Obsidian Vault Context

Obsidian Vault Context

Vault Location

• Detection: Run obsidian-cli print-default to get the vault path
• Use direct file operations (Read, Write, Edit) — the vault is just a folder of markdown files
• Only use obsidian-cli for UI operations or link updates

Folder Structure

$VAULT_PATH/
├── Daily/              # Daily notes (YYYY-MM-DD.md)
├── AI/                 # AI/LLM research
├── Software Development/
├── Technologies/
├── Work/
├── assets/             # Images and attachments
└── .obsidian/          # Internal config - don't modify

Daily Notes

• Format: YYYY-MM-DD.md (e.g., 2025-10-18.md)
• Location: /Daily/ folder
• No frontmatter - clean markdown
• Path: $VAULT_PATH/Daily/{YYYY-MM-DD}.md

Research Format

Steve captures research in daily notes using this template:

### [Tool/Topic Name]
**Link:** [URL]

**What it is:** [Brief description]

**Key Features:**
- Feature 1
- Feature 2

**Why it's interesting:** [Relevance]

**Use case:** [When to use it]

Links & Formatting

• Internal links: [[Note Name]] (wikilinks)
• External links: [Text](URL) (markdown)
• Images: ![[image.png]] (stored in /assets/)

Common Operations

Read daily note: Use the Read tool with path $VAULT_PATH/Daily/2025-10-18.md

Append to daily note: Read the existing file first, then use the Edit tool to append new content at the end. Add \n\n spacing before the new section.

Create new note: Use the Write tool to create $VAULT_PATH/Topic/Note.md with the desired content.

obsidian-cli (Use Sparingly)

• obsidian-cli print-default - Get vault path
• obsidian-cli open "Note" - Open in Obsidian UI
• obsidian-cli move "Old" "New" - Rename with link updates

Prefer direct file operations over obsidian-cli for reading/writing.

Best Practices

• Check if file exists before appending
• Add \n\n spacing between sections
• Use YYYY-MM-DD format for daily notes
• Don't modify .obsidian/ folder
• Preserve existing frontmatter if present