| name | obsidian-skills |
| description | Obsidian vault toolkit: interact with vaults via Obsidian CLI (read, create, search, daily notes, properties, tasks, plugins); create/edit Markdown notes with wikilinks, callouts, embeds, and properties; build Bases (.base) views with filters and formulas; create JSON Canvas (.canvas) mind maps and flowcharts; extract clean markdown from web pages with Defuddle. Activates on: obsidian, vault, wikilink, callout, .base file, .canvas file, obsidian cli, obsidian note, obsidian markdown, daily note, defuddle, or any Obsidian-related request. |
Obsidian Skills
Comprehensive skill for working with Obsidian vaults — CLI interaction, Markdown, Bases, Canvas, and web content extraction.
Prerequisites — Obsidian CLI
Before running any obsidian CLI command:
1. Ensure Obsidian is running
The CLI requires the Obsidian app to be open. Check and launch if needed:
obsidian &>/dev/null & sleep 2
2. Verify the CLI is available
obsidian version
If the command returns:
Command line interface is not enabled. Please turn it on in Settings > General > Advanced.
Tell the user: Please open Obsidian, go to Settings → General → Advanced, and enable "Command line interface". Then try again.
Do NOT attempt to enable it programmatically — this must be done manually by the user in the Obsidian app.
If the command is not found, guide the user through setup:
- Requires Obsidian installer 1.12+ — update Obsidian to the latest version.
- Enable CLI in Obsidian: Go to Settings → General → Command line interface and follow the prompt to register.
- Restart the terminal after registration for PATH changes to take effect.
macOS: Ensure ~/.zprofile contains:
export PATH="$PATH:/Applications/Obsidian.app/Contents/MacOS"
Linux: Check the symlink exists: ls -l /usr/local/bin/obsidian
If the user has not installed or enabled the CLI, inform them of these steps and wait for confirmation before proceeding with CLI commands.
Other References
| Need | Reference |
|---|
Create/edit .md notes with wikilinks, callouts, embeds, properties, tags | Obsidian Markdown |
Build .base files with views, filters, formulas, summaries | Obsidian Bases |
Create .canvas files with nodes, edges, mind maps, flowcharts | JSON Canvas |
| Extract clean markdown from web pages (remove ads/clutter) | Defuddle |
Obsidian CLI Reference
Use the obsidian CLI to interact with a running Obsidian instance from the terminal for scripting, automation, and integration with external tools. Anything you can do in Obsidian you can do from the command line.
Syntax
Parameters take a value with =. Quote values with spaces:
obsidian create name="My Note" content="Hello world"
Flags are boolean switches with no value:
obsidian create name="My Note" open overwrite
For multiline content use \n for newline and \t for tab:
obsidian create name="Note" content="# Title\n\nBody text"
File Targeting
Many commands accept file or path to target a specific file. Without either, the active file is used.
file=<name> — resolves like a wikilink (name only, no path or extension needed)path=<path> — exact path from vault root, e.g. folder/note.md
obsidian read file=Recipe
obsidian read path="Templates/Recipe.md"
Vault Targeting
If your terminal's current working directory is a vault folder, that vault is used by default. Otherwise, the most recently focused vault is used.
Use vault=<name> or vault=<id> as the first parameter to target a specific vault:
obsidian vault=Notes daily
obsidian vault="My Vault" search query="test"
Copy Output
Add --copy to any command to copy the output to the clipboard:
obsidian read --copy
obsidian search query="TODO" --copy
Common Examples
Everyday Use
obsidian daily
obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] Buy groceries"
obsidian search query="meeting notes"
obsidian read
obsidian tasks daily
obsidian create name="Trip to Paris" template=Travel
obsidian tags counts
obsidian diff file=README from=1 to=3
For Developers
obsidian devtools
obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin
obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png
obsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length"
General Commands
help
Show list of all available commands.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
<command> | Show help for a specific command |
version
Show Obsidian version.
reload
Reload the app window.
restart
Restart the app.
