Files
Obsidian-CLI-skill/skills/obsidian-cli/references/command-reference.md
T
pablo-mano 986ff986d2 Document three real-world gotchas in v1.3.0 (issue #1)
- property:set stores list values as strings (not YAML arrays)
- eval requires single-line JS; add temp-file workaround
- Multi-vault "Name" command may fail; document fallback

Added Tips 10-12 to SKILL.md, inline callouts to command-reference.md,
two new Troubleshooting rows, and version bump to 1.3.0.

Fixes #1

Co-Authored-By: Claude Sonnet 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
2026-03-03 23:08:04 +01:00

652 lines
21 KiB
Markdown

# Obsidian CLI — Full Command Reference
Complete reference for all official Obsidian CLI commands (v1.12+).
**Syntax**: `obsidian [vault] <command> [subcommand] [key=value ...] [flags]`
All parameters use `key=value` syntax. Quote values containing spaces: `content="hello world"`.
---
## Table of Contents
1. [Files](#files)
2. [Daily Notes](#daily-notes)
3. [Search](#search)
4. [Properties](#properties)
5. [Tags](#tags)
6. [Tasks](#tasks)
7. [Links](#links)
8. [Bookmarks](#bookmarks)
9. [Templates](#templates)
10. [Plugins](#plugins)
11. [Sync](#sync)
12. [Themes](#themes)
13. [CSS Snippets](#css-snippets)
14. [Commands & Hotkeys](#commands--hotkeys)
15. [Obsidian Bases](#obsidian-bases)
16. [History](#history)
17. [Workspace & Tabs](#workspace--tabs)
18. [Diff](#diff)
19. [Developer](#developer)
20. [Vault & System](#vault--system)
---
## Files
File operations: read, write, create, move, delete, list.
### Reading Notes
```bash
obsidian read path="folder/note.md"
```
Prints raw markdown content of a note to stdout. Path is vault-relative.
### Creating Notes
```bash
obsidian create path="folder/note" content="# Title\n\nBody text"
obsidian create path="folder/note" template="template-name"
```
- Path should **not** include `.md` — it is appended automatically.
- Use `template=` to create from a template file.
- Use `content=` to set initial content directly.
### Appending & Prepending
```bash
obsidian append path="folder/note.md" content="Appended text"
obsidian prepend path="folder/note.md" content="Prepended text"
```
- `append` adds content at the end of the file.
- `prepend` adds content after the frontmatter (not at byte 0).
### Moving & Renaming
```bash
obsidian move path="old/path/note.md" to="new/path/note.md"
```
- `to=` is the full vault-relative target path including the `.md` extension.
- Can be used to move, rename, or both in a single command.
### Deleting
```bash
obsidian delete path="folder/note.md" # Moves to trash
obsidian delete path="folder/note.md" permanent # Permanent deletion
```
### File Discovery
```bash
obsidian files # List all files in vault
obsidian files ext=md # Filter by extension
obsidian files folder="subfolder" # Files in specific folder
obsidian files total # Just the file count
obsidian folders # List all folders
obsidian file path="folder/note.md" # File info (size, created, modified dates)
```
### Random Notes
```bash
obsidian random # Open a random note in Obsidian
obsidian random:read # Print content of a random note to stdout
```
### Renaming
```bash
obsidian rename path="folder/note.md" name="new-name"
```
- `name=` is the new filename only (no path, no `.md` extension).
- Use `move` when you also want to change the folder.
---
## Daily Notes
Operations on the daily note (requires Daily Notes core plugin enabled).
```bash
obsidian daily # Open today's daily note in Obsidian
obsidian daily:read # Print today's daily note content to stdout
obsidian daily:append content="text" # Append content to today's note
obsidian daily:prepend content="text" # Prepend content (after frontmatter)
obsidian daily:path # Print vault-relative path of today's note
```
**Notes:**
- `daily:prepend` inserts content after the frontmatter block, not at the very beginning.
