| name | obsidian-check |
| description | Validate Obsidian backend connectivity and vault health. Run diagnostics on MCP server, headless CLI, vault path, sync status, and vault structure. Use when the user says /obsidian-check, check obsidian, obsidian status, vault health, or any variation of "is my vault working". |
Obsidian Check: Backend Health Diagnostics
Overview
Run a series of diagnostic checks against the Obsidian backend and report results as a status table with actionable fix instructions.
Announce at start: "Running Obsidian backend diagnostics."
Checks
Run all checks in order. Collect results, then present a single summary table.
1. Obsidian MCP
Call mcp__obsidian__list_directory with path="sessions".
- Pass: MCP server responded and listed the sessions directory.
- Fail: MCP server did not respond or returned an error. Record the error message.
2. Headless CLI
Run ob --version via Bash.
- Pass: Command returned a version string. Record the version.
- Fail: Command not found or returned an error. This means obsidian-headless is not installed or Node.js 22+ is missing.
3. Vault Path
Check OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH environment variable first. If not set, check whether ~/.claude/vault/ exists as a directory.
- Pass: A vault directory was found. Record the resolved path.
- Fail: Neither the environment variable nor the default path resolves to a directory.
4. Sync Status
Run ob sync-status --path <vault-path> via Bash, using the vault path from Check 3. Skip this check if Check 2 or Check 3 failed.
- Pass: Sync is active and connected.
- Fail: Sync is inactive, disconnected, or the command returned an error. Record the status output.
5. Vault Structure
If any backend is available (Check 1 passed or Checks 2+3 passed), list the contents of sessions/ using whichever backend succeeded.
- obsidian backend:
mcp__obsidian__list_directory with path="sessions"
- headless backend: Bash
ls on the vault sessions directory
Report the project folders found and total session file count.
- Pass:
sessions/ directory exists and contains at least one project folder.
- Fail:
sessions/ directory is missing or empty.
Output
Present results as a markdown table:
## Obsidian Backend Diagnostics
| Check | Status | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Obsidian MCP | [pass/fail icon] | [details or error] |
| Headless CLI | [pass/fail icon] | [version or error] |
| Vault Path | [pass/fail icon] | [resolved path or not found] |
| Sync Status | [pass/fail icon] | [status or skipped] |
| Vault Structure | [pass/fail icon] | [N projects, M sessions or error] |
**Backend:** [obsidian / headless / none detected]
Use these status icons:
- Pass:
+
- Fail:
-
- Skipped:
~
Fix Instructions
After the table, provide actionable instructions for each failed check:
- Obsidian MCP failed: "Install Obsidian, enable the Local REST API community plugin, and connect an Obsidian MCP server to Claude Code. See README Tier 2."
- Headless CLI failed: "Install obsidian-headless:
npm i -g obsidian-headless. Requires Node.js 22+."
- Vault Path failed: "Set
OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH in your Claude Code environment config, or place your synced vault at ~/.claude/vault/."
- Sync Status failed: "Run
ob login and ob sync-setup --vault <name> to configure sync. Then start with ob sync --continuous."
- Vault Structure failed: "The
sessions/ directory is missing from your vault. Run /session-log to create your first session report, which will create the directory structure automatically."
If all checks pass, report: "All backend checks passed. Your Obsidian vault is healthy."
Upgrade Path
After the fix instructions, show relevant upgrade suggestions based on the active backend:
- Local vault active (no sync): "Your sessions are stored locally at
~/.claude/vault/. To sync across devices, install obsidian-headless (npm i -g obsidian-headless) and configure sync. See README Tier 1."
- Headless active (no MCP): "Sync is working. For full vault search and frontmatter management, add Obsidian MCP. See README Tier 2."
- Obsidian MCP active: No upgrade suggestion needed.
