obsidian-cli

kepano/obsidian-skills · updated Apr 8, 2026

MDX-style export adds YAML metadata + attribution linking explainx.ai and this canonical listing URL.

$npx skills add https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills --skill obsidian-cli
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summary

Read, create, search, and manage Obsidian vault notes via CLI with built-in plugin development and debugging tools.

  • Core vault operations: read, create, append, search notes; manage tasks, properties, tags, and backlinks with flexible file targeting
  • Daily note shortcuts for quick appends and reads; supports templates, silent mode, clipboard output, and multi-vault targeting
  • Plugin development workflow: reload plugins, run JavaScript in app context, capture screenshots, inspect DOM an
skill.md

Obsidian CLI

Use the obsidian CLI to interact with a running Obsidian instance. Requires Obsidian to be open.

Command reference

Run obsidian help to see all available commands. This is always up to date. Full docs: https://help.obsidian.md/cli

Syntax

Parameters take a value with =. Quote values with spaces:

obsidian create name="My Note" content="Hello world"

Flags are boolean switches with no value:

obsidian create name="My Note" silent overwrite

For multiline content use \n for newline and \t for tab.

File targeting

Many commands accept file or path to target a file. Without either, the active file is used.

  • file=<name> — resolves like a wikilink (name only, no path or extension needed)
  • path=<path> — exact path from vault root, e.g. folder/note.md

Vault targeting

Commands target the most recently focused vault by default. Use vault=<name> as the first parameter to target a specific vault:

obsidian vault="My Vault" search query="test"

Common patterns

obsidian read file="My Note"
obsidian create name="New Note" content="# Hello" template="Template" silent
obsidian append file="My Note" content="New line"
obsidian search query="search term" limit=10
obsidian daily:read
obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] New task"
obsidian property:set name="status" value="done" file="My Note"
obsidian tasks daily todo
obsidian tags sort=count counts
obsidian backlinks file="My Note"

Use --copy on any command to copy output to clipboard. Use silent to prevent files from opening. Use total on list commands to get a count.

Plugin development

Develop/test cycle

After making code changes to a plugin or theme, follow this workflow:

  1. Reload the plugin to pick up changes:
    obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin
    
  2. Check for errors — if errors appear, fix and repeat from step 1:
    obsidian dev:errors
    
  3. Verify visually with a screenshot or DOM inspection:
    obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png
    obsidian dev:dom selector=".workspace-leaf" text
    
  4. Check console output for warnings or unexpected logs:
    obsidian dev:console level=error
    

Additional developer commands

Run JavaScript in the app context:

obsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length"

Inspect CSS values:

obsidian dev:css selector=".workspace-leaf" prop=background-color

Toggle mobile emulation:

obsidian dev:mobile on

Run obsidian help to see additional developer commands including CDP and debugger controls.

how to use obsidian-cli

How to use obsidian-cli on Cursor

AI-first code editor with Composer

1

Prerequisites

Before installing skills in Cursor, ensure your development environment meets these requirements:

  • Cursor installed and configured on your development machine
  • Node.js version 16.0+ with npm package manager (verify with node --version)
  • Active project directory or workspace where you want to add obsidian-cli
2

Execute installation command

Execute the skills CLI command in your project's root directory to begin installation:

$npx skills add https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills --skill obsidian-cli

The skills CLI fetches obsidian-cli from GitHub repository kepano/obsidian-skills and configures it for Cursor.

3

Select Cursor when prompted

The CLI will show a list of available agents. Use arrow keys to navigate and space to select Cursor:

◆ Which agents do you want to install to?
│ ── Universal (.agents/skills) ── always included ────
│ • Amp
│ • Antigravity
│ • Cline
│ • Codex
│ ●Cursor(selected)
│ • Cursor
│ • Windsurf
4

Verify installation

Confirm successful installation by checking the skill directory location:

.cursor/skills/obsidian-cli

Reload or restart Cursor to activate obsidian-cli. Access the skill through slash commands (e.g., /obsidian-cli) or your agent's skill management interface.

Security & Verification Notice

We perform automated surface-level scans (Gen AI Scanner, Socket, Snyk) during installation. These checks detect common vulnerabilities but do not guarantee complete security. Always review skill source code and verify the publisher's reputation before production use.

Skills execute code in your development environment. Always verify the publisher's identity, review recent commits, and test in isolated environments before production deployment.