Files and Folders
file
Show file info (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
files
List files in the vault.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
folder=<path> | filter by folder |
ext=<extension> | filter by extension |
total | return file count (flag) |
folder
Show folder info.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
path=<path> | (required) folder path |
info=files|folders|size | return specific info only |
folders
List folders in the vault.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
folder=<path> | filter by parent folder |
total | return folder count (flag) |
open
Open a file.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
newtab | open in new tab (flag) |
create
Create or overwrite a file.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
content=<text> | initial content |
template=<name> | template to use |
overwrite | overwrite if file exists (flag) |
open | open file after creating (flag) |
newtab | open in new tab (flag) |
read
Read file contents (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
append
Append content to a file (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
content=<text> | (required) content to append |
inline | append without newline (flag) |
prepend
Prepend content after frontmatter (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
content=<text> | (required) content to prepend |
inline | prepend without newline (flag) |
move
Move or rename a file (default: active file). Automatically updates internal links if enabled in vault settings.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
to=<path> | (required) destination folder or path |
rename
Rename a file (default: active file). File extension is preserved if omitted. Use move to rename and move simultaneously.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
name=<name> | (required) new file name |
delete
Delete a file (default: active file, trash by default).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
permanent | skip trash, delete permanently (flag) |
Daily Notes
daily
Open daily note.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
paneType=tab|split|window | pane type to open in |
daily:path
Get daily note path. Returns the expected path even if the file hasn't been created yet.
daily:read
Read daily note contents.
daily:append
Append content to daily note.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
content=<text> | (required) content to append |
paneType=tab|split|window | pane type to open in |
inline | append without newline (flag) |
open | open file after adding (flag) |
daily:prepend
Prepend content to daily note.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
content=<text> | (required) content to prepend |
paneType=tab|split|window | pane type to open in |
inline | prepend without newline (flag) |
open | open file after adding (flag) |
Search
search
Search vault for text. Returns matching file paths.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
query=<text> | (required) search query |
path=<folder> | limit to folder |
limit=<n> | max files |
format=text|json | output format (default: text) |
total | return match count (flag) |
case | case sensitive (flag) |
search:context
Search with matching line context. Returns grep-style path:line: text output.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
query=<text> | (required) search query |
path=<folder> | limit to folder |
limit=<n> | max files |
format=text|json | output format (default: text) |
case | case sensitive (flag) |
search:open
Open search view.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
query=<text> | initial search query |
Properties
properties
List properties in the vault. Use active or file/path to show properties for a specific file.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | show properties for file |
path=<path> | show properties for path |
name=<name> | get specific property count |
sort=count | sort by count (default: name) |
format=yaml|json|tsv | output format (default: yaml) |
total | return property count (flag) |
counts | include occurrence counts (flag) |
active | show properties for active file (flag) |
property:set
Set a property on a file (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | (required) property name |
value=<value> | (required) property value |
type=text|list|number|checkbox|date|datetime | property type |
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
property:remove
Remove a property from a file (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | (required) property name |
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
property:read
Read a property value from a file (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | (required) property name |
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
Tags
tags
List tags in the vault. Use active or file/path to show tags for a specific file.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
sort=count | sort by count (default: name) |
total | return tag count (flag) |
counts | include tag counts (flag) |
format=json|tsv|csv | output format (default: tsv) |
active | show tags for active file (flag) |
tag
Get tag info.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<tag> | (required) tag name |
total | return occurrence count (flag) |
verbose | include file list and count (flag) |
Tasks
tasks
List tasks in the vault. Use active or file/path to show tasks for a specific file.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | filter by file name |
path=<path> | filter by file path |
status="<char>" | filter by status character |
total | return task count (flag) |
done | show completed tasks (flag) |
todo | show incomplete tasks (flag) |
verbose | group by file with line numbers (flag) |
format=json|tsv|csv | output format (default: text) |
active | show tasks for active file (flag) |
daily | show tasks from daily note (flag) |
Examples:
tasks
tasks todo
tasks file=Recipe done
tasks daily
tasks daily total
tasks verbose
tasks 'status=?'
