Obsidian Vault Manager
Prerequisites
Before performing vault operations:
- Verify obsidian CLI is installed:
obsidian --versionThe CLI is the nativeobsidianbinary that ships with the Obsidian desktop app — not a separate npm package. - List available vaults:
obsidian vaults - Get vault path:
obsidian vault "<name>" info=path
Overview
Use obsidian for vault operations that touch links or structure. For creating notes with substantial content (multi-line, frontmatter, etc.), use the Write tool directly after locating the vault path — the CLI's create command strips multi-line content when \n escapes are used.
Quick Reference
| Task | Command | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| List vaults | obsidian vaults | Always run first |
| Vault info | obsidian vault "<name>" | Name, path, file count |
| Vault path | obsidian vault "<name>" info=path | Path only, good for scripting |
| List folders | obsidian "vault=<name>" folders | Quote vault name if it has spaces |
| Read note | obsidian "vault=<name>" read "<note name>" | Reads by name (fuzzy) |
| Create note | obsidian "vault=<name>" create path="folder/name.md" content="$CONTENT" | Use printf to build $CONTENT for multi-line |
| Overwrite note | obsidian "vault=<name>" create path="..." content="$CONTENT" overwrite | |
| Append to note | obsidian "vault=<name>" append path="<path>" content="<text>" | |
| Move note | obsidian "vault=<name>" move path="old.md" newpath="new.md" | Auto-updates all links |
| Search content | obsidian "vault=<name>" search query="<term>" [path=<folder>] [format=json] | |
| Daily note | obsidian "vault=<name>" daily | Create/open today's note |
See also:
- Complete obsidian Command Reference - All commands with flags and advanced usage
- Obsidian Syntax Reference - Wiki-links, tags, frontmatter, and markdown syntax
- Note Templates - Daily note, project, and meeting templates
Core Workflows
Step 1 — Find the Vault
# List vaults to confirm the name
obsidian vaults
# Get full info (name, path, file count)
obsidian vault "<name>"
# Get just the path (useful for scripting)
VAULT_PATH=$(obsidian vault "<name>" info=path)Step 2 — Explore Structure
# List folders
obsidian "vault=<name>" folders
# Search for existing notes
obsidian "vault=<name>" search query="<topic>" path=<folder> format=jsonStep 3 — Create Notes with Rich Content
Use printf to build the content variable — this correctly handles newlines and multi-line content including frontmatter:
CONTENT=$(printf '---\ntags:\n - til\nindex: "[[Today I learned]]"\n---\n## Heading\n\nContent here.')
obsidian "vault=<name>" create path="til/2026-04-27 My Note.md" content="$CONTENT"Look at an existing note first to match local formatting conventions (tag names, frontmatter fields, index backlinks, etc.):
obsidian "vault=<name>" read "<existing note name>"Moving/Reorganizing Notes
# ✅ CORRECT: Auto-updates all links
obsidian "vault=<name>" move path="Random Notes/Design.md" newpath="Projects/Design.md"
# ❌ WRONG: Breaks all links to this note
mv "vault/Random Notes/Design.md" "vault/Projects/Design.md"Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Why Wrong | Fix |
|---|---|---|
Using obsidian-cli | That's a different npm package — the tool is obsidian | Use obsidian |
Using --flags syntax | The CLI uses key=value positional args, not --flags | Use key=value format |
create with \n in double-quoted string | Escapes get stripped, content truncated | Use printf to build a $CONTENT variable |
Using mv to move notes | Breaks all [[wiki-links]] to that note | Use obsidian move |
| Not checking existing note format | Each vault has different tagging/frontmatter conventions | Read an existing note first |
| Using absolute paths in wiki-links | Breaks when vault moves | Use vault-relative paths |
When to Use Standard Tools
- Bulk content editing: Use
Editafter reading withobsidian read - Complex search patterns: Use
Grepdirectly on the vault path (useobsidian vault "<name>" info=pathto get it)
Always preserve:
- Frontmatter (YAML between
---) - Obsidian link syntax
[[Note]] - Tag syntax
#tag-name - Markdown structure
Success Criteria
Vault operations succeed when:
- All
[[wiki-links]]remain valid after moves - Notes created in correct vault location with full content intact
- Formatting matches existing notes in the same folder
- No broken links or orphaned notes