obs-memory

name	obs-memory
description	Persistent Obsidian-based memory for coding agents. Use at session start to orient from a knowledge vault, during work to look up architecture/component/pattern notes, and when discoveries are made to write them back. Activate when the user mentions obsidian memory, obsidian vault, obsidian notes, or /obs commands. Provides commands: init, analyze, recap, project, note, todo, lookup, relate.
metadata	{"author":"adamtylerlynch","version":"2.2"}
license	MIT

Obsidian Agent Memory

You have access to a persistent Obsidian knowledge vault — a graph-structured memory that persists across sessions. Use it to orient yourself, look up architecture and component knowledge, and write back discoveries.

Vault Discovery

Resolve the vault path using this chain (first match wins):

1. Environment variable: $OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH
2. Agent config reference: Parse the vault path from the agent's project or global config (look for "Obsidian Knowledge Vault" section with a path like ~/Documents/SomeName/)
3. Default: ~/Documents/AgentMemory

Store the resolved path as $VAULT for all subsequent operations. Derive $VAULT_NAME as basename "$VAULT" for CLI calls.

Verify the vault exists by checking for $VAULT/Home.md. If the vault doesn't exist, inform the user and suggest running the init command to bootstrap a new vault from the bundled template.

Session Start — Orientation

At the start of every session, orient yourself with at most 2 operations:

Step 1: Read TODOs

CLI-first:

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME tasks path="todos" todo verbose

Fallback: Read the file at $VAULT/todos/Active TODOs.md.

Know what's pending, in-progress, and recently completed.

Step 2: Detect current project and read its overview

Auto-detect the project from the current working directory:

basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) 2>/dev/null || basename $(pwd)

Then check if a matching project exists by listing files in $VAULT/projects/*/. Match the git repo name (or directory name) against project folder names. If a match is found, read the project overview at $VAULT/projects/{matched-name}/{matched-name}.md.

This project overview contains wikilinks to all components, patterns, architecture decisions, and domains. Do not read those linked notes yet — follow them on demand when the current task requires that context.

What NOT to read at session start

• Home.md (only if you're lost and can't find the project)
• sessions/ (only if the user references prior work)
• Domain indexes (only if you need cross-project knowledge)
• Component notes (only when working on that component)

Automatic Behaviors

These behaviors apply to any agent using this skill. They do not require explicit commands.

On session start

Auto-orient (TODOs + project overview) without being asked, following the Session Start procedure above. If the vault doesn't exist at the resolved path, inform the user and suggest running init.

On session end signals

When the user says "done", "wrapping up", "that's it", "let's stop", or similar end-of-session language — offer to write a session summary. Don't auto-run; ask first: "Want me to write a session summary to the vault before we wrap up?"

On component discovery

When you deeply analyze a component that has no vault note — and the project has an active vault — offer to create a component note and infer relationships from imports and dependencies. Example: "I noticed there's no vault note for the AuthMiddleware component. Want me to create one and map its dependencies?"

On first run

When the vault doesn't exist at any resolved path, guide the user through init, then auto-scaffold the current project if inside a git repo.

During Work — Graph Navigation

Principle: Use CLI queries first, file reads second. The Obsidian CLI provides structured access to properties, links, backlinks, tags, and search — prefer these over reading entire files.

CLI-first lookups (preferred)

Use these CLI commands for targeted queries without consuming file-read tokens:

# Query a component's dependencies
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="Component Name" name="depends-on"

# Find what depends on a component
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="Component Name" name="depended-on-by"
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME backlinks file="Component Name"

# Find all outgoing links from a note
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME links file="Component Name"

# Find all notes of a type
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME tag verbose name="component"

# Search vault content
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME search format=json query="search term" matches limit=10

# Get note structure without full read
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME outline file="Component Name"

# Read a specific property
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="Component Name" name="key-files"

Where $VAULT_NAME is the vault folder name (basename of $VAULT).

File-read fallback (when CLI unavailable)

Fall back to file reads when the Obsidian CLI is not available:

• Need to understand a component? The project overview links to it. Read that one note.
• Need an architecture decision? The component note or project overview links to it. Follow the link.
• Need cross-project knowledge? Component/pattern notes link to domain notes. Follow the link.
• Need session history? Only read if you're stuck or the user references prior work.

