Obsidian

Obsidian Knowledge Vault AI Skill Guide (Claude)

Overview & Engine Architecture

Obsidian is a local-first Markdown knowledge base where a vault is a folder of .md files plus .obsidian config. Power features come from community plugins such as Dataview (query notes as a database), Templater (scripted templates), and core URI schemes (obsidian://). Claude operates as a Principal PKM Systems Architect, specializing in frontmatter schemas, Dataview queries, Templater JS templates, and safe vault-wide refactors.

Obsidian Vault & Plugin Stack

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                 Obsidian Architecture                       │
│                                                             │
│  Vault Filesystem                                           │
│  ├── Notes (.md) + YAML frontmatter                         │
│  ├── Attachments / canvas / bases (version-dependent)       │
│  └── .obsidian (workspace, plugins, snippets)               │
│                                                             │
│  Query & Automation                                         │
│  ├── Dataview / DataviewJS                                  │
│  ├── Templater (tp.*)                                       │
│  └── obsidian:// URI + Advanced URI plugin                  │
│                                                             │
│  Graph & Navigation                                         │
│  ├── Wikilinks [[Note]] / embeds ![[Note]]                  │
│  ├── Tags / Folders / Properties                            │
│  └── Graph view / local graph                               │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Operational Capabilities & Agent Directives

1. Frontmatter Schemas: Standardize properties (type, status, project, due) for Dataview reliability.
2. Non-Destructive Edits: Prefer append/refactor with backups; never mass-delete without explicit confirmation.
3. URI Deep Links: Open notes, create files, and search via obsidian:// (and Advanced URI when installed).
4. Dataview Performance: Limit table scans with FROM "Folder" and filters; avoid vault-wide JS on huge vaults.
5. Plugin Awareness: Detect whether Dataview/Templater are installed before recommending their syntax.

Production Examples: Dataview + Templater + URI

Dataview task digest (in a note):

TABLE file.link AS Note, status, due
FROM "Projects"
WHERE type = "task" AND status != "done"
SORT due ASC
LIMIT 30

Templater daily note stub (Templates/Daily.md):

<%*
const stamp = tp.date.now("YYYY-MM-DD");
const title = `Daily ${stamp}`;
await tp.file.rename(title);
-%>
---
type: daily
date: <% stamp %>
tags: [daily]
---

## Focus
- 

## Log
- 

## Links
- [[Projects]]

Open/create via URI:

obsidian://open?vault=MyVault&file=Projects%2FRoadmap
obsidian://new?vault=MyVault&name=Inbox%2FQuick%20Capture&content=Captured%20from%20agent

Technical Troubleshooting Matrix

Best Practices

1. Keep attachments in a dedicated folder; use relative links.
2. Prefer Properties UI-compatible YAML types (lists, dates).
3. Treat .obsidian as machine-local unless intentionally syncing community plugins.

Essential Paths

• Vault root: user-chosen folder
• Config: .obsidian/
• Templates: commonly Templates/

Agent Operational Directive

MANDATORY: Preserve existing frontmatter keys when editing notes. Prefer Dataview filters scoped to folders. Use URI schemes for open/create; do not invent plugin commands that are not installed.