--- name: obsidian description: Interact with Obsidian vaults via obsidian-cli. Read, create, search, and manage markdown notes. Use when user references their Obsidian vault, wants to save information to notes, search their knowledge base, or organize their personal knowledge management system. --- # Obsidian Vault Integration This skill enables interaction with Obsidian vaults through the `obsidian-cli` tool and direct filesystem operations. ## When to Use This Skill Use this skill when the user: - Mentions their Obsidian vault or notes - Wants to save information, research, or summaries to notes - Asks to search their knowledge base or "my notes" - Wants to organize, rename, or manage their notes - References personal knowledge management (PKM) - Asks to read or retrieve information from their notes ## Reading Notes Read note contents directly: ```bash # By note name (searches entire vault) obsidian-cli print "note-name" # By path from vault root obsidian-cli print "folder\/subfolder\/note-name" # Note: .md extension is optional ``` ## Creating Notes Use direct file writes for reliable note creation: ```bash # Get vault path VAULT=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only) # Create a new note cat > "$VAULT\/note-name.md" << 'EOF' # Note Title Content goes here. EOF # Create in a subfolder mkdir -p "$VAULT\/folder" cat > "$VAULT\/folder\/note-name.md" << 'EOF' # Title Content here. EOF ``` ## Appending to Notes Add content to existing notes: ```bash VAULT=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only) # Append a new section cat >> "$VAULT\/note-name.md" << 'EOF' ## New Section Additional content appended. EOF ``` ## Searching Notes Use grep for non-interactive content search: ```bash VAULT=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only) # Search for content across all notes grep -r -n -i "search term" "$VAULT" --include="*.md" # Find files containing a term (filenames only) grep -r -l -i "search term" "$VAULT" --include="*.md" # List all notes in vault find "$VAULT" -name "*.md" -type f | sed "s|$VAULT\/||" | sort # Search by filename pattern find "$VAULT" -name "*.md" -type f | sed "s|$VAULT\/||" | grep -i "pattern" ``` ## Moving and Renaming Notes The move command automatically updates all wikilinks: ```bash # Rename a note (updates [[old-name]] links throughout vault) obsidian-cli move "old-name" "new-name" # Move to a different folder obsidian-cli move "note-name" "folder\/note-name" # Move with full paths obsidian-cli move "old-folder\/note" "new-folder\/note" ``` ## Deleting Notes ```bash # Delete a note (permanent, no trash) obsidian-cli delete "note-name" # Delete by path obsidian-cli delete "folder\/note-name" ``` ## Working with Frontmatter Extract and view YAML frontmatter: ```bash # View full note including frontmatter obsidian-cli print "note-name" # Extract just the frontmatter obsidian-cli print "note-name" | sed -n '\/^---$\/,\/^---$\/p' ``` To modify frontmatter, read the note, edit the content, and write it back: ```bash VAULT=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only) # Read current content CONTENT=$(obsidian-cli print "note-name") # Write modified content back cat > "$VAULT\/note-name.md" << 'EOF' --- title: Updated Title tags: [tag1, tag2] --- # Heading Updated content here. EOF ``` ## Multi-Vault Support Specify a different vault for any command: ```bash # Read from a specific vault obsidian-cli print "note" --vault "work-vault" # Move within a specific vault obsidian-cli move "old" "new" --vault "personal-vault" ``` ## Common Workflows ### Save Research to a Note ```bash VAULT=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only) # Check if note exists if obsidian-cli print "Research\/topic" >\/dev\/null 2>&1; then # Append to existing note cat >> "$VAULT\/Research\/topic.md" << 'EOF' ## Additional Findings New research content here. EOF else # Create new note mkdir -p "$VAULT\/Research" cat > "$VAULT\/Research\/topic.md" << 'EOF' # Topic Research Initial research content. EOF fi ``` ### Find and Read Related Notes ```bash VAULT=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only) # Search for related notes grep -r -l -i "keyword" "$VAULT" --include="*.md" # Read each match obsidian-cli print "matching-note-1" obsidian-cli print "matching-note-2" ``` ### Organize Notes into Folders ```bash # Find notes matching a pattern VAULT=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only) find "$VAULT" -name "*meeting*.md" -type f | sed "s|$VAULT\/||" # Move each to organized folder obsidian-cli move "standup-2024-01-15" "Meetings\/standup-2024-01-15" obsidian-cli move "standup-2024-01-16" "Meetings\/standup-2024-01-16" ``` ### Create a Daily Note ```bash VAULT=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only) TODAY=$(date +%Y-%m-%d) mkdir -p "$VAULT\/Daily" cat > "$VAULT\/Daily\/$TODAY.md" << EOF # Daily Note - $TODAY ## Tasks - [ ] ## Notes ## End of Day Review EOF ``` ## Important Notes 1. **Path resolution**: Note names don't need `.md` extension; paths are relative to vault root 2. **Wikilink updates**: The `move` command automatically updates `[[note]]`, `[[note|display]]`, and `[[note#heading]]` links 3. **Case sensitivity**: Search is case-insensitive with `-i` flag 4. **Hidden files**: Operations skip hidden directories (starting with `.`) 5. **Large files**: Files over 10MB are skipped during search operations 6. **No trash**: Delete is permanent; there's no recycle bin ## Error Handling Common errors and solutions: | Error | Cause | Solution | |-------|-------|----------| | `Cannot find vault config` | No default vault set | Run `obsidian-cli set-default "vault-name"` | | `Vault not found in Obsidian config` | Vault name doesn't match | Check vault name in Obsidian app settings | | `Cannot find note in vault` | Note doesn't exist | Verify note name\/path with search |