obsidian-rest-api

name	obsidian-rest-api
category	development-code
license	MIT
description	Call the Obsidian Local REST API directly (over HTTP) for vault operations the mcp__obsidian__* tools do NOT expose — move/rename a note, overwrite a whole file atomically (PUT), act on the currently-open active file, run an Obsidian command, open a note in the UI, list all tags, or do date-specific periodic-note CRUD. Prefer the mcp__obsidian__* tools for plain read/append/patch/delete/search; fall back to this skill only when the required method is missing from MCP.

Obsidian Local REST API

The connected obsidian MCP server exposes only a subset of the Obsidian Local REST API (plugin obsidian-local-rest-api). This skill provides the full API surface plus an authenticated request wrapper, so a missing MCP method is called over HTTP instead of being worked around with hacks (e.g. delete+recreate to rename a note).

When to Use This Skill

Use the mcp__obsidian__* tools first for read, append, patch, delete, and search. Fall back to this skill only for operations that have no MCP tool:

• Move / rename a note (preserves history, updates internal links)
• Overwrite a whole file atomically (PUT) instead of delete+recreate
• Act on the currently-open "active" file in the Obsidian UI
• Run an Obsidian command from the command palette
• Open / focus a note in the UI
• List all vault tags with counts
• Create/update/delete date-specific periodic notes

What This Skill Does

1. Resolves the API host, port, and key from the connected obsidian MCP server config (~/.claude.json) or OBSIDIAN_* env vars — no hardcoded secrets.
2. Handles the plugin's self-signed TLS certificate.
3. Exposes every endpoint of the Local REST API (see references/api_reference.md), with the header enums (Operation, Target-Type, Target-Scope), the custom MOVE contract, and the search (JsonLogic/Dataview) formats.

How to Use

Call the wrapper scripts/olrapi.sh <METHOD> <path> [curl args...]:

S=scripts/olrapi.sh   # adjust to the skill's install path

# rename/move a note (the most common reason to reach for this skill)
"$S" MOVE "/vault/Path/To/Old Name.md" -H 'Destination: Path/To/New Name.md'

# move into a folder, keeping the filename (trailing slash on Destination)
"$S" MOVE "/vault/Inbox/todo.md" -H 'Destination: Archive/'

# atomically overwrite a whole note
"$S" PUT "/vault/Path/Note.md" -H 'Content-Type: text/markdown' --data-binary @/tmp/body.md

# read a note as structured JSON (frontmatter + tags + stat)
"$S" GET "/vault/Path/Note.md" -H 'Accept: application/vnd.olrapi.note+json'

# list tags, run a command, open a note in the UI
"$S" GET /tags/
"$S" POST "/commands/editor:toggle-bold/"
"$S" POST "/open/Path/Note.md?newLeaf=true"

The wrapper prints <<HTTP nnn>> after the body. Success: 200/204. On MOVE, 409 means the destination exists — add -H 'Allow-Overwrite: true' to force. For non-trivial calls, load references/api_reference.md.

Path & encoding rules

• {filename} is vault-relative (no leading slash on the vault path).
• Percent-encode non-ASCII in URL paths and in the MOVE Destination header (e.g. r%C3%A9sum%C3%A9.md). Destination rejects absolute (/…) paths.
• Target a sub-part of a note with Target-Type (heading|block|frontmatter)
  • Target headers on GET/PATCH/POST.

Example

User: "Rename 3-Resources/Draft.md to 3-Resources/Final.md in my vault."

Output:

scripts/olrapi.sh MOVE "/vault/3-Resources/Draft.md" \
  -H 'Destination: 3-Resources/Final.md'
# <<HTTP 204>>  — moved, history preserved, internal links updated

Tips

• Regenerate the reference against the live plugin if it was updated: scripts/olrapi.sh GET /openapi.yaml. GET / shows the plugin version.
• Prefer PUT over delete+recreate for whole-file overwrites — it is atomic and keeps the file's identity.
• The API serves HTTPS on port 27124 (self-signed → curl -k) and HTTP on 27123.