Work with Obsidian vaults (plain Markdown notes) and automate via obsidian-cli.
npx skills add moltbot/moltbot --skill "obsidian"
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# Description
Work with Obsidian vaults (plain Markdown notes) and automate via obsidian-cli.
# SKILL.md
name: obsidian
description: Work with Obsidian vaults (plain Markdown notes) and automate via obsidian-cli.
homepage: https://help.obsidian.md
metadata: {"moltbot":{"emoji":"💎","requires":{"bins":["obsidian-cli"]},"install":[{"id":"brew","kind":"brew","formula":"yakitrak/yakitrak/obsidian-cli","bins":["obsidian-cli"],"label":"Install obsidian-cli (brew)"}]}}
Obsidian
Obsidian vault = a normal folder on disk.
Vault structure (typical)
- Notes: *.md (plain text Markdown; edit with any editor)
- Config: .obsidian/ (workspace + plugin settings; usually don’t touch from scripts)
- Canvases: *.canvas (JSON)
- Attachments: whatever folder you chose in Obsidian settings (images/PDFs/etc.)
Find the active vault(s)
Obsidian desktop tracks vaults here (source of truth):
- ~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json
obsidian-cli resolves vaults from that file; vault name is typically the folder name (path suffix).
Fast “what vault is active / where are the notes?”
- If you’ve already set a default: obsidian-cli print-default --path-only
- Otherwise, read ~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json and use the vault entry with "open": true.
Notes
- Multiple vaults common (iCloud vs ~/Documents, work/personal, etc.). Don’t guess; read config.
- Avoid writing hardcoded vault paths into scripts; prefer reading the config or using print-default.
obsidian-cli quick start
Pick a default vault (once):
- obsidian-cli set-default "<vault-folder-name>"
- obsidian-cli print-default / obsidian-cli print-default --path-only
Search
- obsidian-cli search "query" (note names)
- obsidian-cli search-content "query" (inside notes; shows snippets + lines)
Create
- obsidian-cli create "Folder/New note" --content "..." --open
- Requires Obsidian URI handler (obsidian://…) working (Obsidian installed).
- Avoid creating notes under “hidden” dot-folders (e.g. .something/...) via URI; Obsidian may refuse.
Move/rename (safe refactor)
- obsidian-cli move "old/path/note" "new/path/note"
- Updates [[wikilinks]] and common Markdown links across the vault (this is the main win vs mv).
Delete
- obsidian-cli delete "path/note"
Prefer direct edits when appropriate: open the .md file and change it; Obsidian will pick it up.
# Supported AI Coding Agents
This skill is compatible with the SKILL.md standard and works with all major AI coding agents:
Learn more about the SKILL.md standard and how to use these skills with your preferred AI coding agent.