Foam Notes

Foam Notes

Work with Foam note-taking workspaces in VS Code. Foam is a free, open-source personal knowledge management system using standard Markdown files with wikilinks.

Quick Reference

• Wikilinks: [[note-name]] — connect notes bidirectionally
• Embeds: ![[note-name]] — include content from other notes
• Backlinks: Automatically discovered connections to current note
• Tags: #tag or frontmatter tags: [tag1, tag2]
• Daily Notes: Alt+D or command "Foam: Open Daily Note"

Configuration

Copy config.json.template to config.json and edit to taste:

{
  "foam_root": "/path/to/your/foam-workspace",
  "default_template": "new-note",
  "default_notes_folder": "notes",
  "daily_note_folder": "journals",
  "author": "Your Name",
  "wikilinks": {
    "title_stopwords": ["home", "index", "readme", "draft", "template"],
    "suffixes": ["-hub"],
    "min_length": 3
  },
  "tags": {
    "editorial_stopwords": ["notes", "note", "foam", "markdown", "file", "page", "section"]
  }
}

Location: config.json in the skill directory (next to SKILL.md).

Config keys

Foam root priority order (highest to lowest)

1. --foam-root CLI argument
2. FOAM_WORKSPACE environment variable
3. foam_root in config.json
4. Auto-detect by finding .foam or .vscode directory
5. Current working directory

See references/configuration.md for complete documentation.

Scripts

All scripts support --foam-root to override the workspace path.

init_templates.py

Initialize .foam/templates/ with starter templates from the official Foam template:

python3 scripts/init_templates.py              # Copy to current workspace
python3 scripts/init_templates.py --foam-root ~/notes
python3 scripts/init_templates.py --list      # Show available templates
python3 scripts/init_templates.py --force     # Overwrite existing
python3 scripts/init_templates.py --dry-run   # Preview what would be copied

Templates included:

• new-note.md — Default template for new notes
• daily-note.md — Template for daily notes
• your-first-template.md — Example template demonstrating VS Code snippets

create_note.py

Create a new note from template:

python3 scripts/create_note.py "My New Idea"
python3 scripts/create_note.py "Meeting Notes" --template meeting
python3 scripts/create_note.py "Research Topic" --dir research/

find_backlinks.py

Find all notes that link to a given note:

python3 scripts/find_backlinks.py "Machine Learning"
python3 scripts/find_backlinks.py "ml-basics" --format json

search_tags.py

Find notes by tag:

python3 scripts/search_tags.py "#research"
python3 scripts/search_tags.py machine-learning --include-frontmatter

list_tags.py

List all tags with usage counts:

python3 scripts/list_tags.py
python3 scripts/list_tags.py --hierarchy --min-count 3

graph_summary.py

Analyze the knowledge graph:

python3 scripts/graph_summary.py
python3 scripts/graph_summary.py --format json

daily_note.py

Create daily notes:

python3 scripts/daily_note.py
python3 scripts/daily_note.py --yesterday
python3 scripts/daily_note.py --template custom-daily
python3 scripts/daily_note.py --print-path   # Just output the path

suggest_wikilinks.py

Suggest wikilinks by finding text in a note that matches existing note titles:

python3 scripts/suggest_wikilinks.py my-note.md              # Interactive mode
python3 scripts/suggest_wikilinks.py my-note.md --apply 1,3,5  # Auto-apply
python3 scripts/suggest_wikilinks.py my-note.md --auto-apply   # Apply all
python3 scripts/suggest_wikilinks.py my-note.md --dry-run      # Preview only
python3 scripts/suggest_wikilinks.py my-note.md --with-aliases # Create [[target|text]] format

The script scans the note content and identifies words/phrases that match existing note titles in the archive. It presents them as a numbered list:

1. Line 12, col 8
   Text: "machine learning"
   Link to: [[machine-learning]]
   Context: ...working on machine learning projects...

Wikilink formats:

• Default: [[target]] — clean, simple links
• With --with-aliases: [[target|display text]] — preserves original text as alias

Respond with:

• Numbers to implement (e.g., 1 3 5)
• all to apply all suggestions
• none to cancel

suggest_tags.py

Suggest tags for a note based on content and existing tags in the archive:

python3 scripts/suggest_tags.py my-note.md              # Interactive mode
python3 scripts/suggest_tags.py my-note.md --apply all  # Add all suggested
python3 scripts/suggest_tags.py my-note.md --apply existing  # Only existing tags
python3 scripts/suggest_tags.py my-note.md --frontmatter     # Add to frontmatter

The script:

1. Extracts keywords from note content
2. Finds matching existing tags (with usage counts)
3. Suggests new tags based on content analysis

Presented as numbered list with two sections:

• Existing Tags — Already used in your archive
• New Suggestions — Extracted from current note content

Respond with:

• Numbers (e.g., 1 3 5)
• all — all suggestions
• existing — only existing tags
• new — only new suggestions
• none — cancel
• Or type custom tags: #mytag #project

delete_note.py

Delete notes with optional backup and automatic backlink handling:

python3 scripts/delete_note.py "Old Note"                    # Interactive deletion
python3 scripts/delete_note.py "Old Note" --force          # Skip confirmation
python3 scripts/delete_note.py "Old Note" --backup         # Move to .foam/trash/
python3 scripts/delete_note.py "Old Note" --fix-links      # Remove wikilinks from other notes

Features:

