Obsidian CLI Skill

This skill enables Claude to use the Obsidian CLI — the command-line interface built into Obsidian v1.12+ — to interact with your Obsidian vault(s).

Prerequisites

Obsidian v1.12 or later installed
Obsidian app must be running (the CLI communicates via local IPC)
CLI enabled in Obsidian: Settings → General → Command line interface → Register CLI
obsidian command available in your shell PATH

To verify:

obsidian version

If not found, add the Obsidian binary to your PATH:

macOS: /Applications/Obsidian.app/Contents/MacOS/obsidian
Windows: Typically added automatically after registering in settings
Linux: Depends on installation method (AppImage, Snap, etc.)

Syntax

obsidian <command> [options]

Global Options

Option	Description
`vault=<name>`	Target a specific vault by name (required if multiple vaults)
`file=<name>`	Refer to a file by its name (wikilink-style resolution)
`path=<path>`	Refer to a file by its exact path (`folder/note.md`)

Important Rules

File resolution: file= resolves like wikilinks (by note name, first match wins); path= uses exact file paths. Most commands default to the active file when omitted.
Quoting: Wrap values containing spaces in quotes: name="My Note".
Escape sequences: Use \n for newlines, \t for tabs in content values.
Vault targeting: If you have only one vault, vault= is usually optional.

Command Reference

See references/commands.md for the complete list of all commands with their options.

Complete Command List by Category

File Operations

Command	Description
`create name=<name> [content=] [template=] [open] [newtab] [overwrite]`	Create a new note
`read [file=] [path=]`	Read a note's contents
`append [file=] [path=] content= [inline]`	Append content to a note
`prepend [file=] [path=] content= [inline]`	Prepend content (after frontmatter)
`delete [file=] [path=] [permanent]`	Delete a note
`move [file=] [path=] to=<path>`	Move a note to another folder
`rename [file=] [path=] name=<name>`	Rename a note
`file [file=] [path=]`	Show file info

Search & Navigation

Command	Description
`search query=<text> [path=] [limit=] [total] [case] [format=]`	Search vault contents
`search:context query=<text> [path=] [limit=] [case] [format=]`	Search with surrounding context
`search:open [query=]`	Open search view in Obsidian
`open [file=] [path=] [newtab]`	Open a file in Obsidian
`random [folder=] [newtab]`	Open a random note
`random:read [folder=]`	Read a random note
`recents [total]`	List recently opened files
`tabs [ids]`	List open tabs
`tab:open [group=] [file=] [view=]`	Open a new tab

Daily Notes

Command	Description
`daily [paneType=tab\|split\|window]`	Open today's daily note
`daily:read`	Read today's daily note
`daily:append content= [inline] [open] [paneType=]`	Append to daily note
`daily:prepend content= [inline] [open] [paneType=]`	Prepend to daily note
`daily:path`	Get path to daily note

Properties & Tags

Command	Description
`property:set name= value= [type=] [file=] [path=]`	Set a property
`property:read name= [file=] [path=]`	Read a property value
`property:remove name= [file=] [path=]`	Remove a property
`properties [file=] [path=] [name=] [total] [counts] [sort=] [active] [format=]`	List properties in vault
`tags [file=] [path=] [total] [counts] [sort=] [active] [format=]`	List tags
`tag name=<tag> [total] [verbose]`	Get tag info

Tasks

Command	Description
`tasks [file=] [path=] [total] [done] [todo] [status=] [verbose] [active] [daily] [format=]`	List tasks
`task [ref=] [file=] [path=] [line=] [toggle\|done\|todo] [daily] [status=]`	Show or update a task

Templates

Command	Description
`templates [total]`	List available templates
`template:read name= [resolve] [title=]`	Read template content
`template:insert name=`	Insert template into active file

Links

Command	Description
`backlinks [file=] [path=] [counts] [total] [format=]`	List backlinks to a file
`links [file=] [path=] [total]`	List outgoing links from a file
`unresolved [total] [counts] [verbose] [format=]`	List unresolved links
`deadends [total] [all]`	Files with no outgoing links
`orphans [total] [all]`	Files with no incoming links

Vault Info

Command	Description
`files [folder=] [ext=] [total]`	List vault files
`folders [folder=] [total]`	List vault folders
`folder path= [info=files\|folders\|size]`	Show folder info
`vault [info=name\|path\|files\|folders\|size]`	Show vault info
`vaults [total] [verbose]`	List known vaults
`wordcount [file=] [path=] [words] [characters]`	Count words and characters
`outline [file=] [path=] [format=tree\|md\|json] [total]`	Show file headings

Plugin & Theme Management

Command	Description
`plugins [filter=core\|community] [versions] [format=]`	List installed plugins
`plugins:enabled [filter=core\|community] [versions] [format=]`	List enabled plugins
`plugins:restrict [on\|off]`	Toggle or check restricted mode
`plugin id=<plugin-id>`	Get plugin info
`plugin:enable id= [filter=core\|community]`	Enable a plugin
`plugin:disable id= [filter=core\|community]`	Disable a plugin
`plugin:install id= [enable]`	Install a community plugin
`plugin:uninstall id=`	Uninstall a community plugin
`plugin:reload id=`	Reload a plugin (developer use)
`themes [versions]`	List installed themes
`theme [name=]`	Show active theme or get theme info
`theme:set name=`	Set active theme
`theme:install name= [enable]`	Install a community theme
`theme:uninstall name=`	Uninstall a theme

History, Sync & Diff

Command	Description
`history [file=] [path=]`	List file history versions
`history:list`	List files with history
`history:open [file=] [path=]`	Open file recovery
`history:read [file=] [path=] [version=]`	Read a specific history version
`history:restore [file=] [path=] version=<n>`	Restore a specific version
`diff [file=] [path=] [from=] [to=] [filter=local\|sync]`	List or diff versions
`sync:status`	Show sync status
`sync [on\|off]`	Pause or resume sync
`sync:deleted [total]`	List deleted files in sync
`sync:history [file=] [path=] [total]`	List sync version history
`sync:open [file=] [path=]`	Open sync history
`sync:read [file=] [path=] version=<n>`	Read a sync version
`sync:restore [file=] [path=] version=<n>`	Restore a sync version

Commands & Automation

Command	Description
`help [<command>]`	Show list of all commands or help for a specific one
`command id=<command-id>`	Execute any Obsidian command by ID
`commands [filter=]`	List all available commands
`workspace [ids]`	Show workspace tree
`reload`	Reload the vault
`restart`	Restart Obsidian

Aliases

Command	Description
`aliases [file=] [path=] [total] [verbose] [active]`	List aliases in the vault

Bases (Databases)

Command	Description
`bases`	List all base files in vault
`base:create [file=] [path=] [view=] [name=] [content=] [open] [newtab]`	Create a new item in a base
`base:query [file=] [path=] [view=] [format=]`	Query a base and return

obsidian-cli