obsidian-check

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.