---

name: obsidian-cli description: Interact with Obsidian vaults using the Obsidian CLI to read, create, search, and manage notes, tasks, properties, and more. Also supports plugin and theme development with commands to reload plugins, run JavaScript, capture errors, take screenshots, and inspect the DOM. Use when the user asks to interact with their Obsidian vault, manage notes, search vault content, perform vault operations from the command line, or develop and debug Obsidian plugins and themes. slug: obsidian-cli category: operations complexity: complex version: "1.0.0" author: "id8Labs" triggers:

• "obsidian-cli"
• "obsidian cli" tags:
• development
• tool-factory-retrofitted---

Obsidian CLI

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Primary Action

1. Analyze the input and context
2. Validate prerequisites are met
3. Execute the core operation
4. Verify the output meets expectations
5. Report results

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

Reload a plugin after code changes — essential for the develop/test cycle:

obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin

Run JavaScript in the app context:

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

Check for errors and console output:

obsidian dev:errors
obsidian dev:console
obsidian dev:console level=error

Take a screenshot for visual testing:

obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png

Inspect DOM and CSS:

obsidian dev:dom selector=".workspace-leaf" text
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.