obsidian-cli

Obsidian CLI Reference

Use the obsidian CLI to interact with a running Obsidian instance. Requires Obsidian 1.10+ to be open. Run obsidian help or obsidian help <command> for the latest parameter details.

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CLI-First Principles

The obsidian CLI talks directly to Obsidian's live index — it knows about links, tags, properties, and base views without scanning files. This makes it dramatically faster and lighter than using Read/Grep/Glob on vault files.

Prefer CLI over Claude Code tools for vault operations:

Task	Use CLI	NOT this
Read note content	obsidian read file="Note"	Read tool on .md file
Create a note	obsidian create name="Note" content="..." silent	Write tool
Edit properties	obsidian property:set name="status" value="done" file="Note"	Edit tool on frontmatter
Search vault	obsidian search query="keyword"	Grep across vault files
List files	obsidian files folder="Folder/"	Glob pattern matching
Query structured data	obsidian base:query path="Views/Tasks.base"	Reading .base + scanning all matching files
Vault health metrics	obsidian unresolved total / orphans total / deadends total	Manual link analysis with Grep

Minimal-Context Pattern

When you need to understand a note's content, gather metadata first before reading full content. This can save thousands of tokens:

# Step 1: Check structure (headings only — very small output)
obsidian outline file="Session-274"

# Step 2: Read properties (frontmatter only — no body content)
obsidian properties file="Session-274"

# Step 3: Only if needed, read the full note (or a specific section)
obsidian read file="Session-274"

For multi-file tasks (summarizing, auditing, comparing), use outline and properties across files first, then selectively read only the files that need deeper inspection. This avoids loading entire note bodies into the context window.

CLI for Note Creation

When creating notes in a vault, use obsidian create + property:set + append instead of the Write tool. This ensures Obsidian's index updates immediately (no need to wait for file-watcher).

# Create with initial content
obsidian create name="My Note" path="Projects/" content="# My Note\n\nContent here."

# Set frontmatter properties
obsidian property:set name="tags" value="[\"project\",\"active\"]" file="My Note"
obsidian property:set name="status" value="draft" file="My Note"

# Append additional content
obsidian append file="My Note" content="\n## Section Two\nMore content."

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Syntax Reference

Parameters and Flags

Concept	Syntax	Example
Parameter (key=value)	name=value	file="My Note"
Flag (boolean switch)	bare word	silent, overwrite, total
Multiline content	\n newline, \t tab	content="Line 1\nLine 2"

Quote values containing spaces: name="Weekly Review".

File Targeting

Many commands accept file or path. If neither is given, the active file is used.

• file=<name> -- resolves like a wikilink (name only, no path or extension)
• path=<path> -- exact vault-relative path, e.g. Projects/note.md

Vault Targeting

Commands target the most recently focused vault. Override with vault= as the first parameter:

obsidian vault="Work" search query="deadline"

Global Modifiers

Modifier	Effect
--copy	Copy command output to clipboard
silent	Prevent files from opening in the UI
total	On list commands, return only the count

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File Operations

Command	Purpose	Example
read	Read file content	obsidian read file="Meeting Notes"
create	Create a new note	obsidian create name="Sprint 42" content="# Sprint 42"
append	Add content to end of file	obsidian append file="Log" content="\n- Entry"
prepend	Add content to start of file	obsidian prepend file="Log" content="# Updated\n"
delete	Delete a file (trash by default)	obsidian delete file="Old Draft"
move	Move file to another folder	obsidian move file="Note" to="Archive/"
rename	Rename a file	obsidian rename file="Draft" name="Final"
open	Open a file in the UI	obsidian open file="Dashboard" newtab
file	File info (size, dates, path)	obsidian file file="README"
files	List files in vault/folder	obsidian files folder="Projects/" ext=md
folder	Folder info (files, size)	obsidian folder path="Projects/" info=files
folders	List all folders	obsidian folders folder="Projects/" total

Key parameters for create: name, content, path (folder), template, overwrite, open, newtab.

Key parameters for files: folder (filter by folder), ext (filter by extension), total.

Key parameters for delete: permanent (skip trash, delete permanently — default moves to trash).

The append and prepend commands accept an inline flag to add content without a newline separator.

