How do I install the Properties skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add laurigates/properties in your terminal (requires Node.js), paste this page's agent-chat prompt into Claude, Cursor, or any MCP-connected agent, or download the SKILL.md file and copy it into your agent's skills directory.

Is Properties safe to use?

This skill has not completed SkillMD's automated safety review yet. Capability flags: docs only. SkillMD never runs a skill's scripts for you; review the SKILL.md before installing.

Which AI agents work with Properties?

This skill is tagged as working with Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex. SKILL.md is an open format, so most agents that read a skills directory can load it too.

Is Properties free to use?

Yes. Installing skills from SkillMD is free, and the skill stays under its author's original license.

Who published Properties?

laurigates (@laurigates) published this skill. Their other Agent Skills are listed on their SkillMD profile.

Properties by laurigates — Agent Skill

Name: Properties
Rating: 4.2 (5 reviews)
Author: laurigates

File contents

Obsidian Properties Management

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when...	Use the alternative instead when...
Reading, setting, or removing a single YAML property on a live note via the running CLI	Doing offline bulk frontmatter rewrites across many files — use `vault-frontmatter`
Updating `status:`, `tags:`, or `aliases:` on a note Obsidian currently has open	Editing note body content rather than frontmatter — use `vault-files`
Confirming a property change is reflected in Obsidian's metadata cache	Repairing broken wikilinks after a rename — use `vault-wikilinks`

Read, set, and remove YAML frontmatter properties on Obsidian notes using the official CLI.

Prerequisites

Obsidian desktop v1.12.4+ with CLI enabled
Obsidian must be running

When to Use

Use this skill automatically when:

User wants to read or inspect note metadata/frontmatter
User needs to set, update, or add properties to notes
User wants to remove properties from notes
User asks about note status, tags, dates, or custom fields
User needs to manage aliases on notes

Core Operations

Read Properties

# Read all properties from a note
obsidian properties file="Project Spec"

# JSON output for parsing
obsidian properties file="Project Spec" format=json

Set Properties

# Set a text property
obsidian properties:set file="Note" status=active

# Set a date property
obsidian properties:set file="Note" due=2026-03-15 type=date

# Set multiple properties
obsidian properties:set file="Note" status=draft priority=high

# Set tags property
obsidian properties:set file="Note" tags="blog,publish" type=tags

Remove Properties

# Remove a single property
obsidian properties:remove file="Note" key=draft

# Remove multiple properties
obsidian properties:remove file="Note" key=old_field

Property Types

Type	Example	Notes
Text	`status=active`	Default type
Date	`due=2026-03-15 type=date`	ISO 8601 format
Tags	`tags="a,b" type=tags`	Comma-separated
Number	`priority=1`	Numeric values
Boolean	`published=true`	true/false
List	`aliases="Name1,Name2" type=tags`	Comma-separated

Common Patterns

Status Workflow

# Set draft status
obsidian properties:set file="Post" status=draft

# Move to review
obsidian properties:set file="Post" status=review

# Mark published
obsidian properties:set file="Post" status=published published=true

Alias Management

# Add aliases for wikilink resolution
obsidian properties:set file="JavaScript" aliases="JS,js,ECMAScript" type=tags

Agentic Optimizations

Context	Command
Read properties (structured)	`obsidian properties file="X" format=json`
Set property	`obsidian properties:set file="X" key=value`
Remove property	`obsidian properties:remove file="X" key=field`
Typed property	`obsidian properties:set file="X" field=val type=date`

Related Skills

vault-files — Read and create notes
search-discovery — Search by property values with [key:value] syntax

---name: propertiesdescription: Obsidian YAML frontmatter properties: read, set, remove on notes. Use when user mentions frontmatter, metadata, tags, aliases, status, or dates.--- # Obsidian Properties Management ## When to Use This Skill | Use this skill when... | Use the alternative instead when... | |---|---| | Reading, setting, or removing a single YAML property on a live note via the running CLI | Doing offline bulk frontmatter rewrites across many files — use `vault-frontmatter` | | Updating `status:`, `tags:`, or `aliases:` on a note Obsidian currently has open | Editing note body content rather than frontmatter — use `vault-files` | | Confirming a property change is reflected in Obsidian's metadata cache | Repairing broken wikilinks after a rename — use `vault-wikilinks` | Read, set, and remove YAML frontmatter properties on Obsidian notes using the official CLI. ## Prerequisites - Obsidian desktop v1.12.4+ with CLI enabled - Obsidian must be running ## When to Use Use this skill automatically when: - User wants to read or inspect note metadata/frontmatter - User needs to set, update, or add properties to notes - User wants to remove properties from notes - User asks about note status, tags, dates, or custom fields - User needs to manage aliases on notes ## Core Operations ### Read Properties ```bash # Read all properties from a note obsidian properties file="Project Spec" # JSON output for parsing obsidian properties file="Project Spec" format=json ``` ### Set Properties ```bash # Set a text property obsidian properties:set file="Note" status=active # Set a date property obsidian properties:set file="Note" due=2026-03-15 type=date # Set multiple properties obsidian properties:set file="Note" status=draft priority=high # Set tags property obsidian properties:set file="Note" tags="blog,publish" type=tags ``` ### Remove Properties ```bash # Remove a single property obsidian properties:remove file="Note" key=draft # Remove multiple properties obsidian properties:remove file="Note" key=old_field ``` ## Property Types | Type | Example | Notes | |------|---------|-------| | Text | `status=active` | Default type | | Date | `due=2026-03-15 type=date` | ISO 8601 format | | Tags | `tags="a,b" type=tags` | Comma-separated | | Number | `priority=1` | Numeric values | | Boolean | `published=true` | true/false | | List | `aliases="Name1,Name2" type=tags` | Comma-separated | ## Common Patterns ### Status Workflow ```bash # Set draft status obsidian properties:set file="Post" status=draft # Move to review obsidian properties:set file="Post" status=review # Mark published obsidian properties:set file="Post" status=published published=true ``` ### Alias Management ```bash # Add aliases for wikilink resolution obsidian properties:set file="JavaScript" aliases="JS,js,ECMAScript" type=tags ``` ## Agentic Optimizations | Context | Command | |---------|---------| | Read properties (structured) | `obsidian properties file="X" format=json` | | Set property | `obsidian properties:set file="X" key=value` | | Remove property | `obsidian properties:remove file="X" key=field` | | Typed property | `obsidian properties:set file="X" field=val type=date` | ## Related Skills - **vault-files** — Read and create notes - **search-discovery** — Search by property values with `[key:value]` syntax

Frequently asked questions

Properties