Obsidian

Obsidian

Use this skill for Obsidian vault work and Obsidian Web Clipper template creation. An Obsidian vault is a normal folder of Markdown files plus .obsidian/ configuration; treat it as user data and make changes conservatively.

When To Use

• The user asks to find, search, read, create, edit, move, rename, or delete notes in an Obsidian vault.
• The user asks to identify the active vault or resolve vault paths.
• The user asks to preserve or update [[wikilinks]] while moving or renaming notes.
• The user asks to create, modify, or troubleshoot an Obsidian Web Clipper JSON template.

Do not use for:

• General file cleanup outside an Obsidian vault.
• Notion workspace reads/writes.
• Deep research, paper reading, or multi-source material organization unless the output is explicitly an Obsidian note.
• Directly scraping websites into the user's vault; this skill can create a Web Clipper template, not run a clipping workflow on the user's behalf.

How To Call

1. Identify the task type:

   • vault_operation: vault discovery, note search, note create/edit, move/rename/delete, link maintenance.
   • clipper_template: Web Clipper JSON template generation, modification, or troubleshooting.

2. For vault operations:

   • Follow references/vault-operations.md.
   • Do not guess vault paths. Read Obsidian desktop config or use the user's explicit path.
   • For moves, renames, deletes, bulk edits, or scripts, show the exact plan and obtain confirmation before changing files.

3. For Web Clipper templates:

   • Follow references/web-clipper-template.md.
   • Use a real sample page, DOM snapshot, HTML, or screenshot when selector/schema validation is needed.
   • Output importable JSON and clearly mark verified and unverified fields.

4. Protect the vault:

   • Avoid editing .obsidian/ unless the user explicitly asks and the change is understood.
   • Prefer direct Markdown edits for content updates.
   • Preserve frontmatter, existing headings, backlinks, embeds, and attachments unless the user asks to change them.
   • Never delete or move notes, attachments, canvases, or config files without explicit confirmation.

5. Return a concise result:

   • Vault/path used.
   • Files read or changed.
   • Link/template checks performed.
   • Skipped items, risks, and confirmation still needed.

Default Output

For vault operations:

# Obsidian Result

## Scope
- Vault:
- Operation:
- Files:

## Result
- ...

## Link / Safety Checks
- ...

## Next Step
- ...

For Web Clipper templates:

# Obsidian Web Clipper Template

## Template Summary
- Content type:
- Sample page:
- Verified fields:

## Field Mapping
| Obsidian property | Source | Method | Verified |
|---|---|---|---|

## Importable JSON
Paste a valid JSON object here.

## Limits
- ...

External Dependencies

• Obsidian desktop config is useful for discovering vaults: ~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json.
• obsidian-cli is optional but useful for default vault selection, search, create, move, and delete operations.
• Obsidian URI handler is required for some obsidian-cli create --open flows.
• Web Clipper template work needs a sample page, HTML/DOM/screenshot, or user-provided field list.

Limits And Known Issues

• Obsidian can have multiple vaults; always confirm or discover the intended one.
• obsidian-cli move is safer than raw mv because it can update common links, but still review the plan before execution.
• Direct filesystem edits are visible to Obsidian, but plugins may add conventions that are not obvious from Markdown alone.
• Dynamic websites, login pages, paywalls, and anti-scraping pages may prevent reliable Web Clipper selector validation.
• This skill does not install Obsidian plugins or guarantee exact behavior inside the user's local Obsidian app.