task
Show or update a task.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
ref=<path:line> | task reference (path:line) |
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
line=<n> | line number |
status="<char>" | set status character |
toggle | toggle task status (flag) |
daily | daily note (flag) |
done | mark as done (flag) |
todo | mark as todo (flag) |
Examples:
task file=Recipe line=8
task ref="Recipe.md:8"
task ref="Recipe.md:8" toggle
task daily line=3 toggle
task file=Recipe line=8 done
task file=Recipe line=8 status=-
Links
backlinks
List backlinks to a file (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | target file name |
path=<path> | target file path |
counts | include link counts (flag) |
total | return backlink count (flag) |
format=json|tsv|csv | output format (default: tsv) |
links
List outgoing links from a file (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
total | return link count (flag) |
unresolved
List unresolved links in vault.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return unresolved link count (flag) |
counts | include link counts (flag) |
verbose | include source files (flag) |
format=json|tsv|csv | output format (default: tsv) |
orphans
List files with no incoming links.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return orphan count (flag) |
deadends
List files with no outgoing links.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return dead-end count (flag) |
Outline
outline
Show headings for the current file.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
format=tree|md|json | output format (default: tree) |
total | return heading count (flag) |
Bookmarks
bookmarks
List bookmarks.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return bookmark count (flag) |
verbose | include bookmark types (flag) |
format=json|tsv|csv | output format (default: tsv) |
bookmark
Add a bookmark.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<path> | file to bookmark |
subpath=<subpath> | subpath (heading or block) within file |
folder=<path> | folder to bookmark |
search=<query> | search query to bookmark |
url=<url> | URL to bookmark |
title=<title> | bookmark title |
Command Palette
commands
List available command IDs.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
filter=<prefix> | filter by ID prefix |
command
Execute an Obsidian command.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
id=<command-id> | (required) command ID to execute |
hotkeys
List hotkeys for all commands.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return hotkey count (flag) |
verbose | show if hotkey is custom (flag) |
format=json|tsv|csv | output format (default: tsv) |
hotkey
Get hotkey for a command.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
id=<command-id> | (required) command ID |
verbose | show if custom or default (flag) |
Plugins
plugins
List installed plugins.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
filter=core|community | filter by plugin type |
versions | include version numbers (flag) |
format=json|tsv|csv | output format (default: tsv) |
plugins:enabled
List enabled plugins.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
filter=core|community | filter by plugin type |
versions | include version numbers (flag) |
format=json|tsv|csv | output format (default: tsv) |
plugin
Get plugin info.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
id=<plugin-id> | (required) plugin ID |
plugin:enable / plugin:disable
Enable or disable a plugin.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
id=<id> | (required) plugin ID |
filter=core|community | plugin type |
plugin:install
Install a community plugin.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
id=<id> | (required) plugin ID |
enable | enable after install (flag) |
plugin:uninstall
Uninstall a community plugin.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
id=<id> | (required) plugin ID |
plugin:reload
Reload a plugin (for developers).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
id=<id> | (required) plugin ID |
plugins:restrict
Toggle or check restricted mode.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
on | enable restricted mode (flag) |
off | disable restricted mode (flag) |
Bases
bases
List all .base files in the vault.
base:views
List views in the current base file.
base:create
Create a new item in a base. Defaults to the active base view if no file is specified.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | base file name |
path=<path> | base file path |
view=<name> | view name |
name=<name> | new file name |
content=<text> | initial content |
open | open file after creating (flag) |
newtab | open in new tab (flag) |
base:query
Query a base and return results.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | base file name |
path=<path> | base file path |
view=<name> | view name to query |
format=json|csv|tsv|md|paths | output format (default: json) |
File History
diff
List or compare versions from local File recovery and Sync. Versions are numbered from newest to oldest.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
from=<n> | version number to diff from |
to=<n> | version number to diff to |
filter=local|sync | filter by version source |
diff
diff file=Recipe
diff file=Recipe from=1
diff file=Recipe from=2 to=1
diff filter=sync
history
List versions from File recovery only.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
history:list
List all files with local history.
history:read
Read a local history version.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
version=<n> | version number (default: 1) |
history:restore
Restore a local history version.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
version=<n> | (required) version number |
history:open
Open file recovery.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
Sync
sync
Pause or resume sync.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
on | resume sync (flag) |
off | pause sync (flag) |
sync:status
Show sync status and usage.
sync:history
List sync version history for a file (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
total | return version count (flag) |
sync:read
Read a sync version (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
version=<n> | (required) version number |
sync:restore
Restore a sync version (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
version=<n> | (required) version number |
sync:open
Open sync history (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
sync:deleted
List deleted files in sync.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return deleted file count (flag) |
Publish
publish:site
Show publish site info (slug, URL).
publish:list
List published files.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return published file count (flag) |
publish:status
List publish changes.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return change count (flag) |
new | show new files only (flag) |
changed | show changed files only (flag) |
deleted | show deleted files only (flag) |
publish:add
Publish a file or all changed files (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
changed | publish all changed files (flag) |
publish:remove
Unpublish a file (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
publish:open
Open file on published site (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
Templates
templates
List templates.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return template count (flag) |
template:read
Read template content.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<template> | (required) template name |
title=<title> | title for variable resolution |
resolve | resolve template variables (flag) |
template:insert
Insert template into active file.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<template> | (required) template name |
Note: resolve processes {{date}}, {{time}}, {{title}} variables. Use create path=<path> template=<name> to create a file with a template.
