templates

# Obsidian Templates ## When to Use This Skill | Use this skill when... | Use the alternative instead when... | |---|---| | Listing or previewing the templates configured in the vault | Editing template content as a plain note — use `vault-files` | | Inserting a template into the currently open note | Creating a new note **from** a template — use `vault-files` `create … template=…` | | Reading the resolved (`{{date}}` → real date) form of a template | Working with Templater plugin scripts — use `command-palette` for `templater-obsidian:*` | This skill covers the **core Templates plugin**. The community Templater plugin uses a different command surface — invoke it via `command-palette` (`templater-obsidian:*`) instead. ## Prerequisites - Obsidian desktop 1.12.7+ installer with CLI enabled - Obsidian must be running - Core **Templates** plugin enabled, with a templates folder configured ## List Templates ```bash # All templates obsidian templates # Just the count obsidian templates total ``` ## Read a Template ```bash # Raw template content (variables unresolved) obsidian template:read name="Meeting" # Resolve variables ({{date}}, {{time}}, {{title}}) obsidian template:read name="Meeting" resolve # Provide a title for {{title}} resolution obsidian template:read name="Meeting" title="Standup 2026-04-30" resolve ``` ## Insert a Template ```bash # Insert into the active file at the cursor obsidian template:insert name="Meeting" ``` `template:insert` only works on the active editor. To create a new note from a template instead, reach for `vault-files`: ```bash obsidian create name="Meeting 2026-04-30" template="Meeting" ``` ## Common Patterns ### "Preview what a template will produce before inserting" ```bash obsidian template:read name="Daily" resolve ``` ### "Bulk-create a week of daily notes from a template" ```bash for offset in 0 1 2 3 4; do date=$(date -v+${offset}d +%F) # macOS; use date -d "+$offset days" +%F on Linux obsidian create path="Daily/$date.md" template="Daily" done ``` ### "Open today's daily template raw vs resolved (debugging)" ```bash obsidian template:read name="Daily" # raw, with {{date}} obsidian template:read name="Daily" resolve # with today's date filled in ``` ## Template Variables The core Templates plugin understands: | Variable | Resolves to | |----------|-------------| | `{{date}}` | Current date (format from Templates settings) | | `{{time}}` | Current time (format from Templates settings) | | `{{title}}` | The new note's title (or `title=` parameter) | Use the `resolve` flag to apply these — without it, `template:read` returns the raw source, which is what you want for editing the template itself. ## Agentic Optimizations | Context | Command | |---------|---------| | List templates | `obsidian templates` | | Template count | `obsidian templates total` | | Raw template body | `obsidian template:read name=X` | | Resolved template body | `obsidian template:read name=X resolve` | | Insert into active file | `obsidian template:insert name=X` | | Create new note from template | `obsidian create name=X template=Y` (see `vault-files`) | ## Related Skills - **vault-files** — Create new notes from templates (`create … template=…`) - **command-palette** — Invoke Templater (`templater-obsidian:*`) commands - **plugins-themes** — Enable / configure the Templates core plugin