Frontmatter parser

Skill yixin0829/semantic-obsidian/skills/frontmatter-parser

Parse YAML frontmatter from markdown notes into structured data. Use when searching, filtering, or querying notes by their metadata properties (created, tags, author, summary, TOPIC, PRIOR, NEXT, RELATED_TO, etc.). Enables quick property-based searches across the vault.From its SKILL.md

Install

npx -y skills add yixin0829/semantic-obsidian --skill frontmatter-parser

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One thing to look at

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SKILL.md

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Frontmatter Parser

Parse and query YAML frontmatter metadata from Obsidian vault markdown files.

Instructions

Single File Parsing: Use Read tool to view a markdown file, then extract YAML between opening --- and closing --- delimiters at the start of the file.
Batch Parsing: Use the Python helper script at .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py for efficient batch operations:
```
uv run --with pyyaml .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py <command> [args]
```
Property Search: To find notes with specific property values, use the helper script's search capabilities or combine Grep with Read.

Helper Script Commands

# Parse single file and output JSON
uv run --with pyyaml .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py parse <file_path>

# Search for notes with specific property value
uv run --with pyyaml .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py search <directory> <property> <value>

# List all unique values for a property across directory
uv run --with pyyaml .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py values <directory> <property>

Vault Property Schema

Based on 02-SlipBox/Obsidian Property.md, these are the standard properties:

Core Properties (Universal)

Property	Type	Description
`created`	Date (YYYY-MM-DD)	Note creation date
`last_updated`	Date (YYYY-MM-DD)	Last modification date
`author`	Array of strings	Note authors/contributors
`tags`	Array of strings	Hierarchical structural tags
`aliases`	Array of strings	Alternative names for linking
`summary`	String	Brief description of content

Zettelkasten Properties

Property	Type	Description
`TOPIC`	Array of wikilinks	Main topic categorization
`PRIOR`	Array of wikilinks	Prerequisite/previous notes
`NEXT`	Array of wikilinks	Follow-up notes
`RELATED_TO`	Array of wikilinks	Cross-references

Project-Specific Properties

Property	Type	Description
`start_dt`	Date	Project start date
`end_dt`	Date or null	Project completion date
`cloud_drive`	URL	External storage link
`project`	Array of wikilinks	Associated projects

Reference-Specific Properties

Property	Type	Description
`title`	String	Original title of work
`url`	URL	Link to original source
`year`	Number	Publication year
`zotero_uri`	URI	Zotero item link
`published`	Date	Publication date

Examples

Find all notes by a specific author

uv run --with pyyaml .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py search "02-SlipBox" author "Yixin Tian"

List all unique tags in the vault

uv run --with pyyaml .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py values "." tags

Find notes created after a specific date

uv run --with pyyaml .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py search "." created "2025-01-01" --operator gte

Find notes with specific tag

uv run --with pyyaml .claude/skills/frontmatter-parser/scripts/parse_frontmatter.py search "." tags "slip-box/concept"

YAML Frontmatter Format

---
created: 2025-09-27
last_updated: 2025-12-08
author:
  - Yixin Tian
tags:
  - slip-box/concept
aliases:
  - Alternative Name
summary: Brief description of note content
TOPIC:
  - "[[Parent Topic]]"
PRIOR:
  - "[[Prerequisite Note]]"
NEXT:
  - "[[Follow-up Note]]"
RELATED_TO:
  - "[[Related Concept 1]]"
  - "[[Related Concept 2]]"
---

Notes

Wikilinks in frontmatter use format: "[[Note Name]]" (quoted)
Arrays use multi-line YAML format with - prefix
Empty arrays use []
Null/empty values leave the property with no value after colon
Tags are hierarchical using / separator (e.g., ref/media/books)