Obsidian

Work with Obsidian vaults (plain Markdown notes) and automate via obsidian-cli.

Security Scan

The skill is coherent with its stated purpose: it automates Obsidian vaults via the obsidian-cli tool and requests only the CLI; minor notes about install source and a macOS-specific path are worth reviewing before installing.

Purpose & Capability

Name/description match the runtime instructions and required binary: obsidian-cli is the expected tool to automate Obsidian vaults. There are no unrelated binaries or secret requirements.

Instruction Scope

Instructions explicitly tell the agent to read the Obsidian config file at ~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json and operate on vault folders and Markdown files — this is appropriate for the task. Note: the SKILL.md assumes the macOS config path but the skill metadata does not restrict OS; on non-macOS systems the path may differ.

Install Mechanism

Install uses a Homebrew formula (yakitrak/yakitrak/obsidian-cli). Using brew is low-risk in general, but this is a third‑party tap (yakitrak) rather than an official, well-known host; users should review the formula/source before automatic installation.

Credentials

No environment variables, no credentials, and no declared config paths are required. The instructions do reference a local Obsidian config file and vault folders — those are reasonable for the skill's purpose.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always:true and is user-invocable; it does not require persistent elevated privileges or modify other skills. Autonomous invocation is allowed (platform default) but not combined with other high-risk flags here.

Assessment

This skill appears to do what it says: it needs obsidian-cli and will read your Obsidian config and vault files to find and modify notes. Before installing: (1) verify you trust the Homebrew tap/formula (yakitrak) or install obsidian-cli yourself from a known source, (2) be aware the SKILL.md references the macOS config path — on other OSes the path may differ, and (3) back up your vaults before running automated edits (move/rename/delete operations can modify many files). No cloud credentials are requested and there are no obvious exfiltration endpoints in the instructions.

Obsidian vault = a normal folder on disk.

Vault structure (typical)

• Notes: *.md (plain text Markdown; edit with any editor)
• Config: .obsidian/ (workspace + plugin settings; usually don’t touch from scripts)
• Canvases: *.canvas (JSON)
• Attachments: whatever folder you chose in Obsidian settings (images/PDFs/etc.)

Find the active vault(s)

Obsidian desktop tracks vaults here (source of truth):

• ~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json

obsidian-cli resolves vaults from that file; vault name is typically the folder name (path suffix).

Fast “what vault is active / where are the notes?”

• If you’ve already set a default: obsidian-cli print-default --path-only
• Otherwise, read ~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json and use the vault entry with "open": true.

Notes

• Multiple vaults common (iCloud vs ~/Documents, work/personal, etc.). Don’t guess; read config.
• Avoid writing hardcoded vault paths into scripts; prefer reading the config or using print-default.

obsidian-cli quick start

Pick a default vault (once):

• obsidian-cli set-default "<vault-folder-name>"
• obsidian-cli print-default / obsidian-cli print-default --path-only

Search

• obsidian-cli search "query" (note names)
• obsidian-cli search-content "query" (inside notes; shows snippets + lines)

Create

• obsidian-cli create "Folder/New note" --content "..." --open
• Requires Obsidian URI handler (obsidian://…) working (Obsidian installed).
• Avoid creating notes under “hidden” dot-folders (e.g. .something/...) via URI; Obsidian may refuse.

Move/rename (safe refactor)

• obsidian-cli move "old/path/note" "new/path/note"
• Updates [[wikilinks]] and common Markdown links across the vault (this is the main win vs mv).

Delete

• obsidian-cli delete "path/note"

Prefer direct edits when appropriate: open the .md file and change it; Obsidian will pick it up.