- If today's note doesn't exist, `daily` will create it (using the configured template if set).
- Daily note format/folder are configured in Obsidian's Daily Notes plugin settings.
---
## Search
Full-text search across the vault.
```bash
obsidian search query="search text"
obsidian search query="text" path="folder" # Scope to folder
obsidian search query="text" limit=10 # Limit results
obsidian search query="text" format=json # JSON output (array of file paths)
obsidian search query="text" matches # Accepted but returns file paths only
obsidian search query="text" case # Case-sensitive search
```
**Parameters:**
- `query=` — Search term (required)
- `path=` — Restrict search to a folder
- `limit=` — Maximum number of results
- `format=json` — Returns a JSON array of matching file paths: `["folder/note.md", ...]`
- `matches` — Flag accepted by the CLI but does not return match context/snippets in v1.12
- `case` — Enable case-sensitive matching
### Search with Context
```bash
obsidian search:context query="search text"
obsidian search:context query="text" path="folder" limit=10
obsidian search:context query="text" case
obsidian search:context query="text" format=json
```
Returns matching lines with surrounding context (not just file paths). Useful when you need to see the actual content that matched rather than just file paths.
### Open Search View
```bash
obsidian search:open query="search text"
```
Opens the Obsidian search panel in the UI with the given query.
---
## Properties
Manage frontmatter (YAML metadata) on notes.
### Read All Properties
```bash
obsidian properties path="note.md"
```
### Read Single Property
```bash
obsidian property:read path="note.md" name="status"
```
### Set Property
```bash
obsidian property:set path="note.md" name="status" value="active"
obsidian property:set path="note.md" name="tags" value="[project, alpha]"
obsidian property:set path="note.md" name="date" value="2026-02-27"
```
> **Note:** `property:set` always stores `value=` as a string. Passing `value="[project, alpha]"` writes
> the literal string `[project, alpha]`, not a YAML array. For true array-typed properties (e.g. `tags`),
> edit the note's frontmatter directly or use `eval` with the Obsidian API.
### Remove Property
```bash
obsidian property:remove path="note.md" name="draft"
```
### Aliases
```bash
obsidian aliases path="note.md"
```
Lists all aliases defined in the note's frontmatter.
---
## Tags
Tag discovery and filtering.
```bash
obsidian tags # List all tags in the vault
obsidian tags counts # Tags with usage counts
obsidian tags counts sort=count # Sorted by frequency (most used first)
obsidian tags path="note.md" # Tags in a specific file
obsidian tag name="project/alpha" # List notes with a specific tag
```
**Notes:**
- Nested tags are supported (e.g., `project/alpha`).
- Tags from both frontmatter and inline `#tag` syntax are included.
---
## Tasks
Query and manage checkbox tasks across the vault.
### Querying Tasks
```bash
obsidian tasks # All tasks (same as tasks all in v1.12)
obsidian tasks all # All tasks (complete + incomplete)
obsidian tasks done # Only completed tasks
obsidian tasks path="note.md" # Tasks in a specific file
obsidian tasks daily # Tasks in today's daily note
```
> **Note:** In v1.12, `tasks` with no arguments returns all tasks (complete + incomplete), identical to `tasks all`. Filtering to incomplete-only is not currently supported without post-processing (e.g. pipe to `grep "\[ \]"`).
### Toggling Task Status
```bash
obsidian task path="note.md" line=12 toggle
```
Toggles the checkbox on the specified line number between `- [ ]` and `- [x]`.
---
## Links
Graph analysis and link management.
```bash
obsidian backlinks path="note.md" # Notes linking TO this note
obsidian backlinks path="note.md" counts # With link counts per file
obsidian links path="note.md" # Outgoing links FROM this note
obsidian unresolved # All unresolved [[wikilinks]]
obsidian orphans # Notes with no incoming or outgoing links
obsidian deadends # Notes with no outgoing links
```
---
## Bookmarks
Manage Obsidian bookmarks (requires Bookmarks core plugin).
