Obsidian

Obsidian MCP Skill

Use the Obsidian MCP server to interact with the user's vault — read notes, write new content, search, append to daily notes, and persist information across sessions.

Available Tools

These tools are provided by the obsidian MCP server. All paths are relative to the vault root.

Core Behaviors

Writing a new note

Use obsidian_append_content to a new path — it creates the file if it doesn't exist.

Always include frontmatter when creating a new note:

---
created: YYYY-MM-DD
tags: [relevant, tags]
---

# Note Title

Content here.

Appending to an existing note

Use obsidian_append_content. Don't rewrite the whole file — append only what's new.

Updating a section

Use obsidian_patch_content with the heading as the target. This replaces content under that heading without touching the rest of the file.

Daily notes

Use obsidian_get_periodic_note to get today's daily note before appending to it. If it doesn't exist yet, obsidian_append_content to the expected path will create it.

Searching before writing

Before creating a note, search for existing related content with obsidian_simple_search. Prefer appending to an existing note over creating a duplicate.

Rules

• Never delete a file without explicit user confirmation — ask first, always
• Never overwrite entire notes — use patch_content for sections, append_content for additions
• Keep frontmatter intact — don't strip or reformat existing frontmatter
• Use the vault's existing folder structure — check obsidian_list_files_in_vault to understand where things live before creating new paths
• Prefer atomic appends — small, specific additions over large rewrites
• Tag consistently — check existing tags in related notes before making up new ones

Common Patterns

Log a meeting or decision

1. obsidian_get_file_contents → check if a note already exists for this topic
2. If not: obsidian_append_content → create a new note under Meetings/ or Decisions/
3. If yes: obsidian_patch_content → update the relevant section

Save a code snippet or reference

1. obsidian_simple_search → check for existing note on the topic
2. obsidian_append_content → add to existing, or create under References/

Check prior context before starting work

1. obsidian_simple_search → search for the project, feature, or decision name
2. obsidian_batch_get_file_contents → read the top results
3. Summarize relevant context to the user before proceeding

End-of-session summary

1. obsidian_get_periodic_note → get today's daily note
2. obsidian_append_content → append a brief session summary with decisions made

Vault Structure Tips

A clean vault structure makes these patterns reliable. Suggested folders:

vault/
├── Daily/          ← Daily notes (YYYY-MM-DD.md)
├── Meetings/       ← Meeting notes by date or project
├── Projects/       ← One note or folder per project
├── Decisions/      ← Architecture decisions, design choices
├── References/     ← Code snippets, links, docs
└── Inbox/          ← Quick captures, unsorted

If the vault uses a different structure, discover it first with obsidian_list_files_in_vault before writing anywhere.