• Backup mode: Moves note to .foam/trash/ instead of permanent deletion
• Backlink detection: Shows which notes link to the one being deleted
• Link fixing: Automatically removes wikilinks from other notes
• Confirmation: Prompts before deletion (skip with --force)

rename_note.py

Rename notes and automatically update all wikilinks:

python3 scripts/rename_note.py "Old Name" "New Name"       # Interactive rename
python3 scripts/rename_note.py "Old Name" "New Name" --force  # Skip confirmation

Features:

• Automatic wikilink updates: Finds and updates all [[old-name]] references
• File rename: Changes filename from old-name.md to new-name.md
• Title preservation: Keeps note content intact, only updates links
• Confirmation: Shows affected notes before proceeding

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating or editing notes in a Foam workspace
• Working with wikilinks, backlinks, or the knowledge graph
• Analyzing note relationships and connections
• Setting up or configuring Foam templates
• Working with daily notes or tags
• Publishing Foam workspaces to static sites

Foam Workspace Structure

foam-workspace/
├── .vscode/
│   ├── extensions.json      # Recommended extensions
│   └── settings.json        # VS Code settings
├── .foam/
│   └── templates/           # Note templates (.md and .js)
├── journals/                # Daily notes (default location)
├── attachments/             # Images and files
├── *.md                     # Your notes
└── foam.json (optional)     # Foam configuration

Core Concepts

Wikilinks

Create connections between notes using double brackets:

See also [[related-concept]] for more information.

• Autocomplete with [[ + type note name
• Navigate with Ctrl+Click (or Cmd+Click on Mac)
• Create new notes by clicking non-existent links
• Link to sections: [[note-name#Section Title]]

See references/wikilinks.md for complete documentation.

Backlinks

Backlinks show which notes reference the current note — discovered automatically by Foam.

Access via:

• Command palette: "Explorer: Focus on Connections"
• Shows forward links, backlinks, or both

Use backlinks for:

• Finding unexpected connections between ideas
• Identifying hub concepts (notes with many backlinks)
• Building context around ideas across domains

See references/backlinks.md for complete documentation.

Tags

Organize notes beyond wikilinks:

# Inline tags
#machine-learning #research #in-progress

# Frontmatter tags
---
tags: [machine-learning, research, in-progress]
---

• Hierarchical: #programming/python
• Browse in Tag Explorer panel
• Search: "Foam: Search Tag"

See references/tags.md for complete documentation.

Daily Notes

Quick daily journaling:

• Shortcut: Alt+D
• Command: "Foam: Open Daily Note"
• Snippets: /today, /yesterday, /tomorrow

Template: .foam/templates/daily-note.md

See references/daily-notes.md for complete documentation.

Templates

Customize note creation. Foam looks for templates in .foam/templates/.

To initialize starter templates:

python3 scripts/init_templates.py

This copies official Foam templates to your workspace:

• new-note.md — Default template
• daily-note.md — Daily notes template
• your-first-template.md — Example with VS Code snippets

Markdown templates (.md):

---
foam_template:
  filepath: '$FOAM_CURRENT_DIR/$FOAM_SLUG.md'
---

# $FOAM_TITLE

Created: $FOAM_DATE_YEAR-$FOAM_DATE_MONTH-$FOAM_DATE_DATE

$FOAM_SELECTED_TEXT

JavaScript templates (.js) — for smart, context-aware templates.

See references/templates.md for complete documentation.

Common Tasks

Creating a New Note

When creating notes programmatically (not via VS Code), always read the workspace template in .foam/templates/new-note.md first and follow its structure exactly.

In VS Code:

1. Use "Foam: Create New Note" for default template
2. Use "Foam: Create New Note From Template" to choose template
3. Or click a non-existent wikilink [[new-note]]

Finding Note Relationships

1. Backlinks: Check Connections panel for linked notes
2. Graph View: Command "Foam: Show Graph" for visual network
3. Tag Explorer: Browse notes by tag

Working with Embeds

Include content from other notes:

![[glossary]]

See the full definition above.

Publishing

Foam can publish to static sites:

• GitHub Pages (built-in template)
• Netlify
• Vercel
• GitLab Pages
• Custom static site generators (Gatsby, MkDocs, etc.)

See recipes in Foam documentation for publishing options.

Foam vs Obsidian

Both use the same core linking syntax. Foam prioritizes simplicity and standard formats.

Configuration

Key .vscode/settings.json options:

{
  "foam.openDailyNote.onStartup": true,
  "foam.dateSnippets.format": "yyyy-mm-dd",
  "markdown.styles": [".foam/css/custom.css"]
}

Foam CLI Commands

Key VS Code commands:

• Foam: Open Daily Note — Create/open today's note
• Foam: Create New Note — Create from default template
• Foam: Create New Note From Template — Choose template
• Foam: Create New Template — Create new template
• Foam: Show Graph — Visualize knowledge graph
• Foam: Search Tag — Search for tagged notes
• Explorer: Focus on Connections — Show backlinks panel

Reference Documentation

• foam-overview.md — General Foam introduction and philosophy
• wikilinks.md — Complete wikilinks guide
• backlinks.md — Backlinks and knowledge discovery
• tags.md — Tag organization and filtering
• daily-notes.md — Daily note workflows
• templates.md — Template creation (Markdown and JavaScript)

Read these files for detailed information on specific features.

External Resources

• Official site: https://foamnotes.com
• GitHub: https://github.com/foambubble/foam
• Discord: https://foambubble.github.io/join-discord/w

Tips

1. Start small: Foam works best with consistent note-taking habits
2. Link liberally: Create wikilinks even to non-existent notes (placeholders)
3. Use the graph: Visualize your knowledge network to find gaps
4. Trust the process: Backlinks reveal connections you didn't plan
5. Keep it standard: Foam uses standard Markdown — your notes remain portable