List & Monetize Your Skill

Submit your Claude Code skill and start earning

GET_STARTED →

Use Cases

User Story & Requirements Generation

Create detailed user stories, acceptance criteria, and feature specs

Example

Generate user stories for 'password reset feature' with acceptance criteria, edge cases, and test scenarios

Reduce spec writing time by 50%, ensure comprehensive coverage

Competitive Analysis

Research competitors, compare features, identify gaps

Example

Analyze 5 competitor products, create feature comparison matrix, suggest differentiation opportunities

Complete competitive research in 2 hours instead of 2 days

Roadmap Prioritization

Evaluate features using frameworks (RICE, ICE, Kano) and create prioritized backlogs

Example

Score 20 feature ideas using RICE framework, generate prioritized roadmap with rationale

Make data-driven prioritization decisions faster

Stakeholder Communication

Draft PRDs, status updates, and stakeholder presentations

Example

Create executive summary of Q3 roadmap, monthly progress report, feature launch announcement

Save 3-5 hours/week on communication overhead

Implementation Guide

Prerequisites

  • Claude Desktop or compatible AI client
  • Access to product documentation and roadmap tools (Jira, Notion, etc.)
  • Understanding of product management frameworks (RICE, Jobs-to-be-Done, etc.)
  • Stakeholder contact information and communication channels

Time Estimate

30-60 minutes to see productivity improvements

Installation Steps

  1. 1.Install product management skill
  2. 2.Start with user story generation for known feature
  3. 3.Progress to competitive analysis: research 2-3 competitors
  4. 4.Use for roadmap prioritization: apply RICE/ICE scoring
  5. 5.Draft stakeholder communications and refine based on feedback
  6. 6.Build template library for recurring PM tasks
  7. 7.Share effective prompts with product team

Common Pitfalls

  • Not validating competitive research—verify facts before sharing
  • Accepting user stories without involving engineering team
  • Over-relying on frameworks without qualitative judgment
  • Not customizing outputs to company culture and communication style
  • Skipping stakeholder validation of generated requirements

Best Practices

✓ Do

  • +Validate research and competitive analysis with real data
  • +Collaborate with engineering when generating technical requirements
  • +Customize frameworks and templates to your company context
  • +Use skill for first drafts, refine with stakeholder input
  • +Document successful prompt patterns for PM tasks
  • +Combine AI efficiency with human judgment and intuition

✗ Don't

  • Don't publish competitive analysis without fact-checking
  • Don't finalize user stories without engineering review
  • Don't make prioritization decisions solely on AI scoring
  • Don't skip customer validation of generated requirements
  • Don't ignore company-specific context and culture

💡 Pro Tips

  • Provide context: company goals, constraints, customer feedback
  • Ask for alternatives: 'Show 3 ways to prioritize this roadmap'
  • Request stakeholder-specific formatting: 'Executive summary vs. engineering spec'
  • Use skill for 70% generation + 30% customization to company needs

When to Use This

✓ Use When

Use for user story writing, competitive research, roadmap prioritization, stakeholder communication, and PRD drafting. Best for reducing repetitive documentation and research work.

✗ Avoid When

Avoid for strategic product vision (requires deep customer empathy), pricing decisions (needs market and financial expertise), or when face-to-face customer discovery is more valuable than speed.

Learning Path

  1. 1Basic: user stories, feature specs, status updates
  2. 2Intermediate: competitive analysis, prioritization frameworks, PRDs
  3. 3Advanced: product strategy, go-to-market planning, OKR setting
  4. 4Expert: product vision, market positioning, business model innovation

Discussion

Product Hunt–style comments (not star reviews)
  • No comments yet — start the thread.
general reviews

Ratings

4.671 reviews
  • Hana Abbas· Dec 24, 2024

    Solid pick for teams standardizing on skills: obsidian-cli is focused, and the summary matches what you get after install.

  • Min Brown· Dec 16, 2024

    Keeps context tight: obsidian-cli is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Nikhil Diallo· Dec 4, 2024

    Registry listing for obsidian-cli matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • Min Menon· Nov 27, 2024

    Useful defaults in obsidian-cli — fewer surprises than typical one-off scripts, and it plays nicely with `npx skills` flows.

  • Min Mehta· Nov 23, 2024

    Keeps context tight: obsidian-cli is the kind of skill you can hand to a new teammate without a long onboarding doc.

  • Hana Thomas· Nov 15, 2024

    We added obsidian-cli from the explainx registry; install was straightforward and the SKILL.md answered most questions upfront.

  • Min Shah· Nov 7, 2024

    Registry listing for obsidian-cli matched our evaluation — installs cleanly and behaves as described in the markdown.

  • Nikhil Thompson· Oct 26, 2024

    obsidian-cli reduced setup friction for our internal harness; good balance of opinion and flexibility.

  • Min Rao· Oct 18, 2024

    I recommend obsidian-cli for anyone iterating fast on agent tooling; clear intent and a small, reviewable surface area.

  • Min Reddy· Oct 14, 2024

    obsidian-cli is among the better-maintained entries we tried; worth keeping pinned for repeat workflows.

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