Frontmatter-first scanning

When you need to scan multiple notes to find the right one, read just the first ~10 lines of each file. The tags, project, type, and status fields in the frontmatter tell you if the note is relevant before reading the full body.

Directory listing before reading

List directory contents before reading files — know what exists without consuming tokens:

• $VAULT/projects/{name}/**/*.md — all notes for a project
• $VAULT/domains/{tech}/*.md — domain knowledge files

Writing to the Vault

Write concisely. Notes are for your future context, not human documentation. Prefer:

• Bullet points over prose
• Wikilinks over repeated explanations (link to it, don't re-state it)
• Frontmatter tags for discoverability over verbose descriptions

When to write

• New component discovered: Create a component note when you deeply understand a part of the codebase
• Architecture decision made: Record ADRs when significant design choices are made
• Pattern identified: Document recurring patterns that future sessions should follow
• Domain knowledge learned: Write to domain notes when you discover cross-project knowledge

Scoping rules

Knowledge type	Location	Example
One project only	projects/{name}/	How this API handles auth
Shared across projects	domains/{tech}/	How Go interfaces work
Universal, tech-agnostic	patterns/	SOLID principles
Session summaries	sessions/	What was done and discovered
TODOs	todos/Active TODOs.md	Grouped by project

Frontmatter conventions

Always include in new notes:

---
tags: [category, project/short-name]
type: <component|adr|session|project>
project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
created: YYYY-MM-DD
---

Wikilink conventions

• Link to related notes: [[projects/{name}/components/Component Name|Component Name]]
• Link to domains: [[domains/{tech}/{Tech Name}|Tech Name]]
• Link back to project: [[projects/{name}/{name}|project-name]]

Note templates

Component Note:

---
tags: [components, project/{short-name}]
type: component
project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
created: {date}
status: active
layer: ""
depends-on: []
depended-on-by: []
key-files: []
---

Sections: Purpose, Gotchas

Architecture Decision:

---
tags: [architecture, decision, project/{short-name}]
type: adr
project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
status: proposed | accepted | superseded
created: {date}
---

Sections: Context, Decision, Alternatives Considered, Consequences

Session Note:

---
tags: [sessions]
type: session
projects:
  - "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
created: {date}
branch: {branch-name}
---

Sections: Context, Work Done, Discoveries, Decisions, Next Steps

Commands

init — Initialize the Vault

Bootstrap a new Obsidian Agent Memory vault from the bundled template.

Usage: init [path]

Steps:

1. Determine vault path: Use the first argument if provided, otherwise use the vault resolution chain (default: ~/Documents/AgentMemory).

2. Check if vault already exists: Look for $VAULT/Home.md. If it exists, tell the user the vault already exists at that path and offer to open it.

3. Locate the bundled template: The template is at vault-template/ relative to the skill package root. Search for the skill package installation directory — it may be in the agent's plugin/skill cache or a local checkout. Look for the vault-template/Home.md file to confirm the correct path.

4. Create the vault:

   mkdir -p "$VAULT"
   cp -r "$TEMPLATE_DIR/vault-template/"* "$VAULT/"
   

5. Create Obsidian config directory:

   mkdir -p "$VAULT/.obsidian"
   

   Write the following to $VAULT/.obsidian/app.json:

   {
     "alwaysUpdateLinks": true,
     "newFileLocation": "folder",
     "newFileFolderPath": "inbox",
     "attachmentFolderPath": "attachments"
   }
   

6. Create empty directories:

   mkdir -p 
    -p 
   

analyze — Analyze Project & Hydrate Vault

Analyze the current codebase and populate the vault with interconnected, content-rich notes.

Usage: analyze (no arguments — uses current repo)

Phase 1: Discovery — Scan for Knowledge Sources

Scan the repo for files that contain pre-existing knowledge:

Category	Files to scan
Agent configs	CLAUDE.md, .claude/CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, .windsurfrules, .clinerules, AGENTS.md, Agents.md
Documentation	README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, docs/architecture.md, docs/ARCHITECTURE.md
Existing ADRs	docs/adr/ADR-*.md, architecture/ADR-*.md, adr/*.md, docs/decisions/*.md
Project metadata	package.json, go.mod, Cargo.toml, pyproject.toml, setup.py, Gemfile, pom.xml, build.gradle, *.csproj
Build/CI	Makefile, Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml, .github/workflows/*.yml, .gitlab-ci.yml
Config	tsconfig.json, .eslintrc.*, jest.config.*, .goreleaser.yml

Read each discovered file. For large files (README, agent configs), read fully. For metadata files, extract key fields (name, version, dependencies).

