obsidian-vault-ops
Read and write Obsidian vault files, manage wiki-links, process markdown with YAML frontmatter. Use when working with vault file operations, creating notes, or managing links.
When & Why to Use This Skill
This Claude skill provides a robust framework for managing Obsidian vaults, enabling automated file operations, markdown processing, and complex wiki-link management. It solves the challenge of maintaining a structured 'Second Brain' by automating repetitive tasks like daily note creation, YAML frontmatter standardization, and cross-referencing, ensuring your personal knowledge base remains organized, searchable, and consistent.
Use Cases
- 1. Automated Daily Journaling: Generate daily notes automatically using templates with dynamic date variables, pre-filled tags, and structured sections for habit tracking.
- 2. Digital Garden Maintenance: Efficiently manage and update wiki-links and aliases across a large vault to ensure seamless navigation and a healthy knowledge graph.
- 3. Project & Goal Tracking: Organize project-specific folders with standardized CLAUDE.md context files and link them to high-level goals using YAML metadata.
- 4. Content Research & Synthesis: Search and process existing markdown notes to find related topics and automatically insert wiki-links, enhancing the connectivity of your research.
| name | obsidian-vault-ops |
|---|---|
| description | Read and write Obsidian vault files, manage wiki-links, process markdown with YAML frontmatter. Use when working with vault file operations, creating notes, or managing links. |
| allowed-tools | Read, Write, Edit, Glob, Grep |
Obsidian Vault Operations Skill
Core operations for reading, writing, and managing files in an Obsidian vault.
Vault Structure
vault-root/
├── CLAUDE.md # Main context (always read first)
├── Daily Notes/ # YYYY-MM-DD.md format
├── Goals/ # Goal cascade files
├── Projects/ # Project folders with CLAUDE.md
├── Templates/ # Reusable note structures
└── Archives/ # Completed/inactive content
File Operations
Reading Notes
- Use Glob to find files:
*.md,Daily Notes/*.md - Read CLAUDE.md first for vault context
- Check for wiki-links to related notes
Creating Notes
- Check if note already exists
- Use appropriate template if available
- Add YAML frontmatter with date and tags
- Insert wiki-links to related notes
Editing Notes
- Preserve YAML frontmatter structure
- Maintain existing wiki-links
- Use consistent heading hierarchy
- Apply standard tag format
Wiki-Link Format
[[Note Name]] # Simple link
[[Note Name|Display Text]] # Link with alias
[[Note Name#Section]] # Link to section
YAML Frontmatter
Standard frontmatter structure:
---
date: 2024-01-15
tags: [tag1, tag2]
status: active
---
Template Variables
When processing templates, replace:
{{date}}- Today's date (YYYY-MM-DD){{date:format}}- Formatted date{{date-1}}- Yesterday{{date+1}}- Tomorrow{{time}}- Current time
Common Patterns
Daily Note Creation
- Calculate today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format
- Check if
Daily Notes/{date}.mdexists - If not, read
Templates/Daily Template.md - Replace template variables
- Write to
Daily Notes/{date}.md
Finding Related Notes
- Extract key terms from current note
- Search vault for matching content
- Suggest wiki-links to related notes
Tag Operations
- Priority:
#priority/high,#priority/medium,#priority/low - Status:
#active,#waiting,#completed,#archived - Context:
#work,#personal,#health,#learning
Best Practices
- Always check CLAUDE.md for vault-specific conventions
- Preserve existing structure when editing
- Use relative paths for internal links
- Add frontmatter to new notes
- Link to relevant goals when creating tasks