obsidian-cli

What this skill does

# Obsidian CLI

CLI reference based on Obsidian v1.12.4 (installer 1.11.7). All commands:
`/usr/local/bin/obsidian <command> [options]`.

## CLI Path

Always invoke the CLI via its full path: `/usr/local/bin/obsidian`. This is required for
sandbox compatibility. Obsidian Desktop must be running (the CLI communicates with the app
via IPC).

**CLI version note:** This reference was built against Obsidian v1.12.4. If commands behave
unexpectedly, run `/usr/local/bin/obsidian version` to check for changes.

## Conventions

- `file=<name>` resolves by name (like wikilinks). `path=<path>` is exact (folder/note.md).
- Most commands default to the active file when file/path is omitted.
- Quote values with spaces: `name="My Note"`. Use `\n` for newline, `\t` for tab.
- Target a specific vault: `/usr/local/bin/obsidian vault=<name> <command>`.
- Output formats: many commands accept `format=json|tsv|csv` (default varies).
- Use `total` flag on list commands to get counts instead of full output.

## Quick Reference

| Need           | Command        | Example                                                    |
| -------------- | -------------- | ---------------------------------------------------------- |
| Read a note    | `read`         | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian read file="My Note"`                             |
| Create a note  | `create`       | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian create name="New Note" content="# Hello"`        |
| Append to note | `append`       | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian append file="Log" content="Entry"`               |
| Search vault   | `search`       | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian search query="meeting agenda"`                   |
| Daily note     | `daily`        | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian daily`                                           |
| List files     | `files`        | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian files folder="Projects"`                         |
| Get properties | `properties`   | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian properties file="Note"`                          |
| Set property   | `property:set` | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian property:set name=status value=done file="Task"` |
| List tags      | `tags`         | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian tags counts sort=count`                          |
| Find backlinks | `backlinks`    | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian backlinks file="Topic"`                          |
| Run command    | `command`      | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian command id=editor:toggle-bold`                   |
| List vaults    | `vaults`       | `/usr/local/bin/obsidian vaults verbose`                                  |

## Command Domains

Obsidian CLI has 75+ commands across these domains. Load the relevant reference for detailed usage:

### Vault and Files

Create, read, append, prepend, delete, move, rename files and folders. Search vault content. See
[references/vault-and-files.md](references/vault-and-files.md)

### Knowledge Graph

Backlinks, outgoing links, orphans, dead-ends, tags, properties, aliases, outline headings. See
[references/knowledge-graph.md](references/knowledge-graph.md)

### Daily Notes and Templates

Daily note operations (open, read, append, prepend), templates, bookmarks. See
[references/daily-and-templates.md](references/daily-and-templates.md)

### Plugins, Themes, and Sync

Plugin management (install/enable/disable), themes, CSS snippets, sync control, file history. See
[references/plugins-themes-sync.md](references/plugins-themes-sync.md)

### Workspace and UI

Tabs, workspace layout, window management, executing commands, hotkeys. See
[references/workspace-and-ui.md](references/workspace-and-ui.md)

### Bases

Create, query, and manage base views (Obsidian's structured data feature). See
[references/bases.md](references/bases.md)

### Developer Tools

JavaScript eval, DOM inspection, CSS debugging, CDP protocol, console capture, screenshots. See
[references/developer-tools.md](references/developer-tools.md)

## Tasks

Obsidian tracks checkbox items (`- [ ]`) across notes:

```
/usr/local/bin/obsidian tasks                          # list all tasks
/usr/local/bin/obsidian tasks todo                     # incomplete only
/usr/local/bin/obsidian tasks done                     # completed only
/usr/local/bin/obsidian tasks file="Project"           # tasks in specific file
/usr/local/bin/obsidian tasks daily                    # tasks from daily note
/usr/local/bin/obsidian task file="Todo" line=5 toggle # toggle a task
/usr/local/bin/obsidian task file="Todo" line=5 done   # mark done
/usr/local/bin/obsidian task file="Todo" line=5 status="/" # custom status char
```

## Parsing Output

When processing command output, prefer CLI tools over Python. Check availability first:

```bash
command -v jq   # JSON parsing
command -v yq   # YAML/JSON parsing (supports both)
command -v gawk # field/column processing
```

**JSON output** (`format=json`): use `jq` if available.

```bash
/usr/local/bin/obsidian files format=json | jq '.[].path'
/usr/local/bin/obsidian properties file="Note" format=json | jq '.tags[]'
/usr/local/bin/obsidian search query="meeting" format=json | jq '.[] | {file, line}'
```

**YAML/JSON** (`format=json` or properties): use `yq` if available, falls back to `jq`.

```bash
/usr/local/bin/obsidian properties file="Note" format=json | yq '.status'
```

**TSV/CSV output**: use `awk`, `cut`, or `column` - no external deps needed.

```bash
/usr/local/bin/obsidian files format=tsv | awk -F'\t' '{print $1}'
/usr/local/bin/obsidian tags format=tsv | column -t -s $'\t'
```

Only fall back to Python when the above tools are not available or the transformation is too complex for them.

## Tips

- Pipe JSON output to jq for filtering: `/usr/local/bin/obsidian files format=json | jq '.[]'`
- Chain operations: read a template, create from it, set properties
- Use `search:context` instead of `search` when you need matching line context
- `/usr/local/bin/obsidian commands filter=editor` to discover commands by prefix
- `/usr/local/bin/obsidian hotkeys all` shows every command including those without keybindings
- Run `obsidian` with no arguments for full help