Also gather:

• Repo URL from git remote get-url origin
• Repo root path from git rev-parse --show-toplevel
• Active branch from git branch --show-current
• Directory tree (top 2 levels of source directories, excluding hidden/vendor/node_modules)
• File extension frequency (for language detection)

Phase 2: Analysis — Extract & Synthesize

Using the discovered content, synthesize:

1. Project metadata: name, language(s), framework(s), repo URL, local path
2. Architecture summary: Entry points, layer organization (e.g., internal/ → Go service layers, src/components/ → React app), build system
3. Component inventory: Major functional modules — each top-level source directory or logical grouping that represents a distinct unit. For each: purpose (from README/agent config context), key files, and relationships
4. Pattern inventory: Coding conventions, error handling strategies, testing approaches — extracted from agent config files (CLAUDE.md sections like "Coding Guidelines", "Testing", etc.)
5. Domain mapping: Detected technologies → vault domain notes (e.g., Go, TypeScript, Terraform, React)
6. Existing decisions: ADR files found in the repo → import as vault ADR notes
7. Dependency summary: Key dependencies from package manifests (listed in project overview, not separate notes)

Phase 3: Hydration — Write Vault Notes

Idempotency rules:

• If project directory doesn't exist → create everything (scaffold + populate)
• If project directory exists but overview is a skeleton → replace overview with populated version
• If individual component/pattern/ADR notes already exist → skip and report (don't overwrite manual work)
• Domain notes: create if missing, append project link if existing

Notes to write:

1. Project overview ($VAULT/projects/{name}/{name}.md) — Fully populated:

   ---
   aliases: []
   tags: [project/{short-name}]
   type: project
   repo: {git remote url}
   path: {repo root path}
   language: {detected language(s)}
   framework: {detected framework(s)}
   created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
   status: active
   ---
   

   Sections:

   • Architecture: Real description from analysis
   • Components: Table with wikilinks to component notes
   • Project Patterns: Table with wikilinks to pattern notes
   • Architecture Decisions: List with wikilinks to ADR notes
   • Key Dependencies: From package manifests
   • Domains: Wikilinks to domain notes

2. Component notes ($VAULT/projects/{name}/components/{Component}.md) — One per major module:

   ---
   tags: [components, project/{short-name}]
   type: component
   project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
   created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
   status: 
    { }
    []
    []
    [{  }]
   

Phase 4: Report

Print a summary:

Analyzed: {project-name}
  Sources read: {N} knowledge files
  Created: project overview (populated)
  Created: {N} component notes
  Created: {N} pattern notes
  Imported: {N} architecture decisions
  Linked: {N} domain notes
  Skipped: {N} existing notes (preserved)

recap — Write Session Summary

Write a session summary note and update TODOs.

Usage: recap

Steps:

1. Gather session context by running:

   git log --oneline -20
   git diff --stat HEAD~5..HEAD 2>/dev/null || git diff --stat
   git branch --show-current
   

2. Read current TODOs — CLI-first:

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME tasks path="todos" todo verbose
   

   Fallback: Read $VAULT/todos/Active TODOs.md.

3. Read project overview from $VAULT/projects/$PROJECT/$PROJECT.md (for wikilinks and context).

4. Write session note — CLI-first:

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME create path="sessions/{YYYY-MM-DD} - {title}" template="Session Note" silent
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:set path="sessions/{YYYY-MM-DD} - {title}" name="type" value="session" type="text"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:set path="sessions/{YYYY-MM-DD} - {title}" name="branch" value="{current-branch}" type="text"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:set path="sessions/{YYYY-MM-DD} - {title}" name="projects" value="[[projects/$PROJECT/$PROJECT]]" type="list"
   

   Then append body content:

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME append path="sessions/{YYYY-MM-DD} - {title}" content=
   

project — Scaffold New Project

Scaffold a new project in the vault. Uses the first argument as the project name, or defaults to $PROJECT.

Usage: project [name]

Steps:

1. Determine project name: Use the argument if provided, otherwise use $PROJECT.

2. Check if project exists: Look for $VAULT/projects/{name}/{name}.md. If it exists, tell the user and offer to open it instead.

