Obsidian CLI

Obsidian CLI

The Obsidian desktop app (v1.12+) includes a built-in CLI for vault operations. Run obsidian help for the authoritative command list -- the CLI evolves with each Obsidian release.

Prerequisites

• Obsidian desktop app v1.12+ installed
• CLI enabled in Obsidian Settings > General > CLI

Syntax

obsidian <command> [vault=<name>] [parameter=<value>] [--flag]

• Parameters use key=value (no dashes)
• Flags use --flag (double dash, no value)
• Vault targeting: vault=MyVault or omit to use the default vault

Core Commands

Read a note

obsidian read path="folder/note.md"
obsidian read file="My Note"           # by display name

Create or overwrite a note

obsidian create path="folder/new.md" content="# Title\n\nBody text"
obsidian create path="note.md" content="overwrite" --overwrite

Append to a note

obsidian append path="daily/2026-03-25.md" content="\n- New item"

Search the vault

obsidian search query="quarterly review"
obsidian search query="tag:#project" vault=Work

Daily note

obsidian daily                          # open or create today's daily note
obsidian daily vault=Personal

Tasks

obsidian tasks                          # list all tasks
obsidian tasks status=todo              # filter by status
obsidian tasks path="projects/"         # filter by folder

Tags

obsidian tags                           # list all tags with counts

Backlinks

obsidian backlinks path="note.md"       # notes that link to this note

Plugin Development

obsidian reload vault=Dev               # reload plugins after code change
obsidian errors vault=Dev               # show plugin errors
obsidian screenshot vault=Dev           # capture vault screenshot
obsidian dom path="note.md"             # dump DOM tree for a note
obsidian console vault=Dev              # show console output
obsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length"  # run JS in vault context
obsidian css                            # dump resolved CSS variables
obsidian mobile vault=Dev               # toggle mobile emulation

Common Patterns

# Append to daily note
obsidian append path="$(date +%Y-%m-%d).md" content="\n- Meeting notes: ..."

# Search and read
obsidian search query="factor model" | head -5  # find notes
obsidian read path="research/factor-model.md"   # read the one you want

# Batch operations (use shell loops)
for f in projects/*.md; do
  obsidian read path="$f"
done

Important Notes

• The CLI communicates with the running Obsidian app via IPC. Obsidian must be open.
• File paths are relative to the vault root.
• Content with newlines: use \n in the content parameter.
• The CLI is read/write. Mutations (create, append, overwrite) modify vault files.

When to Use MCP Tools Instead

If the obsidian-connector MCP server is running, prefer MCP tools for:

• Graph analysis (neighborhood, backlinks with context, vault structure)
• Thinking tools (ghost voice, drift analysis, idea tracing)
• Workflow operations (morning briefing, evening close, graduation pipeline)
• Project sync (cross-repo state tracking, session logging, running TODO)

The raw CLI is best for simple read/write/search operations and plugin development.