to become a PKM powerhouse. I thought it would always be my “front-end” device, while apps like Obsidian handled the heavy lifting of database thinking.

But Digest has changed that. By blending capture, organization, and connection, it’s turned my Supernote into more than a notebook. It’s becoming my personal knowledge database, alive with the texts I’ve read, the notes I’ve written, and the ideas I continue to build.

And maybe that’s the beauty of it: I no longer feel like I’m forcing a PKM structure onto my notes. Instead, I’m letting them grow naturally — page by page, digest by digest, connection by connection.

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Using Supernote and Obsidian as PKM

Levering Supernote and obsidian

Once notes are captured and refined in Supernote, the next step is to export them for further organization and analysis. Using Supernote’s export functionality, I seamlessly transfer distilled notes to Obsidian, my preferred personal knowledge management (PKM) tool. This ensures that valuable insights are not only captured but also integrated into my broader knowledge ecosystem for future reference and synthesis.

Obsidian: The Knowledge Nexus

Obsidian serves as the central repository for my personal knowledge management (PKM) system. Its robust features, including bidirectional linking, graph view, and Markdown support, make it an ideal platform for organizing and connecting ideas. Upon importing notes from Supernote, I leverage Obsidian’s powerful capabilities to further refine, categorize, and interlink them within my PKM framework. Here’s how I leverage Obsidian within my PKM framework:

1. Bidirectional Linking: Obsidian’s bidirectional linking feature allows me to establish connections between related notes effortlessly. By creating links between ideas, concepts, and themes, I create a dynamic web of interconnected knowledge that facilitates exploration and discovery.

2. Graph View: The graph view in Obsidian provides a visual representation of the relationships between my notes, offering insights into the interconnected nature of my knowledge ecosystem. This bird’s-eye view helps me identify patterns, gaps, and opportunities for further exploration. This helps me identify any outliers that are not connected to my notes.

3. Markdown Support: Obsidian’s support for Markdown enables me to create structured and formatted notes with ease. Markdown syntax allows for quick formatting, embedding images, and even creating interactive elements within my notes, enhancing clarity and readability.

4. Tagging and Categorization: Obsidian’s tagging and categorization features help me organize my notes into logical groupings based on topics, themes, or projects. This hierarchical structure allows for easy navigation and retrieval of information, ensuring that no valuable insight is overlooked.

5. Backlinks and Refactoring: Obsidian’s backlinks feature enables me to explore the connections between notes from multiple perspectives. By following backlinks, I uncover hidden insights and identify opportunities for further refinement and expansion. Additionally, Obsidian’s refactoring capabilities allow me to reorganize and restructure my notes seamlessly, ensuring that my knowledge base remains relevant and up-to-date.

1.5 years worth of notes from Supernote and other imported notes

Unlocking Insights and Creativity

By integrating Supernote and Obsidian within Tiago Forte’s Second Brain methodology, I’ve created a seamless workflow for capturing, distilling, and organizing knowledge. This streamlined process allows me to unlock valuable insights, foster creativity, and make informed decisions based on a solid foundation of curated information.

In conclusion, leveraging Tiago Forte’s Second Brain methodology with Supernote and Obsidian enhances my personal knowledge management (PKM) system, enabling me to capture, distill, and organize knowledge with unparalleled efficiency and precision. By seamlessly exporting notes from Supernote and importing them into Obsidian, I create a cohesive knowledge ecosystem that fosters productivity, creativity, and lifelong learning. Whether you’re a student, professional, or creative enthusiast, integrating these tools can revolutionize the way you manage and leverage information in the digital age.

Part 4 of 4 of Second Brain Series

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