```bash
obsidian bookmarks # List all bookmarks
obsidian bookmark file="folder/note.md" # Bookmark a note
obsidian bookmark file="folder/note.md" subpath="#Heading" # Bookmark a heading
obsidian bookmark folder="projects" # Bookmark a folder
obsidian bookmark search="query text" title="My Search" # Bookmark a search
obsidian bookmark url="https://example.com" title="Link" # Bookmark a URL
```
---
## Templates
Work with note templates (requires Templates or Templater plugin).
```bash
obsidian templates # List available templates
obsidian template:read name="weekly-review" # Read template content
obsidian template:read name="weekly-review" resolve title="My Note" # Render with variables
obsidian template:insert name="weekly-review" # Insert template into the active Obsidian UI file
```
**Parameters:**
- `name=` — Template name (without path prefix or extension)
- `resolve` — Process template variables (`{{date}}`, `{{title}}`, etc.)
- Title and other variables can be passed as `key=value` for template rendering.
> **Note:** `template:insert` inserts into whichever file is currently active 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 new file from a template, use `obsidian create path="..." template="..."` instead.
---
## Plugins
Manage community and core plugins.
```bash
obsidian plugins # List all plugins (core + community)
obsidian plugins:enabled # Only enabled plugins
obsidian plugins versions # Plugins with version numbers (community only)
obsidian plugins:restrict # Show restricted mode status
obsidian plugins:restrict on # Enable restricted mode (disables community plugins)
obsidian plugins:restrict off # Disable restricted mode
obsidian plugin id="dataview" # Get info about a specific plugin
obsidian plugin:enable id="canvas" # Enable a plugin
obsidian plugin:disable id="canvas" # Disable a plugin
obsidian plugin:install id="dataview" # Install from community plugins
obsidian plugin:uninstall id="dataview" # Uninstall a community plugin
obsidian plugin:reload id="my-plugin" # Reload a plugin (useful for dev)
```
> **Note:** `plugins versions` only shows version numbers for community plugins. Core (built-in) plugins share Obsidian's version and display blank version fields.
---
## Sync
Manage Obsidian Sync (requires active Sync subscription).
```bash
obsidian sync # Show sync status summary
obsidian sync on # Resume syncing
obsidian sync off # Pause syncing
obsidian sync:status # Detailed sync status
obsidian sync:history path="note.md" # Version history for a file
obsidian sync:read path="note.md" version=3 # Read a specific version
obsidian sync:restore path="note.md" version=3 # Restore a previous version
obsidian sync:deleted # List files deleted via sync
obsidian sync:open # Open the Sync history view in the UI
```
---
## Themes
Manage appearance themes.
```bash
obsidian themes # List installed themes
obsidian themes versions # List installed themes with version numbers
obsidian theme # Show the currently active theme
obsidian theme name="Minimal" # Get details about a specific theme
obsidian theme:set name="Minimal" # Switch to a theme
obsidian theme:set name="" # Switch back to default theme
obsidian theme:install name="Minimal" # Install a community theme
obsidian theme:install name="Minimal" enable # Install and activate immediately
obsidian theme:uninstall name="Minimal" # Uninstall a theme
```
---
## CSS Snippets
Manage custom CSS snippet files (snippets live in `.obsidian/snippets/`).
```bash
obsidian snippets # List all installed CSS snippets
obsidian snippets:enabled # List only enabled snippets
obsidian snippet:enable name="my-style" # Enable a snippet
obsidian snippet:disable name="my-style" # Disable a snippet
```
---
## Commands & Hotkeys
Execute any Obsidian command by its ID, and inspect hotkey bindings.
