--- name: obsidian-cli description: > Interact with Obsidian vaults using the official Obsidian CLI (v1.12+). Read, create, append, search, and manage notes, daily notes, properties, tags, tasks, bookmarks, templates, themes, sync, plugins, and links — all from the terminal. Use this skill whenever the user mentions Obsidian CLI, wants to automate Obsidian vault operations, manage notes programmatically, script daily note workflows, query vault metadata, or integrate Obsidian with AI agents or automation pipelines. Also trigger when the user asks about controlling Obsidian from the command line, building scripts around their knowledge base, or running headless Obsidian setups. Even if the user just says "add something to my daily note" or "search my vault" in a CLI/scripting context, this skill applies. --- # Obsidian CLI The official Obsidian CLI (released in v1.12, February 2026) lets you control every aspect of Obsidian from the terminal. It communicates with a running Obsidian desktop instance via IPC. > For the full command reference with all subcommands, flags and examples, read > `references/command-reference.md` in this skill folder. ## Prerequisites | Requirement | Details | |---|---| | Obsidian Desktop | **v1.12.0+** | | CLI enabled | Settings → Command line interface → Toggle ON | | Obsidian running | The desktop app **must be running** for CLI to work (IPC) | ### Platform Notes - **macOS / Linux**: The `obsidian` binary is registered in PATH automatically when you enable CLI in settings. - **Windows**: Requires an `Obsidian.com` redirector file placed alongside `Obsidian.exe`. **Must run with normal user privileges** — admin terminals produce silent failures. - **Headless Linux**: Use the `.deb` package (not snap). Run under `xvfb`. Prefix commands with `DISPLAY=:5` (or your xvfb display number). Ensure `PrivateTmp=false` if running as a service. ## Syntax All parameters use **`key=value`** syntax. Quote values containing spaces. ```bash obsidian [subcommand] [key=value ...] [flags] ``` ### Multi-Vault Target a specific vault by making it the **first argument**: ```bash obsidian "My Vault" daily:read obsidian "Work Notes" search query="meeting" ``` If omitted, the CLI targets the most recently active vault. ## Command Overview The CLI provides **100+ commands** across these groups: | Group | Key Commands | Purpose | |---|---|---| | **files** | `read`, `create`, `append`, `prepend`, `move`, `delete`, `files`, `folders`, `file` | Note CRUD and file discovery | | **daily** | `daily`, `daily:read`, `daily:append`, `daily:prepend` | Daily note operations | | **search** | `search` | Full-text vault search with scoping and JSON output | | **properties** | `properties`, `property:read`, `property:set`, `property:remove`, `aliases` | Frontmatter/metadata management | | **tags** | `tags`, `tag` | Tag listing, counts, and filtering | | **tasks** | `tasks`, `task` | Task querying, filtering, and toggling | | **links** | `backlinks`, `links`, `unresolved`, `orphans`, `deadends` | Graph and link analysis | | **bookmarks** | `bookmarks` | Bookmark management | | **templates** | `templates`, `template:read`, `template:insert` | Template listing, rendering, insertion | | **plugins** | `plugins`, `plugin:enable`, `plugin:disable`, `plugin:install`, `plugin:uninstall`, `plugin:reload` | Plugin management | | **sync** | `sync`, `sync:status`, `sync:history`, `sync:read`, `sync:restore`, `sync:deleted` | Obsidian Sync operations | | **themes** | `themes`, `themes versions` | Theme management | | **dev** | `dev:screenshot`, `eval`, `dev:debug`, `dev:console`, `dev:errors` | Developer/debugging tools | | **vault** | `vault`, `vaults`, `version` | Vault info and metadata | | **other** | `outline`, `wordcount`, `recents`, `reload` | Utility commands | ## Quick Reference — Most Common Commands ### Reading & Writing Notes ```bash obsidian read path="folder/note.md" obsidian create path="folder/note" content="# New Note" obsidian create path="folder/note" template="meeting-notes" obsidian append path="folder/note.md" content="New paragraph" obsidian prepend path="folder/note.md" content="Top content" obsidian move path="old/note.md" to="new/note.md" obsidian delete path="folder/note.md" obsidian delete path="folder/note.md" permanent ``` ### Daily Notes ```bash obsidian daily # Open today's daily note obsidian daily:read # Print content of today's note obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] New task" obsidian daily:prepend content="## Morning Notes" ``` ### Search ```bash obsidian search query="project alpha" obsidian search query="TODO" path="projects" limit=10 obsidian search query="meeting" format=json # Returns JSON array of file paths obsidian search query="urgent" case ``` ### Properties & Tags ```bash obsidian properties path="note.md" obsidian property:set path="note.md" name="status" value="active" obsidian property:read path="note.md" name="status" obsidian property:remove path="note.md" name="draft" obsidian tags counts sort=count obsidian tag name="project/alpha" ``` ### Tasks ```bash obsidian tasks # All tasks (done + todo) — same as tasks all in v1.12 obsidian tasks all # All tasks (done + todo) obsidian tasks done # Completed only obsidian tasks daily # Tasks in today's daily note obsidian task path="note.md" line=12 toggle obsidian tasks | grep "\[ \]" # Workaround: filter to incomplete only ``` ### Developer & Automation ```bash obsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length" obsidian dev:screenshot path="folder/screenshot.png" # Path must be vault-relative obsidian dev:debug on # Required before dev:console obsidian dev:console limit=20 obsidian dev:errors ``` ## TUI Mode Running `obsidian` with no arguments launches an interactive TUI (Terminal User Interface): | Key | Action | |---|---| | `↑↓` | Navigate files | | `Enter` | Open file | | `/` | Search | | `n` | Create new file | | `d` | Delete file | | `r` | Rename file | | `q` | Quit | ## Common Agent Patterns ### Daily Journal Automation ```bash # Append a timestamped entry obsidian daily:append content="## $(date '+%H:%M') — Status Update - Completed: feature branch merge - Next: code review for PR #42 - Blocked: waiting on API credentials" ``` ### Create Note from Template with Metadata ```bash obsidian create path="projects/new-feature" template="project-template" obsidian property:set path="projects/new-feature.md" name="status" value="planning" obsidian property:set path="projects/new-feature.md" name="created" value="$(date -I)" obsidian daily:append content="- Started [[projects/new-feature|New Feature]]" ``` ### Vault Analytics Script ```bash obsidian files total # Total file count obsidian tags counts sort=count # Most used tags obsidian tasks | grep "\[ \]" # Incomplete tasks across vault obsidian orphans # Notes needing integration obsidian unresolved # Broken links to fix ``` ### Search and Extract for AI Processing ```bash obsidian search query="meeting notes" format=json | jq '.[]' obsidian read path="meetings/standup.md" | grep "Action item" ``` ### Sync Management ```bash obsidian sync:status # Check sync health obsidian sync:history path="important.md" # Version history obsidian sync:restore path="important.md" version=3 # Rollback ``` ## Tips 1. **Paths are vault-relative** — use `folder/note.md`, not absolute filesystem paths. 2. **`create` paths omit `.md`** — the extension is added automatically. 3. **`move` requires full target path** including `.md` extension. 4. **Pipe-friendly** — plain text output works with `grep`, `awk`, `sed`, `jq`. 5. **JSON output** — use `format=json` on `search` for a JSON array of file paths. The `files` command does not support JSON output. 6. **Stderr noise** — GPU/Electron warnings on headless are harmless; filter with `2>/dev/null`. 7. **`daily:prepend`** inserts content after frontmatter, not at byte 0. 8. **Use `eval`** to run arbitrary JavaScript against the Obsidian API (`app.*`). 9. **`template:insert`** inserts into the currently active file in the Obsidian UI — it does not accept a `path=` parameter. If no file is open, it returns `Error: No active editor. Open a file first.` To create a file from a template via CLI, use `obsidian create path="..." template="..."` instead. ## Troubleshooting | Problem | Cause | Fix | |---|---|---| | Empty output / hangs | Obsidian not running, or admin terminal (Windows) | Start Obsidian; use normal-privilege terminal | | Command not found | CLI not registered in PATH | Re-enable CLI in Settings; restart terminal | | Unicode errors | Fixed in v1.12.2+ | Update Obsidian | | Wrong vault targeted | Multi-vault ambiguity | Pass vault name as first arg | | IPC socket not found (Linux) | `PrivateTmp=true` in systemd | Set `PrivateTmp=false` | | Snap confinement issues | Snap restricts IPC | Use `.deb` package instead |