Themes and Snippets
themes
List installed themes.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
versions | include version numbers (flag) |
theme
Show active theme or get info.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | theme name for details |
theme:set
Set active theme.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | (required) theme name (empty for default) |
theme:install / theme:uninstall
Install or uninstall a community theme.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | (required) theme name |
enable | activate after install (flag, install only) |
snippets / snippets:enabled
List installed or enabled CSS snippets.
snippet:enable / snippet:disable
Enable or disable a CSS snippet.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | (required) snippet name |
Aliases
aliases
List aliases in the vault. Use active or file/path to show aliases for a specific file.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
total | return alias count (flag) |
verbose | include file paths (flag) |
active | show aliases for active file (flag) |
Random Notes
random
Open a random note.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
folder=<path> | limit to folder |
newtab | open in new tab (flag) |
random:read
Read a random note (includes path).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
folder=<path> | limit to folder |
Unique Notes
unique
Create unique note.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<text> | note name |
content=<text> | initial content |
paneType=tab|split|window | pane type to open in |
open | open file after creating (flag) |
Vault
vault
Show vault info.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
info=name|path|files|folders|size | return specific info only |
vaults
List known vaults.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return vault count (flag) |
verbose | include vault paths (flag) |
vault:open
Switch to a different vault (TUI only).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | (required) vault name |
Word Count
wordcount
Count words and characters (default: active file).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
file=<name> | file name |
path=<path> | file path |
words | return word count only (flag) |
characters | return character count only (flag) |
Workspace
workspace
Show workspace tree.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
ids | include workspace item IDs (flag) |
workspaces
List saved workspaces.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return workspace count (flag) |
workspace:save / workspace:load / workspace:delete
Save, load, or delete a workspace.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
name=<name> | workspace name ((required) for load/delete) |
tabs
List open tabs.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
ids | include tab IDs (flag) |
tab:open
Open a new tab.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
group=<id> | tab group ID |
file=<path> | file to open |
view=<type> | view type to open |
recents
List recently opened files.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
total | return recent file count (flag) |
Web Viewer
web
Open URL in web viewer.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
url=<url> | (required) URL to open |
newtab | open in new tab (flag) |
Developer Commands
Commands to help develop Community plugins and Themes.
devtools
Toggle Electron dev tools.
dev:debug
Attach/detach Chrome DevTools Protocol debugger.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
on | attach debugger (flag) |
off | detach debugger (flag) |
dev:cdp
Run a Chrome DevTools Protocol command.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
method=<CDP.method> | (required) CDP method to call |
params=<json> | method parameters as JSON |
dev:errors
Show captured JavaScript errors.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
clear | clear the error buffer (flag) |
dev:screenshot
Take a screenshot (returns base64 PNG).
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
path=<filename> | output file path |
dev:console
Show captured console messages.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
limit=<n> | max messages to show (default 50) |
level=log|warn|error|info|debug | filter by log level |
clear | clear the console buffer (flag) |
dev:css
Inspect CSS with source locations.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
selector=<css> | (required) CSS selector |
prop=<name> | filter by property name |
dev:dom
Query DOM elements.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
selector=<css> | (required) CSS selector |
attr=<name> | get attribute value |
css=<prop> | get CSS property value |
total | return element count (flag) |
text | return text content (flag) |
inner | return innerHTML instead of outerHTML (flag) |
all | return all matches instead of first (flag) |
dev:mobile
Toggle mobile emulation.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
on | enable mobile emulation (flag) |
off | disable mobile emulation (flag) |
eval
Execute JavaScript and return result.
| Parameter | Description |
|---|
code=<javascript> | (required) JavaScript code to execute |
Obsidian Markdown Essentials
Wikilinks & Embeds
[[Note Name]] Wikilink
[[Note Name|Display Text]] Wikilink with alias
[[Note Name#Heading]] Link to heading
[[Note Name#^block-id]] Link to block
![[Note Name]] Embed note
![[image.png|300]] Embed image with width
Frontmatter
---
title: My Note
tags: [project, active]
aliases: [Alt Name]
cssclasses: [custom-class]
---
Callouts
> [!note] Title
> Content here.
> [!tip]- Foldable callout
> Hidden until expanded.
Types: note, abstract, info, todo, tip, success, question, warning, failure, danger, bug, example, quote
Tasks
- [ ] Incomplete task
- [x] Completed task
Bases Quick Start
filters:
and:
- file.hasTag("project")
formulas:
days_old: '(now() - file.ctime).days'
views:
- type: table
name: "Projects"
order: [file.name, status, formula.days_old]
View types: table, cards, list, map
Canvas Quick Start
{
"nodes": [
{"id": "abc123def4567890", "type": "text", "x": 0, "y": 0, "width": 300, "height": 150, "text": "# Node"}
],
"edges": []
}
Node types: text, file, link, group. IDs are 16-char hex strings.
Defuddle Quick Start
defuddle parse <url> --md
defuddle parse <url> --md -o content.md
If not installed: npm install -g defuddle-cli
