obsidian-bases

name	obsidian-bases
description	Create and edit Obsidian Bases (.base files) with views, filters, formulas, and summaries. Use when working with .base files, creating database-like views of notes, or when the user mentions Bases, table views, card views, filters, or formulas in Obsidian.

Obsidian Bases Skill

Use this skill for .base files, archive dashboards, filters, formulas, grouping, sorting, and other Bases work in this vault.

This skill keeps workflow, vault-specific rules, and high-frequency pitfalls in the main body. Schema details, syntax tables, and longer examples live in references/.

Workflow

1. Create the file: create a .base file in the vault with valid YAML content.
2. Define scope: add filters to select which notes appear (by tag, folder, property, or date).
3. Add formulas: define computed properties in the formulas section only when the computation is reusable or materially improves the view.
4. Configure views: add one or more views (table, cards, list, or map) with order specifying which properties to display.
5. Validate: verify the file is valid YAML with no syntax errors. Check that all referenced properties and formulas exist.
6. Test in Obsidian: open the .base file in Obsidian to confirm the view renders correctly.

Vault Policy

• Follow the vault-wide Bases organization and view strategy defined in AGENTS.md.
• When filtering or grouping vault notes, prefer the vault's structured properties such as kind, format, status, area, project, and source when they match the view.
• Use this skill to implement .base files, formulas, views, and validation for those policies; do not redefine them here.

Validation and Troubleshooting

YAML Quoting Rules

• Use single quotes for formulas containing double quotes: 'if(done, "Yes", "No")'
• Use double quotes for simple strings: "My View Name"
• Escape nested quotes properly in complex expressions

YAML Syntax Errors

Unquoted special characters: strings containing :, {, }, [, ], ,, &, *, #, ?, |, -, <, >, =, !, %, @, ` must be quoted.

# WRONG - colon in unquoted string
displayName: Status: Active

# CORRECT
displayName: "Status: Active"

Mismatched quotes in formulas: when a formula contains double quotes, wrap the entire formula in single quotes.

# WRONG - double quotes inside double quotes
formulas:
  label: "if(done, "Yes", "No")"

# CORRECT - single quotes wrapping double quotes
formulas:
  label: 'if(done, "Yes", "No")'

Common Formula Errors

Duration math without field access: subtracting dates returns a Duration, not a number. Always access .days, .hours, etc.

# WRONG - Duration is not a number
"(now() - file.ctime).round(0)"

# CORRECT - access .days first, then round
"(now() - file.ctime).days.round(0)"

Missing null checks: properties may not exist on all notes. Use if() to guard.

# WRONG - crashes if due_date is empty
"(date(due_date) - today()).days"

# CORRECT - guard with if()
'if(due_date, (date(due_date) - today()).days, "")'

Referencing undefined formulas: ensure every formula.X in order or properties has a matching entry in formulas.

# This will fail silently if 'total' is not defined in formulas
order:
  - formula.total

# Fix: define it
formulas:
  total: "price * quantity"

References

• SCHEMA.md
• EXAMPLES.md
• COMMON_FORMULAS.md
• FUNCTIONS_REFERENCE.md
• Bases Syntax
• Functions
• Views
• Formulas