Obsidian CLI

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

When to Use

• Use when managing vault content through the Obsidian CLI.
• Use when developing or debugging Obsidian plugins and themes from the command line.
• Use when the user wants shell-driven interaction with a running Obsidian app.

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:

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

Flags are boolean switches with no value:

bash
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:

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

Common patterns

bash
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:

bash obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin

1. Check for errors — if errors appear, fix and repeat from step 1:

bash obsidian dev:errors

1. Verify visually with a screenshot or DOM inspection:

bash obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png obsidian dev:dom selector=".workspace-leaf" text

1. Check console output for warnings or unexpected logs:

bash obsidian dev:console level=error

Additional developer commands

Run JavaScript in the app context:

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

Inspect CSS values:

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

Toggle mobile emulation:

bash
obsidian dev:mobile on

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

Limitations

• Use this skill only when the task clearly matches the scope described above.
• Do not treat the output as a substitute for environment-specific validation, testing, or expert review.
• Stop and ask for clarification if required inputs, permissions, safety boundaries, or success criteria are missing.