How do I install the Obsidian skill?

Run npx skillmds@latest add pietz/obsidian 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 Obsidian safe to use?

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

Which AI agents work with Obsidian?

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 Obsidian free to use?

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

Who published Obsidian?

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

Obsidian by pietz — Agent Skill

Name: Obsidian
Author: pietz

Obsidian

Interact with Obsidian vaults using the `obsidian` CLI to read, create, search, and manage notes, tasks, and properties. Use when the user asks to interact with their Obsidian vault, manage notes, search content, or develop and debug Obsidian plugins.

pietz 3d17d18 3.2 KB Updated Sep 17, 2026

File contents

Obsidian CLI

Use the obsidian CLI to interact with a running Obsidian instance. Requires Obsidian to be open.

Auto-launch

If an obsidian command fails with "Vault not found" or similar connection errors, Obsidian is not running. Launch it and retry:

open -a "Obsidian" && sleep 3 && obsidian <original command>

Wait a few seconds after launching before retrying, as Obsidian needs time to initialize.

Command reference

Run obsidian help to see all available commands. This is always up to date. Full docs: https://help.obsidian.md/cli

Syntax

Parameters take a value with =. Quote values with spaces:

obsidian create name="My Note" content="Hello world"

Flags are boolean switches with no value:

obsidian create name="My Note" silent overwrite

For multiline content use \n for newline and \t for tab.

File targeting

Many commands accept file or path to target a file. Without either, the active file is used.

file=<name> — resolves like a wikilink (name only, no path or extension needed)
path=<path> — exact path from vault root, e.g. folder/note.md

Vault targeting

Commands target the most recently focused vault by default. Use vault=<name> as the first parameter to target a specific vault:

obsidian vault="My Vault" search query="test"

Common patterns

obsidian read file="My Note"
obsidian create name="New Note" content="# Hello" template="Template" silent
obsidian append file="My Note" content="New line"
obsidian search query="search term" limit=10
obsidian daily:read
obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] New task"
obsidian property:set name="status" value="done" file="My Note"
obsidian tasks daily todo
obsidian tags sort=count counts
obsidian backlinks file="My Note"

Use --copy on any command to copy output to clipboard. Use silent to prevent files from opening. Use total on list commands to get a count.

Plugin development

Develop/test cycle

After making code changes to a plugin or theme, follow this workflow:

Reload the plugin to pick up changes:
```
obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin
```
Check for errors — if errors appear, fix and repeat from step 1:
```
obsidian dev:errors
```

Verify visually with a screenshot or DOM inspection:

obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png
obsidian dev:dom selector=".workspace-leaf" text

Check console output for warnings or unexpected logs:
```
obsidian dev:console level=error
```

Additional developer commands

Run JavaScript in the app context:

obsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length"

Inspect CSS values:

obsidian dev:css selector=".workspace-leaf" prop=background-color

Toggle mobile emulation:

obsidian dev:mobile on

Run obsidian help to see additional developer commands including CDP and debugger controls.

---name: obsidiandescription: Interact with Obsidian vaults using the `obsidian` CLI to read, create, search, and manage notes, tasks, and properties. Use when the user asks to interact with their Obsidian vault, manage notes, search content, or develop and debug Obsidian plugins.---# Obsidian CLIUse the `obsidian` CLI to interact with a running Obsidian instance. Requires Obsidian to be open.## Auto-launchIf an `obsidian` command fails with "Vault not found" or similar connection errors, Obsidian is not running. Launch it and retry:```bashopen -a "Obsidian" && sleep 3 && obsidian <original command>```Wait a few seconds after launching before retrying, as Obsidian needs time to initialize.## Command referenceRun `obsidian help` to see all available commands. This is always up to date. Full docs: https://help.obsidian.md/cli## Syntax**Parameters** take a value with `=`. Quote values with spaces:```bashobsidian create name="My Note" content="Hello world"```**Flags** are boolean switches with no value:```bashobsidian create name="My Note" silent overwrite```For multiline content use `\n` for newline and `\t` for tab.## File targetingMany commands accept `file` or `path` to target a file. Without either, the active file is used.- `file=<name>` — resolves like a wikilink (name only, no path or extension needed)- `path=<path>` — exact path from vault root, e.g. `folder/note.md`## Vault targetingCommands target the most recently focused vault by default. Use `vault=<name>` as the first parameter to target a specific vault:```bashobsidian vault="My Vault" search query="test"```## Common patterns```bashobsidian read file="My Note"obsidian create name="New Note" content="# Hello" template="Template" silentobsidian append file="My Note" content="New line"obsidian search query="search term" limit=10obsidian daily:readobsidian daily:append content="- [ ] New task"obsidian property:set name="status" value="done" file="My Note"obsidian tasks daily todoobsidian tags sort=count countsobsidian backlinks file="My Note"```Use `--copy` on any command to copy output to clipboard. Use `silent` to prevent files from opening. Use `total` on list commands to get a count.## Plugin development### Develop/test cycleAfter making code changes to a plugin or theme, follow this workflow:1. **Reload** the plugin to pick up changes: ```bash obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin ```2. **Check for errors** — if errors appear, fix and repeat from step 1: ```bash obsidian dev:errors ```3. **Verify visually** with a screenshot or DOM inspection: ```bash obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png obsidian dev:dom selector=".workspace-leaf" text ```4. **Check console output** for warnings or unexpected logs: ```bash obsidian dev:console level=error ```### Additional developer commandsRun JavaScript in the app context:```bashobsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length"```Inspect CSS values:```bashobsidian dev:css selector=".workspace-leaf" prop=background-color```Toggle mobile emulation:```bashobsidian dev:mobile on```Run `obsidian help` to see additional developer commands including CDP and debugger controls.

Frequently asked questions