Obsidian

When to Use

Use this skill for filesystem-first Obsidian vault work: reading notes, listing notes, searching note files, creating notes, appending content, and adding wikilinks. Trigger when the user mentions "Obsidian", "vault", "note", or asks to manage markdown files in an Obsidian context.

Prerequisites

• The Obsidian vault path must be resolved before calling file tools.
• The documented vault-path convention is the OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH environment variable.
• If it is unset, use ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault.
• File tools do not expand shell variables. Do not pass paths containing $OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH to read_file, write_file, patch, or search_files; resolve the vault path first and pass a concrete absolute path.

Procedure

1. Resolve Vault Path

1. If the vault path is unknown, use terminal to resolve OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH or check whether the fallback path exists.
   • PowerShell (Windows): $env:OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH
   • Bash (Linux/macOS): echo $OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH
2. Once the path is known, switch back to file tools. Vault paths may contain spaces, which is another reason to prefer file tools over shell commands.

2. Read a Note

1. Use read_file with the resolved absolute path to the note.
2. Prefer this over cat because it provides line numbers and pagination.

3. List Notes

1. Use search_files with target: "files" and the resolved vault path.
2. To list all markdown notes, use pattern: "*.md" under the vault path.
3. To list a subfolder, search under that subfolder's absolute path.

4. Search Notes

1. Use search_files for both filename and content searches. Prefer this over grep, find, or ls.
2. For filenames: use search_files with target: "files" and a filename pattern.
3. For note contents: use search_files with target: "content", the content regex as pattern, and file_glob: "*.md" to restrict matches to markdown notes.

5. Create a Note

1. Use write_file with the resolved absolute path and the full markdown content.
2. Prefer this over shell heredocs or echo because it avoids shell quoting issues and returns structured results.
3. Use Obsidian wikilinks ([[Note Name]]) to link related content.

6. Append to a Note

1. Read the target note with read_file.
2. Use patch for an anchored append when there is stable context, such as adding a section after an existing heading or appending before a known trailing block. Replace the anchor with the anchor plus the new content.
3. Use write_file when rewriting the whole note is clearer than constructing a fragile patch.
4. For a simple append with no stable context, terminal is acceptable if it is the clearest safe option.

7. Targeted Edits

1. Use patch for focused note changes when the current content gives you stable context. Prefer this over shell text rewriting.

Pitfalls

• Unexpanded Shell Variables: File tools (read_file, write_file, patch, search_files) do not expand shell variables. Passing $OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH directly will fail. Always resolve to an absolute path first.
• Spaces in Paths: Vault paths often contain spaces (e.g., Obsidian Vault). Shell commands require complex quoting; file tools handle spaces natively and safely.
• Fragile Patches: When appending, if there is no stable anchor, patch can fail or corrupt files. Prefer write_file for full rewrites or use terminal for simple appends if safe.

Verification

• To verify the vault path is correct, list the root directory:
  • search_files with target: "files", path: "<resolved_vault_path>", pattern: "*.md"
• To verify a note was created or edited correctly:
  • read_file with the absolute path to the note and check the content and wikilinks.