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Search & Discovery

Command	Purpose	Example
search	Full-text search	obsidian search query="machine learning" limit=10
search:context	Search with matching line context	obsidian search:context query="TODO" limit=10
search:open	Open search in Obsidian UI	obsidian search:open query="refactor"
backlinks	List notes linking to a file	obsidian backlinks file="API Design" counts
links	List outgoing links from a file	obsidian links file="Index" total
tag	Info for a single tag	obsidian tag name="project" verbose
tags	List all tags in vault	obsidian tags sort=count counts
aliases	List all aliases	obsidian aliases verbose
outline	Show heading structure	obsidian outline file="Architecture" format=json
wordcount	Word/char count for a file	obsidian wordcount file="Draft" words
recents	Recently opened files	obsidian recents total
random	Open a random note	obsidian random folder="Projects/"
random:read	Read a random note	obsidian random:read folder="Projects/"

Key parameters for search: query, limit, path (scope to folder), case (case sensitive), format=text|json.

Key parameters for backlinks: counts (include link counts), total, format=json|tsv|csv.

Key parameters for outline: format=tree|md|json (default: tree), total (heading count only).

Key parameters for tags: file or path (scope to note/folder), counts, sort=count, format=json|tsv|csv, active (active file only).

Key parameters for aliases: file (scope to note), total, verbose (include file paths), active.

Key parameters for wordcount: words (word count only), characters (char count only).

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Vault Health

Find structural issues in your vault.

Command	Purpose	Example
deadends	Notes with no outgoing links	obsidian deadends total
orphans	Notes with no incoming links	obsidian orphans total
unresolved	Broken/unresolved wikilinks	obsidian unresolved verbose

Key parameters for deadends/orphans: total, all (include non-markdown files).

Key parameters for unresolved: total, counts (include link counts), verbose (include source files), format=json|tsv|csv.

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Daily Notes

Command	Purpose	Example
daily	Open today's daily note (create if needed)	obsidian daily
daily:read	Read today's daily note	obsidian daily:read
daily:append	Append to daily note	obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] Review PRs"
daily:prepend	Prepend to daily note	obsidian daily:prepend content="## Morning\n"
daily:path	Get path of daily note	obsidian daily:path

Use date=YYYY-MM-DD to target a specific day: obsidian daily:read date=2026-02-20.

Daily commands accept paneType=tab|split|window to control where the note opens. daily:append and daily:prepend accept inline (no newline) and open flags.

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Properties

Operate on YAML frontmatter properties.

Command	Purpose	Example
properties	List properties (file or vault-wide)	obsidian properties file="Project X"
property:read	Read a single property	obsidian property:read name="status" file="Project X"
property:set	Set a property value	obsidian property:set name="status" value="done" file="Project X"
property:remove	Remove a property	obsidian property:remove name="draft" file="Project X"

Key parameters for properties (vault-wide when no file given): name (specific property count), sort=count, counts (include occurrence counts), format=yaml|json|tsv, active (active file only).

Key parameters for property:set: type=text|list|number|checkbox|date|datetime to specify the property type explicitly.

For list-type properties, property:set replaces the entire value. Use JSON for arrays: value="[\"tag1\",\"tag2\"]".

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Tasks

Operates on - [ ] / - [x] checkbox items in note content (NOT frontmatter properties).

Command	Purpose	Example
task	Show or update a task	obsidian task line=5 done file="Sprint"
tasks	List/filter tasks	obsidian tasks todo verbose

Key parameters for task: line (line number), file/path, toggle, done, todo, status="<char>" (custom status like /, ?, !), daily (target daily note), ref=<path:line> (task reference).

Key parameters for tasks: todo (incomplete only), done (completed only), status="<char>" (filter by status character), file/path (scope), verbose (group by file with line numbers), format=json|tsv|csv, total, active (active file), daily (daily note tasks).

# List all incomplete tasks in a folder, grouped by file
obsidian tasks todo path="Projects/" verbose

# Mark a specific task as done
obsidian task line=12 done file="Sprint 42"

# Set custom status character (e.g., in-progress)
obsidian task line=8 status="/" file="Sprint 42"

# Count tasks in today's daily note
obsidian tasks daily total

# Get tasks as JSON for processing
obsidian tasks todo format=json

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Bases

Interact with Obsidian Bases (database views). Bases accept both file= and path=.

