| name | obsidian-git-vault |
| description | HYPERFOCUS_ZONE vault auto-commit + auto-push via Obsidian Git plugin (Level 10 — Vault Immortal). 10-minute commit cycle, conflict resolution, recovering lost notes. Use when the user says "vault not committing", "git conflict in vault", "lost a note", "Obsidian Git", "auto-commit", "vault sync", or extends the vault backup strategy. |
obsidian-git-vault
Level 10 of the Brain progression — Vault Immortal. Obsidian Git plugin auto-commits the vault every 10 mins, auto-pushes to remote. The vault literally cannot lose a note for more than 10 minutes.
How It Works
The Obsidian Git plugin (installed in the vault) runs in the Obsidian process:
Every 10 mins:
↓
git add -A (in HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/)
git commit -m "vault: auto-commit <timestamp>"
git push origin <branch>
If push fails (conflict, no remote), it logs to Obsidian's notice tray but doesn't block — local commits still happen. Conflicts resolve next sync.
Verify It's Running
In Obsidian:
- Cmd+P → "Obsidian Git: Show status"
- Should show recent auto-commits in the log
- Cmd+P → "Obsidian Git: Pull" (manual pull)
- Cmd+P → "Obsidian Git: Push" (manual push)
If commands aren't available → plugin not installed/enabled. Settings → Community Plugins → enable Obsidian Git.
Plugin Config (in .obsidian/plugins/obsidian-git/data.json)
Canonical settings:
{
"autoCommitInterval": 10,
"autoPushInterval": 10,
"autoPullInterval": 0,
"commitMessage": "vault: auto-commit {{date}}",
"commitDateFormat": "YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss",
"pullBeforePush": true
}
autoPullInterval: 0 = no auto-pull (avoids surprise merges). Pull manually when starting work on a different machine.
Working On Multiple Machines
Machine A finishes work → push (auto, every 10min)
↓
Machine B starts work → MANUAL PULL FIRST
↓
Machine B works, commits queue → push (auto)
Always pull first when switching machines. Without it, you'll get merge conflicts on the next auto-commit.
# Manual pull from anywhere
cd H:\BROski-Obsidian-Brain-for-HyperFocus-z0ne
git pull
# (Note: this is on the REPO, but the vault is inside HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/. Run git from repo root.)
Recovering A Lost Note
The vault is git. Anything ever written is recoverable:
cd H:\BROski-Obsidian-Brain-for-HyperFocus-z0ne
# Find when a file existed
git log --all --follow -- "HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/01-Projects/<file>.md"
# Show file contents at a specific commit
git show <commit>:HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/01-Projects/<file>.md
# Restore file from a specific commit
git checkout <commit> -- HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/01-Projects/<file>.md
# Find any deleted file ever
git log --all --diff-filter=D --summary | Select-String "<filename>"
Conflict Resolution
If auto-commit fails with a conflict:
- Obsidian Git shows a notice — open it
- Files in conflict have
<<<<<<< markers — resolve them in Obsidian or VS Code
- After resolving:
cd H:\BROski-Obsidian-Brain-for-HyperFocus-z0ne
git add HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/
git commit -m "vault: resolve conflict"
git push
- Auto-commit resumes on next interval
Don't try to fix conflicts inside Obsidian's editor without saving — Obsidian Git's "View changes" diff UI helps but is read-only. Use VS Code or terminal for the actual edit.
What's Committed
HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/ ← all notes, frontmatter, attachments
HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/.obsidian/ ← plugin configs, themes, hotkeys (committed = portable across machines)
The .obsidian/ folder is committed — that means plugins, hotkeys, and CSS modes travel with the vault.
What's NOT Committed (.gitignore)
.obsidian/workspace.json # window layout (per-machine)
.obsidian/cache # plugin cache
.trash/ # Obsidian's local trash
Configure these in H:\BROski-Obsidian-Brain-for-HyperFocus-z0ne\.gitignore.
Common Failures
| Symptom | Cause | Fix |
|---|
| Vault hasn't committed in hours | Obsidian closed, or plugin disabled | Open Obsidian, check plugin status |
| Push fails: "non-fast-forward" | Remote has changes you don't | Manual pull first, then push |
Conflict marker <<<<<<< in a note | Concurrent edits across machines | Resolve manually, commit |
| Vault history missing | Repo not pushed to remote | Set up remote (git remote add origin <url>), git push -u origin main |
| "Not a git repository" error in Obsidian Git | .git folder missing | git init at repo root, push to remote |
| Massive commit (1000s of files) | First-time commit including media | OK — large attachments are part of the vault. Consider Git LFS for binary >50MB |
| Plugin commits secrets to git | .env in vault folder | Move secrets out of HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/, add to .gitignore |
Best Practice — Repo Layout
H:\BROski-Obsidian-Brain-for-HyperFocus-z0ne\
├── .git/ ← canonical git repo
├── .gitignore ← excludes per-machine state
├── HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/ ← the vault (Obsidian opens THIS)
├── *.py ← Brain modules
├── docker-compose.hyper-brain.yml
└── ...
Repo root is the git repo. Vault is inside. Obsidian Git operates on the whole repo, but only commits content under HYPERFOCUS_ZONE/ due to .gitignore rules (the Brain Python files are tracked too, but don't change as often).
Manual Backup (belt + braces)
Even with auto-commit, occasionally export a snapshot:
cd H:\
$stamp = Get-Date -Format "yyyy-MM-dd_HHmm"
Compress-Archive `
-Path "BROski-Obsidian-Brain-for-HyperFocus-z0ne\HYPERFOCUS_ZONE" `
-DestinationPath "vault-backup-$stamp.zip"
Drop the zip in cloud storage. Belt-and-braces — the vault is already on git, but redundancy never hurts.
Companion Skills
vault-para-structure — what's getting committedhyper-brain-modules — modules write to vault, then auto-commit picks upmorning-briefing-ai — briefings auto-commit within 10 mins of generationlevel-progression — Level 10 context
Hard Rules
- Pull before working on a 2nd machine — every time
- Don't disable auto-commit — vault immortality depends on it
- Don't commit
.env files — .gitignore them
- Resolve conflicts in VS Code or terminal, not Obsidian's editor
.obsidian/ is committed — plugins/hotkeys travel with the vault- Push to remote — local-only git is one disk failure away from gone
