Obsidian Vault Manager

Prerequisites

Before performing vault operations:

1. Verify obsidian-cli is installed:

   obsidian-cli --version
   

2. If obsidian-cli is unavailable:

   • Install via: npm install -g @johnlindquist/obsidian-cli
   • Fallback: Standard file operations can be used but will NOT preserve wiki-links
   • Warning: Without obsidian-cli, moving notes will break all internal [[wiki-links]]

3. Verify vault is accessible:

   obsidian-cli print-default
   

Overview

Use obsidian-cli for all Obsidian vault operations. Standard file tools (mv, Write, Edit) break internal links and ignore vault structure. The obsidian-cli tool automatically preserves [[wiki-links]] and maintains vault integrity.

When to Use

This skill activates when:

• Working with Obsidian vaults (.md files with [[wiki-links]])
• Moving/renaming notes (links must stay valid)
• Creating notes with Obsidian-specific syntax (wiki-links, checkboxes, tags)
• Searching vault content or note names
• Organizing multiple notes across folders

Don't use for:

• General markdown editing outside Obsidian vaults
• Static documentation (no internal links)
• Single-file markdown operations

Quick Reference

Task	Command	Notes
Check vault	obsidian-cli print-default	Always run first
Read note	obsidian-cli print "Note Name"	Reads by name or path
Create note	obsidian-cli create "Name" --content "text"	Add --open to launch Obsidian
Update note	obsidian-cli create "Name" --content "text" --append	Use --overwrite to replace
Move note	obsidian-cli move "old/path" "new/path"	Auto-updates all links
Search content	obsidian-cli search-content "term"	Searches note contents
Search names	obsidian-cli search	Fuzzy search (interactive)
Daily note	obsidian-cli daily	Create/open today's note

See also:

• Complete obsidian-cli Command Reference - All commands with flags and advanced usage
• Obsidian Syntax Reference - Wiki-links, tags, frontmatter, and markdown syntax
• Note Templates - Daily note, project, and meeting templates

Core Workflows

Always Check Vault First

# REQUIRED before any operation
obsidian-cli print-default

# Get path for direct file operations if needed
VAULT_PATH=$(obsidian-cli print-default --path-only)

Why: Paths are vault-relative, not repository-relative. Creating files in wrong location breaks vault structure.

If obsidian-cli is not installed: Warn the user that move/rename operations will break wiki-links. Offer to install (npm install -g @johnlindquist/obsidian-cli). Read and search operations are safe with standard tools.

Moving/Reorganizing Notes

# ✅ CORRECT: Auto-updates all links
obsidian-cli move "Random Notes/Design" "Projects/Design"

# ❌ WRONG: Breaks all links to this note
mv "vault/Random Notes/Design.md" "vault/Projects/Design.md"

Critical: obsidian-cli move updates every link in the vault automatically. Using mv or file operations breaks internal references.

Creating/Updating Notes

# Create new note
obsidian-cli create "Projects/Mobile App" --content "# Mobile App\n\n## Tasks\n- [ ] Task 1"

# Append to existing (safe if file exists)
obsidian-cli create "Daily Log" --content "\n## Update\n- New entry" --append

# Replace existing (use cautiously)
obsidian-cli create "Draft" --content "# Fresh content" --overwrite

Obsidian syntax in --content:

• Wiki-links: [[Note Name]]
• Tags: #project
• Checkboxes: - [ ] Task
• Newlines: \n

Templates: Use provided note templates as starting points for common note types (daily notes, projects, meetings).

Searching and Organizing

# Find notes mentioning topic
obsidian-cli search-content "API design"

# Read found note
obsidian-cli print "Backend/API Design"

# Reorganize (preserves all links)
obsidian-cli move "Backend/API Design" "Projects/Backend/API Design"

Common Mistakes

Mistake	Why Wrong	Fix
Using mv to move notes	Breaks all [[wiki-links]] to that note	Use obsidian-cli move
Using Write tool for notes	Creates files outside vault or wrong location	Use obsidian-cli create --content
Using Read for vault notes	Misses vault context, no search integration	Use obsidian-cli print
Not checking vault first	Operations fail or create files in wrong place	Always run print-default first
Manual link updating with sed	Error-prone, misses bidirectional links	obsidian-cli move handles automatically
Using absolute paths	Breaks when vault moves	Use vault-relative paths

When to Use Standard Tools

Use obsidian-cli first. Only use standard tools when:

• Bulk editing note contents (use Edit after obsidian-cli print)
• Complex search patterns (use Grep with vault path)
• File pattern matching (use Glob on $VAULT_PATH/**/*.md)

Always preserve:

• Frontmatter (YAML between ---)
• Obsidian link syntax [[Note]]
• Tag syntax #tag-name
• Markdown structure

Integration Pattern

# 1. Check vault
obsidian-cli print-default

# 2. Use obsidian-cli for vault operations
obsidian-cli search-content "search term"
obsidian-cli print "Found Note"

# 3. Use standard tools ONLY when needed
# (e.g., complex editing after reading with obsidian-cli)

Success Criteria

Vault operations succeed when:

• All [[wiki-links]] remain valid after moves
• Notes created in correct vault location
• Markdown and YAML frontmatter preserved intact during all operations
• Search returns accurate results
• No broken links or orphaned notes