Command	Purpose	Example
bases	List all bases in vault	obsidian bases
base:views	List views in a base	obsidian base:views path="Bases/Projects.base"
base:create	Create a new item in a base	obsidian base:create path="Bases/Tasks.base" name="New Task" content="# New Task"
base:query	Query base data	obsidian base:query path="Bases/Projects.base" format=md

Key parameters for base:create: name (new file name), content (initial content), view (target view), open, newtab.

Supported format values for base:query: json, csv, tsv, md, paths. Use view= to query a specific view.

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Bookmarks

Command	Purpose	Example
bookmark	Add a bookmark	obsidian bookmark file="Important Note"
bookmarks	List all bookmarks	obsidian bookmarks verbose

Key parameters for bookmark: file (file path), subpath (heading or block within file), folder (folder path), search (search query), url (URL), title (bookmark title).

Key parameters for bookmarks: total, verbose (include bookmark types), format=json|tsv|csv.

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History & Versioning

Access Obsidian's built-in file recovery snapshots.

Command	Purpose	Example
history	List file history versions	obsidian history file="Config"
history:list	List files with history	obsidian history:list
history:read	Read a specific snapshot	obsidian history:read file="Config" version=2
history:restore	Restore a snapshot	obsidian history:restore file="Config" version=2
history:open	Open file recovery UI	obsidian history:open file="Config"
diff	Diff between versions	obsidian diff file="Config" from=1 to=3

Key parameters for diff: from (version to diff from), to (version to diff to), filter=local|sync (filter by version source).

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Sync

Manage Obsidian Sync (requires active Sync subscription).

Command	Purpose	Example
sync	Pause or resume sync	obsidian sync on
sync:status	Check sync status	obsidian sync:status
sync:history	List sync version history for a file	obsidian sync:history file="Note"
sync:read	Read a synced version	obsidian sync:read file="Note" version=3
sync:restore	Restore a synced version	obsidian sync:restore file="Note" version=3
sync:deleted	List remotely deleted files	obsidian sync:deleted total
sync:open	Open sync history UI	obsidian sync:open file="Note"

Key parameters for sync: on (resume), off (pause).

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Templates

Command	Purpose	Example
templates	List available templates	obsidian templates total
template:read	Read a template's content	obsidian template:read name="Meeting Notes"
template:insert	Insert template into active file	obsidian template:insert name="Meeting Notes"

Key parameters for template:read: resolve (resolve template variables like {{date}}, {{title}}), title (title value for variable resolution).

Note: template:insert inserts into the active file — it does not accept a file= parameter. Open the target file first with obsidian open.

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Plugins

Command	Purpose	Example
plugins	List installed plugins	obsidian plugins filter=community versions
plugin	Plugin info	obsidian plugin id=dataview
plugin:enable	Enable a plugin	obsidian plugin:enable id=dataview
plugin:disable	Disable a plugin	obsidian plugin:disable id=dataview
plugin:install	Install from community	obsidian plugin:install id=obsidian-tasks enable
plugin:reload	Reload a plugin (dev cycle)	obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin
plugin:uninstall	Uninstall a plugin	obsidian plugin:uninstall id=old-plugin
plugins:enabled	List enabled plugins only	obsidian plugins:enabled filter=community
plugins:restrict	Toggle restricted mode	obsidian plugins:restrict on

Key parameters for plugins/plugins:enabled: filter=core|community, versions (include version numbers), format=json|tsv|csv.

Key parameters for plugin:install: enable (enable immediately after install).

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Themes & Snippets

Command	Purpose	Example
theme	Show active theme or theme info	obsidian theme name="Minimal"
themes	List installed themes	obsidian themes
theme:install	Install a theme	obsidian theme:install name="Minimal" enable
theme:set	Activate a theme	obsidian theme:set name="Minimal"
theme:uninstall	Remove a theme	obsidian theme:uninstall name="Old Theme"
snippets	List CSS snippets	obsidian snippets
snippet:enable	Enable a snippet	obsidian snippet:enable name="custom-headers"
snippet:disable	Disable a snippet	obsidian snippet:disable name="custom-headers"
snippets:enabled	List enabled snippets only	obsidian snippets:enabled

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Tabs & Workspace

Command	Purpose	Example
tabs	List open tabs	obsidian tabs ids
tab:open	Open a file in a new tab	obsidian tab:open file="Dashboard"
workspace	Show workspace tree	obsidian workspace ids

Key parameters for tabs: ids (include tab IDs).