3. Create directory structure:

   • $VAULT/projects/{name}/
   • $VAULT/projects/{name}/architecture/
   • $VAULT/projects/{name}/components/
   • $VAULT/projects/{name}/patterns/

4. Create project overview at $VAULT/projects/{name}/{name}.md:

   ---
   aliases: []
   tags: [project/{short-name}]
   type: project
   repo: {git remote url if available}
   path: {working directory}
   language: {detected from files}
   framework:
   created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
   status: active
   ---
   

   Sections: Architecture, Components, Project Patterns, Architecture Decisions, Domains

   Auto-detect and fill:

   • Language from file extensions in the repo
   • Repo URL from git remote get-url origin
   • Link to relevant domains that exist in $VAULT/domains/

5. Update Projects.md: Add a row to the project table in $VAULT/projects/Projects.md.

6. Report the scaffolded structure.

note — Create a Note from Template

Create a note using a template. The first argument specifies the type: component, adr, or pattern.

Usage: note <component|adr|pattern> [name]

note component [name]

Create at $VAULT/projects/$PROJECT/components/{name}.md:

---
tags: [components, project/{short-name}]
type: component
project: "[[projects/$PROJECT/$PROJECT]]"
created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
status: active
layer: ""
depends-on: []
depended-on-by: []
key-files: []
---

Sections: Purpose, Gotchas

If a name argument is provided, use it as the component name. Otherwise, ask the user.

note adr [title]

Determine the next ADR number by listing existing ADRs in $VAULT/projects/$PROJECT/architecture/ADR-*.md.

Create at $VAULT/projects/$PROJECT/architecture/ADR-{NNNN} {title}.md:

---
tags: [architecture, decision, project/{short-name}]
type: adr
project: "[[projects/$PROJECT/$PROJECT]]"
status: proposed
created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
---

Sections: Context, Decision, Alternatives Considered, Consequences

note pattern [name]

Create at $VAULT/projects/$PROJECT/patterns/{name}.md:

---
tags: [patterns, project/{short-name}]
project: "[[projects/$PROJECT/$PROJECT]]"
created: {YYYY-MM-DD}
---

Sections: Pattern, When to Use, Implementation, Examples

After creating any note, add a wikilink to it from the project overview.

todo — Manage TODOs

View and update the Active TODOs for the current project.

Usage: todo [action]

Steps:

1. Read current TODOs from $VAULT/todos/Active TODOs.md.

2. If no additional arguments: Display the current TODOs for $PROJECT and ask what to update.

3. If arguments provided: Parse as a TODO action:

   • Plain text → Add as a new pending item under $PROJECT
   • done: <text> → Mark item done: remove from Active TODOs, append to $VAULT/todos/Completed TODOs Archive.md under a dated ## $PROJECT (YYYY-MM-DD) heading (create the file if it doesn't exist)
   • remove: <text> → Remove matching item

4. Write back Active TODOs (and archive file if items were completed).

lookup — Search the Vault

Search the vault for knowledge. Supports targeted subcommands and freetext search.

Usage: lookup <subcommand|freetext>

lookup deps <name>

Query what a component depends on.

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="depends-on"

Fallback: Read the component note and parse the depends-on frontmatter list.

lookup consumers <name>

Query what depends on a component (reverse dependencies).

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="depended-on-by"
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME backlinks file="<name>"

Combine results — depended-on-by gives explicit relationships, backlinks catches implicit references. Fallback: Read the component note and search for backlinks via Grep.

lookup related <name>

Query all notes connected to a given note (both directions).

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME links file="<name>"
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME backlinks file="<name>"

Fallback: Read the note and extract wikilinks, then Grep for [[<name> across the vault.

lookup type <type> [project]

Find all notes of a given type (component, adr, session, project).

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME tag verbose name="<type>"

If [project] is specified, filter results to notes also tagged project/<short-name>:

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME search query="type: <type>" path="projects/<project>"

Fallback: Grep for type: <type> across $VAULT.

lookup layer <layer> [project]

Find all components in a specific layer.

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME search query="layer: <layer>" path="projects/<project>"

If no project specified, search across all projects:

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME search query="layer: <layer>" path="projects"

Fallback: Grep for layer: <layer> across $VAULT/projects/.

lookup files <component>

Query key files for a component.

