obsidian-skills

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:

1. Requires Obsidian installer 1.12+ — update Obsidian to the latest version.
2. Enable CLI in Obsidian: Go to Settings → General → Command line interface and follow the prompt to register.
3. 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

# These are equivalent if "Recipe.md" is the only file with that name
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

# Open today's daily note
obsidian daily

# Add a task to your daily note
obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] Buy groceries"

# Search your vault
obsidian search query="meeting notes"

# Read the active file
obsidian read

# List all tasks from your daily note
obsidian tasks daily

# Create a new note from a template
obsidian create name="Trip to Paris" template=Travel

# List all tags in your vault with counts
obsidian tags counts

# Compare two versions of a file
obsidian diff file=README from=1 to=3

For Developers

# Open developer tools
obsidian devtools

# Reload a community plugin you're developing
obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin

# Take a screenshot of the app
obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png

# Run JavaScript in the app console
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                        # List all tasks
tasks todo                   # Incomplete tasks only
tasks file=Recipe done       # Completed tasks in Recipe
tasks daily                  # Tasks from daily note
tasks daily total            # Count tasks in daily note
tasks verbose                # Tasks with file paths and line numbers
tasks 'status=?'             # Filter by custom 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             # Show task info
task ref="Recipe.md:8"              # Show task by reference
task ref="Recipe.md:8" toggle       # Toggle completion
task daily line=3 toggle            # Toggle daily note task
task file=Recipe line=8 done        # Mark done → [x]
task file=Recipe line=8 status=-    # Set 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                              # List all versions of active file
diff file=Recipe                  # List versions of a specific file
diff file=Recipe from=1           # Compare latest version to current
diff file=Recipe from=2 to=1      # Compare two versions
diff filter=sync                  # Only show Sync versions

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

# my-view.base
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