```bash
obsidian commands # List all available command IDs
obsidian command id="app:reload" # Execute a command by ID
obsidian command id="editor:toggle-bold" # Example: toggle bold in active editor
obsidian hotkeys # List all hotkeys (tab-separated: id \t keybinding)
obsidian hotkey id="app:open-settings" # Get hotkey for a specific command
obsidian hotkey id="app:open-settings" verbose # Show if custom or default
```
**Typical workflow — find and run a command:**
```bash
obsidian commands | grep "canvas" # Find canvas-related command IDs
obsidian command id="canvas:new-file" # Execute the matched command
```
**Getting plugin command IDs:**
```bash
obsidian commands | grep "dataview" # List all Dataview plugin commands
```
---
## Obsidian Bases
Obsidian Bases (v1.12+) is a built-in database feature. Base files (`.base`) store structured data and support multiple views.
```bash
obsidian bases # List all .base files in vault
obsidian base:query file="tasks" format=json # Query default view of a base
obsidian base:query file="tasks" view="Kanban" # Query a specific view
obsidian base:query path="folder/tasks.base" format=csv # Query by path
obsidian base:views file="tasks" # List all views in a base file
obsidian base:create file="tasks" title="Buy milk" # Add an item to a base
```
**Supported output formats for `base:query`:** `json` (default), `csv`, `tsv`, `md`, `paths`
---
## History
File version history (built-in to Obsidian, separate from Sync). Requires the File Recovery core plugin.
```bash
obsidian history:list # List all files that have history
obsidian history path="folder/note.md" # List versions of a specific file
obsidian history:read path="folder/note.md" # Read the latest saved version
obsidian history:read path="folder/note.md" version=3 # Read a specific version
obsidian history:restore path="folder/note.md" version=3 # Restore a version
obsidian history:open path="folder/note.md" # Open file recovery UI for a file
```
> **Note:** History is distinct from [Sync version history](#sync). History uses Obsidian's built-in File Recovery snapshots; Sync history uses Obsidian Sync cloud versions.
---
## Workspace & Tabs
Inspect and manage the Obsidian workspace layout and open tabs.
```bash
obsidian workspace # Show the full workspace tree
obsidian tabs # List all open tabs (flat list)
obsidian tab:open file="folder/note.md" # Open a file in a new tab
obsidian tab:open view="graph" # Open a view type in a new tab
```
---
## Diff
Compare local and sync versions of a file.
```bash
obsidian diff path="folder/note.md" # List available versions (local + sync)
obsidian diff path="folder/note.md" from=1 to=2 # Diff two specific versions
obsidian diff path="folder/note.md" filter=local # Show only local versions
obsidian diff path="folder/note.md" filter=sync # Show only sync versions
```
---
## Developer
Debugging and development tools.
### Screenshots
```bash
obsidian dev:screenshot path="folder/screenshot.png"
```
Takes a screenshot of the Obsidian window and saves it. **Path must be vault-relative** — absolute filesystem paths are silently ignored.
### JavaScript Evaluation
```bash
obsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length"
obsidian eval code="app.vault.getMarkdownFiles().map(f => f.path).join('\n')"
```
Executes arbitrary JavaScript in the Obsidian app context. Has access to the full Obsidian API (`app`, `app.vault`, `app.workspace`, `app.metadataCache`, etc.).
> **Multiline scripts:** Passing multiline JavaScript inline fails with "Invalid or unexpected token".
> Write the code to a temp file and use command substitution instead:
>
> ```bash
> cat > /tmp/obs.js << 'JS'
> var files = app.vault.getMarkdownFiles();
> files.map(f => f.path).join('\n');
> JS
> obsidian eval code="$(cat /tmp/obs.js)"
> ```
### Console & Errors
```bash
obsidian dev:debug on # Start capturing console output (required before dev:console)
obsidian dev:debug off # Stop capturing console output
obsidian dev:console limit=20 # Recent console output (requires dev:debug on first)
obsidian dev:errors # Recent error messages
```
> **Note:** `dev:console` will return an error unless `dev:debug on` has been run first in the current session.