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<component>" name="key-files"

Fallback: Read the component note and parse the key-files frontmatter list.

lookup <freetext>

General search across the vault.

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME search format=json query="<freetext>" matches limit=10

Fallback: Search file contents for the query across all .md files in $VAULT.

If the query looks like a tag (starts with # or project/):

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME tags name="<query>"

If the query matches a note name:

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME backlinks file="<query>"

Present results: Show matching notes with their frontmatter (first ~10 lines) so the user can decide which to read in full.

relate — Manage Relationships

Create and query bidirectional relationships between notes via frontmatter properties.

Usage: relate <subcommand> [args]

Supported relationship types

Forward property	Inverse property
depends-on	depended-on-by
extends	extended-by
implements	implemented-by
consumes	consumed-by

relate <source> <target> [type]

Create a bidirectional relationship between two notes. Default type is depends-on/depended-on-by.

Steps:

1. Resolve note names: Use file= parameter for note display names. If ambiguity is possible (same name, different folders), use path= with full vault-relative path.

2. Read current property on source (forward direction):

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<source>" name="<forward-property>"
   

   Fallback: Read the source note frontmatter.

3. Check if relationship already exists: If <target> (as a wikilink) is already in the list, skip and report "already related".

4. Append to source (forward direction): Build the new list locally by appending [[<target>]] to the current values, then set:

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:set file="<source>" name="<forward-property>" value="<full-list>" type="list"
   

   Fallback: Edit the source note's frontmatter directly.

5. Read current property on target (inverse direction):

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<target>" name="<inverse-property>"
   

6. Append to target (inverse direction):

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:set file="<target>" name="<inverse-property>" value="<full-list>" type="list"
   

7. Report the created relationship.

Safety: Always read-then-set. Never blind-append. The full list is constructed locally and set atomically.

relate show <name>

Display all relationships for a note.

Steps:

1. Query all 8 relationship properties:

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="depends-on"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="depended-on-by"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="extends"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="extended-by"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="implements"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="implemented-by"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="consumes"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<name>" name="consumed-by"
   

   Fallback: Read the note frontmatter and parse all relationship properties.

2. Query structural links:

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME links file="<name>"
   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME backlinks file="<name>"
   

3. Present results grouped by relationship type. Show explicit (property) relationships first, then structural (wikilink) relationships that aren't already covered.

relate tree <name> [depth]

Walk the dependency tree via BFS. Default depth is 2.

Steps:

1. Initialize BFS: Start with <name> at depth 0. Maintain a visited set and a queue.

2. For each node in the queue:

   obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="<current>" name="depends-on"
   

   Fallback: Read the note and parse depends-on from frontmatter.

3. Add unvisited dependencies to the queue at current_depth + 1. Stop when depth limit is reached.

4. Present the tree as an indented list showing the dependency chain.

Token Budget Rules

1. CLI over reads: Use obsidian CLI for property reads, backlinks, links, tags, and search — these return targeted data without full file reads
2. Session start: At most 2 operations (TODOs + project overview)
3. During work: Use lookup subcommands and relate show before reading full notes
4. Frontmatter first: When scanning, read ~10 lines before committing to full read
5. List before read: List directory contents before reading files
6. Write concisely: Bullet points, links, tags — no prose when bullets suffice

Error Handling

• If the vault doesn't exist → suggest running /obs init to bootstrap it
• If the project doesn't exist in the vault → offer to run /obs project to scaffold it
• If a note already exists → show it instead of overwriting, offer to edit
• If no git repo is detected → use current directory name as project name
• If CLI command fails → fall back to file read for the same data

Vault Structure Reference

$VAULT/
├── Home.md                           # Dashboard (read only if lost)
├── projects/{name}/
│   ├── {name}.md                     # Project overview — START HERE
│   ├── architecture/                 # ADRs and design decisions
│   ├── components/                   # Per-component notes
│   └── patterns/                     # Project-specific patterns
├── domains/{tech}/                   # Cross-project knowledge
├── patterns/                         # Universal patterns
├── sessions/                         # Session logs (read only when needed)
├── todos/Active TODOs.md             # Pending work (read at session start)
├── templates/                        # Note templates
└── inbox/                            # Unsorted