Sync Obsidian

Sync to Obsidian — Auto-Detect Project Sync

Automatically sync your Claude Code session plans and implementation reports to your Obsidian vault.

Every sync produces two files: a detailed Markdown note + an Obsidian Canvas visual map.

The project name is auto-detected — no per-project configuration needed.

Configuration

Only one path to set — your Obsidian vault root:

OBSIDIAN_VAULT = /Users/you/Documents/Obsidian Vault

Update this to your actual Obsidian vault path before first use.

Auto Project Detection

The skill automatically detects the current project name (in priority order):

1. Git repo name: basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel)
2. Current directory name: basename $PWD (fallback if not in a git repo)

Sync targets are derived from the project name:

• Markdown: {OBSIDIAN_VAULT}/[Project] {project_name}/
• Canvas: {OBSIDIAN_VAULT}/[Project] {project_name}/canvas/

Directories are auto-created if they don't exist (mkdir -p).

Usage

/sync-obsidian plan               # Sync the latest plan file
/sync-obsidian report             # Generate and sync an implementation report
/sync-obsidian plan Auth Redesign # Sync plan with custom title
/sync-obsidian report API Layer   # Sync report with custom title

• $ARGUMENTS[0]: Type — plan or report (required)
• $ARGUMENTS[1]: Custom title (optional — auto-inferred from content if omitted)

Execution Flow

Step 0: Detect Project

1. Run basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) 2>/dev/null || basename $PWD to get project name
2. Set PROJECT_DIR = [Project] {project_name}
3. Set CANVAS_DIR = [Project] {project_name}/canvas
4. Run mkdir -p to ensure both directories exist

When type = plan

1. Read the latest .md file from .claude/plans/
2. If no plan file found, extract plan content from the current conversation context
3. Convert to Obsidian note format (see templates below)
4. Write Markdown to {OBSIDIAN_VAULT}/{PROJECT_DIR}/
5. Write Canvas to {OBSIDIAN_VAULT}/{CANVAS_DIR}/
6. Filename: [Plan] {title} ({YYYY-MM-DD}).md / .canvas

When type = report

1. Summarize the implementation work completed in the current session
2. Include: what was done, which files changed, key design decisions, follow-up TODOs
3. Convert to Obsidian note format
4. Write Markdown to {OBSIDIAN_VAULT}/{PROJECT_DIR}/
5. Write Canvas to {OBSIDIAN_VAULT}/{CANVAS_DIR}/
6. Filename: [Report] {title} ({YYYY-MM-DD}).md / .canvas

Markdown Templates

Plan Template

# [Plan] {title}

> Date: {YYYY-MM-DD}
> Source: Claude Code Session
> Project: {project_name}
> Status: Pending / Approved

---

{Original plan content, preserved in full markdown}

---

> Synced from `.claude/plans/{filename}`

Report Template

# [Report] {title}

> Completed: {YYYY-MM-DD}
> Source: Claude Code Session
> Project: {project_name}

---

## Summary

{1-3 sentence overview}

## Completed Work

{Detailed list of completed work:}
- Files created/modified
- Key design decisions
- Technical details

## File Changes

| File | Action | Description |
|------|--------|-------------|
| ... | Created/Modified | ... |

## Design Decisions

{Important architectural/technical decisions and rationale}

## Follow-up TODO

- [ ] {Next steps}

---

> Auto-generated by Claude Code

Canvas Sync (Dual Output)

Every Markdown sync also generates an Obsidian Canvas file (.canvas) for visual exploration.

Canvas Structure

Canvas is a JSON format with nodes (cards/groups) and edges (connections).

Report Canvas layout:

• grp_summary (color:4 cyan) — Summary: title + date + 1-3 sentence overview
• grp_work (color:6 pink) — Completed work: split into sub-cards (steps, rules, etc.)
• grp_files (color:5 purple) — File changes: table of files and operations
• grp_decisions (color:3 green) — Design decisions: architecture/tech choices and rationale
• grp_todo (color:2 orange) — Follow-up TODO: checklist of next steps

Plan Canvas layout:

• grp_overview (color:4) — Plan overview and goals
• grp_steps (color:6) — Implementation steps, one text node per step
• grp_architecture (color:3) — Architecture/tech decisions
• grp_risks (color:2) — Risks and considerations

Layout principles:

• Groups connected by edges showing flow direction
• Top-left start: Summary → Work/Steps → Files/Architecture → TODO
• Color key: 1=red, 2=orange, 3=green, 4=cyan, 5=purple, 6=pink

Sizing rules (prevent content clipping):

• Text node min width 320px, recommended 500-660px
• Estimate 35px per line of text (including line spacing)
• Headers (##) at 45px, code blocks at 28px per line
• Text node height = line_count × 35 + 60 (top/bottom padding)
• Groups add 20px padding around contained text nodes
• Minimum 80px gap between groups (vertical and horizontal)
• Better too large than too small — clipping is worse than whitespace

Important Rules

1. No YAML frontmatter — use > quote blocks for metadata instead
2. Quote blocks for metadata — date, source, status, project in > blocks
3. Preserve original plan content — never trim or rewrite technical details
4. Reports must be specific — list actual file paths, code patterns, design rationale
5. Always output both files — Markdown + Canvas on every sync
6. Report full paths — tell the user where both files were written
7. Auto-create directories — use mkdir -p if project or canvas dir doesn't exist

Auto-Sync Setup (Optional)

Add this to your project's CLAUDE.md to enable the full sync lifecycle:

## Auto Sync to Obsidian

### Plan Sync (Before Implementation)

When a plan/design discussion is complete and about to move into implementation,
call `/sync-obsidian plan` FIRST — so the user can review it in Obsidian before
giving the green light.

Trigger when:
- A plan or design discussion has been finalized
- User indicates approval intent ("looks good", "let's do it")
- Before starting any implementation work

Flow: Discuss → Sync plan → User reviews in Obsidian → Confirmed → Implement

### Report Sync (After Implementation)

After completing substantive work, call `/sync-obsidian report` before the session ends.

Trigger when:
- Code files were created, edited, or deleted
- A plan was implemented
- Important architecture discussions or decisions were made

### Do NOT trigger when:
- Pure Q&A / casual chat
- Only read files, no modifications
- User explicitly says no sync needed