| name | cli-anything-obsidian |
| description | Command-line interface for Obsidian — Knowledge management and note-taking via Obsidian Local REST API. Designed for AI agents and power users who need to manage notes, search the vault, and execute commands without the GUI. |
cli-anything-obsidian
Knowledge management and note-taking via the Obsidian Local REST API. Designed for AI agents and power users who need to manage notes, search the vault, and execute commands without the GUI.
Installation
This CLI is installed as part of the cli-anything-obsidian package:
pip install cli-anything-obsidian
Prerequisites:
Usage
Basic Commands
cli-anything-obsidian --help
cli-anything-obsidian
cli-anything-obsidian vault list
cli-anything-obsidian --json vault list
REPL Mode
When invoked without a subcommand, the CLI enters an interactive REPL session:
cli-anything-obsidian
Command Groups
Vault
Vault file management commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|
list | List files in the vault or a subdirectory |
read | Read the content of a note |
create | Create a new note |
update | Overwrite an existing note |
delete | Delete a note from the vault |
append | Append content to an existing note |
Search
Vault search commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|
query | Search using Obsidian query syntax |
simple | Plain text search across the vault |
Note
Active note commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|
active | Get the currently active note in Obsidian |
open | Open a note in the Obsidian editor |
Command
Obsidian command palette commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|
list | List all available Obsidian commands |
execute | Execute a command by its ID |
Server
Server status and info commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|
status | Check if the Obsidian Local REST API is running |
Session
Session state commands.
| Command | Description |
|---|
status | Show current session state |
Examples
List and Read Notes
cli-anything-obsidian vault list
cli-anything-obsidian vault list "Daily Notes"
cli-anything-obsidian vault read "Projects/my-project.md"
Create and Update Notes
cli-anything-obsidian vault create "Projects/new-project.md" --content "# New Project"
cli-anything-obsidian vault update "Projects/new-project.md" --content "# Updated Content"
cli-anything-obsidian vault append "Projects/new-project.md" --content "\n## New Section"
Search
cli-anything-obsidian search simple "meeting notes"
cli-anything-obsidian search query "tag:#project"
Commands
cli-anything-obsidian command list
cli-anything-obsidian command execute "editor:toggle-bold"
Interactive REPL Session
Start an interactive session for exploratory use.
cli-anything-obsidian
API Key Configuration
cli-anything-obsidian --api-key YOUR_KEY vault list
export OBSIDIAN_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY
cli-anything-obsidian vault list
State Management
The CLI maintains lightweight session state:
- API key: Configurable via
--api-key or OBSIDIAN_API_KEY environment variable
- Host URL: Defaults to
https://localhost:27124; configurable via --host
Output Formats
All commands support dual output modes:
- Human-readable (default): Tables, colors, formatted text
- Machine-readable (
--json flag): Structured JSON for agent consumption
cli-anything-obsidian vault list
cli-anything-obsidian --json vault list
For AI Agents
When using this CLI programmatically:
- Always use
--json flag for parseable output
- Check return codes - 0 for success, non-zero for errors
- Parse stderr for error messages on failure
- Set
OBSIDIAN_API_KEY environment variable to avoid passing --api-key on every call
- Verify Obsidian is running with
server status before other commands
More Information
- Full documentation: See README.md in the package
- Test coverage: See TEST.md in the package
- Methodology: See HARNESS.md in the cli-anything-plugin
Version
1.0.0
