obsidian.nvim Commands Reference

obsidian.nvim Commands Reference

Complete reference for all obsidian.nvim commands.

Command Entry Point

The main command is :Obsidian with subcommands:

:Obsidian                    " Open command picker
:Obsidian <Tab>              " Tab-complete subcommands
:Obsidian <subcommand>       " Execute specific subcommand

Workspace Commands

workspace

Switch between configured workspaces or check current workspace.

:Obsidian workspace          " Show current workspace
:Obsidian workspace personal " Switch to 'personal' workspace
:Obsidian workspace work     " Switch to 'work' workspace

Daily Notes Commands

today

Open or create today's daily note.

:Obsidian today              " Open today's daily note
:Obsidian today -1           " Open yesterday's daily note
:Obsidian today 1            " Open tomorrow's daily note
:Obsidian today -7           " Open note from 7 days ago

Note: Unlike yesterday and tomorrow, this does not skip weekends.

yesterday

Open the daily note for the previous working day (skips weekends by default).

:Obsidian yesterday

tomorrow

Open the daily note for the next working day (skips weekends by default).

:Obsidian tomorrow

dailies

Browse daily notes with a picker.

:Obsidian dailies            " List all daily notes
:Obsidian dailies -7 0       " List notes from past week to today
:Obsidian dailies -2 1       " List from 2 days ago to tomorrow

Note Creation Commands

new

Create a new note with optional title.

:Obsidian new                " Create note (prompts for title)
:Obsidian new My New Note    " Create note with title

new_from_template

Create a new note from a template.

:Obsidian new_from_template                    " Select both from picker
:Obsidian new_from_template "My Note"          " Note title, select template
:Obsidian new_from_template "My Note" meeting  " Specify both

Navigation Commands

quick_switch

Fuzzy find and switch to another note.

:Obsidian quick_switch

follow_link

Follow a reference or link under the cursor.

:Obsidian follow_link                " Open in current window
:Obsidian follow_link vsplit         " Open in vertical split
:Obsidian follow_link hsplit         " Open in horizontal split
:Obsidian follow_link vsplit_force   " Force vertical split (new window)
:Obsidian follow_link hsplit_force   " Force horizontal split (new window)

open

Open a note in the Obsidian app.

:Obsidian open               " Open current note
:Obsidian open query         " Open note matching query

Search Commands

search

Search for notes using ripgrep.

:Obsidian search             " Open search picker
:Obsidian search query       " Search for 'query'

tags

Find notes with specific tags.

:Obsidian tags               " Show all tags
:Obsidian tags daily-notes   " Find notes with #daily-notes
:Obsidian tags work project  " Find notes with #work or #project

Note Information Commands

backlinks

Show references to the current note.

:Obsidian backlinks

Alternative: grr or vim.lsp.buf.references() for quickfix list.

links

List all links in the current note.

:Obsidian links

toc

Show table of contents for current note.

:Obsidian toc

Template Commands

template

Insert a template at cursor position.

:Obsidian template           " Select template from picker
:Obsidian template daily     " Insert specific template

Link Commands (Normal Mode)

rename

Rename current note and update all backlinks.

:Obsidian rename             " Prompt for new name
:Obsidian rename "New Name"  " Rename to specific name

Important:

• Runs :wa before renaming
• Loads all affected notes into buffer list
• Run :wa again after renaming

Alternative: grn or vim.lsp.buf.rename()

Link Commands (Visual Mode)

link

Link selected text to an existing note.

:'<,'>Obsidian link          " Search for note
:'<,'>Obsidian link query    " Link to note matching query

link_new

Create a new note and link the selected text to it.

:'<,'>Obsidian link_new             " Use selection as title
:'<,'>Obsidian link_new "New Title" " Specify title

extract_note

Extract selected text to a new note and replace with link.

:'<,'>Obsidian extract_note             " Prompt for title
:'<,'>Obsidian extract_note "Extracted" " Specify title

Checkbox Commands

toggle_checkbox

Cycle through checkbox states.

:Obsidian toggle_checkbox

Cycles through: [ ] -> [x] -> [~] -> [!] -> [>] -> [ ]

Supports range selection for multiple lines.

Image Commands

paste_img

Paste an image from clipboard into the note.

:Obsidian paste_img          " Auto-generate filename
:Obsidian paste_img myimage  " Specify filename

Requirements:

• macOS: pngpaste (brew install pngpaste)
• Linux: xclip (X11) or wl-clipboard (Wayland)

Utility Commands

check

Check for issues in your vault.

:Obsidian check

Also available via :checkhealth obsidian

Legacy Commands

If legacy_commands = true is set, these commands are also available:

Command Mappings

Recommended Keymaps

-- Daily notes
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ot", "<cmd>Obsidian today<CR>", { desc = "Today's note" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>oy", "<cmd>Obsidian yesterday<CR>", { desc = "Yesterday's note" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>om", "<cmd>Obsidian tomorrow<CR>", { desc = "Tomorrow's note" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>od", "<cmd>Obsidian dailies<CR>", { desc = "Daily notes" })

-- Note operations
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>on", "<cmd>Obsidian new<CR>", { desc = "New note" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>os", "<cmd>Obsidian search<CR>", { desc = "Search notes" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>oq", "<cmd>Obsidian quick_switch<CR>", { desc = "Quick switch" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ob", "<cmd>Obsidian backlinks<CR>", { desc = "Backlinks" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ol", "<cmd>Obsidian links<CR>", { desc = "Links" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>oc", "<cmd>Obsidian toc<CR>", { desc = "Table of contents" })

-- Templates
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>oi", "<cmd>Obsidian template<CR>", { desc = "Insert template" })
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>oN", "<cmd>Obsidian new_from_template<CR>", { desc = "New from template" })

-- Visual mode
vim.keymap.set("v", "<leader>ol", "<cmd>Obsidian link<CR>", { desc = "Link selection" })
vim.keymap.set("v", "<leader>oL", "<cmd>Obsidian link_new<CR>", { desc = "Link new" })
vim.keymap.set("v", "<leader>oe", "<cmd>Obsidian extract_note<CR>", { desc = "Extract note" })

-- Checkbox
vim.keymap.set("n", "<leader>ox", "<cmd>Obsidian toggle_checkbox<CR>", { desc = "Toggle checkbox" })

-- Smart action (follow link or toggle checkbox)
vim.keymap.set("n", "<CR>", function()
  local obsidian = require("obsidian")
  if obsidian.util.cursor_on_markdown_link() then
    return "<cmd>Obsidian follow_link<CR>"
  else
    return "<CR>"
  end
end, { expr = true })

Context-Sensitive Commands

Commands are context-aware:

• Some commands only appear when in a note (markdown file)
• Some commands only appear in visual mode
• Tab completion filters by context

Note Commands (require being in a note)

• backlinks
• follow_link
• links
• paste_img
• rename
• template
• toc
• toggle_checkbox

Visual Mode Commands

• extract_note
• link
• link_new

Always Available Commands

• check
• dailies
• new
• new_from_template
• open
• quick_switch
• search
• tags
• today
• tomorrow
• workspace
• yesterday