Obsidian

Obsidian Vault

Use this skill for filesystem-first Obsidian vault work: reading notes, listing notes, searching note files, creating notes, appending content, and adding wikilinks.

Vault path

Use a known or resolved vault path before calling file tools.

The documented vault-path convention is the OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH environment variable, for example from ~/.hermes/.env. 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. Vault paths may contain spaces, which is another reason to prefer file tools over shell commands.

If the vault path is unknown, terminal is acceptable for resolving OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH or checking whether the fallback path exists. Once the path is known, switch back to file tools.

When the default path is wrong — multi-vault discovery

Users often have multiple Obsidian vaults and the active one may not be the default. If the env var is unset AND the fallback path (~/Documents/Obsidian Vault) doesn't exist or is the wrong vault:

1. Scan for all vaults — find .obsidian directories (the marker of an Obsidian vault):

find /mnt/c/Users/Lenovo -maxdepth 4 -name ".obsidian" -type d 2>/dev/null

On non-WSL systems, scan from ~ or /Users/:

find ~ -maxdepth 4 -name ".obsidian" -type d 2>/dev/null

2. Sample each candidate — use search_files(target='files', pattern='*.md', path=<vault>) to see how many notes each contains.

3. Ask the user which vault they use with clarify, listing the discovered vault paths plus a brief content summary (e.g., "Desktop/work (3 notes)").

4. Save the correct path to memory so future sessions don't repeat the discovery.

Pitfall: Do NOT assume the vault is ~/Documents/Obsidian Vault just because it exists. A user may have multiple vaults and only use one actively. Always verify with the user when multiple vaults are found.

Read a note

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

List notes

Use search_files with target: "files" and the resolved vault path. Prefer this over find or ls.

• To list all markdown notes, use pattern: "*.md" under the vault path.
• To list a subfolder, search under that subfolder's absolute path.

Search

Use search_files for both filename and content searches. Prefer this over grep, find, or ls.

• For filenames, use search_files with target: "files" and a filename pattern.
• For note contents, use search_files with target: "content", the content regex as pattern, and file_glob: "*.md" when you want to restrict matches to markdown notes.

Create a note

Use write_file with the resolved absolute path and the full markdown content. Prefer this over shell heredocs or echo because it avoids shell quoting issues and returns structured results.

Append to a note

Prefer a native file-tool workflow when it is not awkward:

• Read the target note with read_file.
• 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.
• Use write_file when rewriting the whole note is clearer than constructing a fragile patch.

For an anchored append with patch, replace the anchor with the anchor plus the new content.

For a simple append with no stable context, terminal is acceptable if it is the clearest safe option.

Targeted edits

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

Git Sync (cross-device)

To set up free automatic sync across devices using Git and the Obsidian Git community plugin, see references/git-sync.md. Covers: repository init, plugin installation, auto-commit/push configuration, and GitHub remote setup.

Wikilinks

Obsidian links notes with [[Note Name]] syntax. When creating notes, use these to link related content.

Mermaid Diagrams

Use Mermaid fenced code blocks for flowcharts, funnels, and sequence diagrams inside notes. Obsidian renders them natively. See references/mermaid-diagrams.md for patterns, color palettes, and funnel templates.