### DOM Inspection
```bash
obsidian dev:dom selector=".view-content" # Get outerHTML of first match
obsidian dev:dom selector=".view-content" all # Get all matches
obsidian dev:dom selector=".view-content" text # Get text content
obsidian dev:dom selector=".view-content" total # Count matching elements
obsidian dev:dom selector=".view-content" attr=class # Get an attribute value
obsidian dev:dom selector=".view-content" css=color # Get a CSS property value
```
### CSS Inspection
```bash
obsidian dev:css selector=".view-content" # Inspect CSS with source locations
obsidian dev:css selector=".view-content" prop=color # Filter by CSS property name
```
### Chrome DevTools Protocol
```bash
obsidian devtools # Toggle Electron DevTools panel
obsidian dev:cdp method="Runtime.evaluate" params='{"expression":"1+1"}' # Run a CDP command
```
### Mobile Emulation
```bash
obsidian dev:mobile on # Enable mobile emulation
obsidian dev:mobile off # Disable mobile emulation
```
---
## Vault & System
### Vault Information
```bash
obsidian vault # Current vault: name, path, file/folder counts
obsidian vaults # List all known vaults
```
### Other Utilities
```bash
obsidian version # Obsidian version info
obsidian outline path="note.md" # Heading structure of a note
obsidian wordcount path="note.md" # Word and character count
obsidian recents # Recently opened files
obsidian reload # Reload the vault (re-index)
obsidian restart # Restart the Obsidian app
```
---
## Output Formatting & Piping
The CLI outputs plain text by default, ideal for piping into Unix tools.
### Supported `format=` values
| Format | Description | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| `text` | Plain text (default) | Piping to grep/awk/sed |
| `json` | JSON array or object | Processing with jq, AI agents |
| `csv` | Comma-separated values | Spreadsheet import |
| `tsv` | Tab-separated values | Shell parsing with cut/awk |
| `yaml` | YAML output | Config-style processing |
| `md` | Markdown table | Embedding results in notes |
| `paths` | One path per line | Batch file operations |
| `tree` | Tree view | Visual hierarchy |
Not all formats are supported by every command. Use `text` or `json` when in doubt.
### Examples
```bash
# Count notes in a folder
obsidian files folder="projects" | wc -l
# Find notes with a specific tag, then read them
obsidian tag name="urgent" | while read -r note; do
echo "=== $note ==="
obsidian read path="$note"
done
# Export search results as JSON and process with jq
# format=json returns an array of file path strings: ["folder/note.md", ...]
obsidian search query="meeting" format=json | jq '.[]'
# Query a base as CSV
obsidian base:query file="tasks" format=csv
# Filter console errors (requires dev:debug on first)
obsidian dev:debug on
obsidian dev:console limit=50 | grep -i error
```
---
## Multi-Vault Usage
When working with multiple vaults, pass the vault name as the **first argument** (before the command):
```bash
obsidian "Personal" daily:read
obsidian "Work" search query="standup"
obsidian "Archive" files total
```
If the vault name contains spaces, quote it. The vault name must match what's shown in `obsidian vaults`.
> **Compatibility note:** On some environments, `obsidian "My Vault" command` returns
> `Error: Command "My Vault" not found`. If this occurs, omit the vault name — the CLI will target
> the most recently active vault. Switch vaults in the Obsidian UI before running CLI commands
> when targeting a specific vault.
---
## Headless / Server Setup (Linux)
For running Obsidian CLI on a headless Linux server (useful for AI agent integration):
1. Install the `.deb` package (not snap — snap confinement breaks IPC)
2. Install and start `xvfb`: `Xvfb :5 -screen 0 1920x1080x24 &`
3. Start Obsidian under xvfb: `DISPLAY=:5 obsidian &`
4. Run CLI commands: `DISPLAY=:5 obsidian daily:read`
**Systemd note**: If running as a service, ensure `PrivateTmp=false` so the IPC socket is accessible.
**Stderr filtering**: Headless environments produce harmless GPU warnings. Filter with:
```bash
DISPLAY=:5 obsidian search query="test" 2>/dev/null
```