Key parameters for tab:open: group (tab group ID), file (file to open), view (view type).

Key parameters for workspace: ids (include workspace item IDs).

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Vault Management

Command	Purpose	Example
vault	Current vault info	obsidian vault info=size
vaults	List all known vaults	obsidian vaults verbose
reload	Reload the vault (re-index)	obsidian reload
restart	Restart Obsidian	obsidian restart
version	Show Obsidian version	obsidian version

Key parameters for vault: info=name|path|files|folders|size (return specific info only).

Key parameters for vaults: total, verbose (include vault paths).

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Commands & Hotkeys

Execute any Obsidian command by ID.

Command	Purpose	Example
command	Execute a command	obsidian command id="editor:toggle-bold"
commands	List all commands	obsidian commands filter="editor:toggle"
hotkey	Get hotkey for a command	obsidian hotkey id="editor:toggle-bold" verbose
hotkeys	List all hotkeys	obsidian hotkeys format=json

Key parameters for commands: filter=<prefix> (filter by command ID prefix).

Key parameters for hotkeys: total, verbose (show if custom), format=json|tsv|csv, all (include commands without hotkeys).

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Developer Tools

Command	Purpose	Example
eval	Run JS in app context	obsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length"
devtools	Open DevTools	obsidian devtools
dev:console	Read console output	obsidian dev:console level=error limit=20
dev:errors	List uncaught errors	obsidian dev:errors
dev:screenshot	Capture screenshot	obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png
dev:dom	Inspect DOM elements	obsidian dev:dom selector=".workspace-leaf" text
dev:css	Inspect CSS with source locations	obsidian dev:css selector=".workspace-leaf" prop=background-color
dev:mobile	Toggle mobile emulation	obsidian dev:mobile on
dev:cdp	Chrome DevTools Protocol	obsidian dev:cdp method="Runtime.evaluate" params='{"expression":"1+1"}'
dev:debug	Attach/detach debugger	obsidian dev:debug on

Key parameters for dev:console: level=log|warn|error|info|debug, limit (default 50), clear (clear the buffer).

Key parameters for dev:errors: clear (clear the error buffer).

Key parameters for dev:dom: selector (CSS selector), text (text content), inner (innerHTML), all (all matches), attr=<name>, css=<prop>, total.

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Common Recipes

Summarize multiple notes efficiently

# Get structure + properties for each note (minimal tokens)
for n in 270 271 272 273 274; do
  echo "=== Session-$n ==="
  obsidian properties file="Session-$n"
  obsidian outline file="Session-$n"
done
# Only read full content for notes that need deeper inspection
obsidian read file="Session-274"

Query structured data from Bases

# Query a base view — returns structured data without reading individual files
obsidian base:query path="TaskNotes/Views/tasks-default.base" format=md

# List available bases and views
obsidian bases
obsidian base:views path="TaskNotes/Views/tasks-default.base"

Find and fix broken links

# List all unresolved links
obsidian unresolved --copy
# Create a missing note
obsidian create name="Missing Page" content="# Missing Page\nTODO: fill in"

Vault health check (5 CLI calls)

obsidian unresolved total    # Broken link count
obsidian orphans total       # Orphan note count
obsidian deadends total      # Dead-end note count
obsidian files total         # Total file count
obsidian tags sort=count     # Tag frequency

Bulk update a property across files

# Find files with a specific tag
obsidian search query="tag:#v1" path="Projects/"
# Update property on each result
obsidian property:set name="version" value="2.0" file="Project A"
obsidian property:set name="version" value="2.0" file="Project B"

Create a note from template and tag it

obsidian create name="2026-02-23 Standup" template="Standup"
obsidian property:set name="type" value="standup" file="2026-02-23 Standup"
obsidian property:set name="status" value="draft" file="2026-02-23 Standup"

Plugin development cycle

obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin
obsidian dev:errors
obsidian dev:console level=error limit=10
obsidian dev:screenshot path=after-change.png

Daily note quick capture

obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] Fix login bug #urgent"
obsidian daily:append content="\n> Idea: cache invalidation strategy for the API layer"