MH obsidian

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

Security Scan

The skill is internally consistent with its stated purpose (automating Obsidian via obsidian-cli); the instructions ask for reading the Obsidian config to locate vaults and installing obsidian-cli via a Homebrew formula, which aligns with the description — no unrelated secrets or surprising endpoints are requested.

Purpose & Capability

The name/description match the declared requirements: the skill needs obsidian-cli and its instructions operate on Obsidian vaults. One mismatch: the SKILL.md references a macOS-specific path (~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json) but the skill declares no OS restriction; that means on non-macOS systems the guidance may be inaccurate or fail.

Instruction Scope

Instructions explicitly tell the agent to read the Obsidian config file to determine the active vault and to run obsidian-cli commands (search/create/move/delete). Reading the obsidian.json config is reasonable for the stated goal, but it is an access to a user config file outside the vault; users should be aware this exposes vault paths and metadata (not necessarily note contents).

Install Mechanism

Install uses a Homebrew formula (yakitrak/yakitrak/obsidian-cli) which is a typical, low-to-moderate-risk mechanism. It is a third-party tap/formula rather than an official upstream binary; users who are strict about supply-chain risk should review the formula/source before installing.

Credentials

No environment variables or credentials are requested. The private/config file read is proportional to locating the vaults and is justified by the documented behavior.

Persistence & Privilege

The skill does not request always: true and is not asking for elevated/persistent system privileges. It only needs an executable (obsidian-cli) and to read the Obsidian config file to function.

Assessment

This skill appears to do what it says: automate Obsidian via obsidian-cli and read Obsidian's config to find vaults. Before installing, consider: (1) the SKILL.md points to a macOS config path — if you use Linux/Windows, the path/instructions may not apply; (2) the brew formula is from a third-party tap (yakitrak); review that formula/source if you want stronger supply-chain assurance; (3) the agent will read ~/Library/Application Support/obsidian/obsidian.json (or equivalent) to discover vaults — this exposes vault paths and metadata (filenames, which vaults are open) though not the note contents themselves; (4) ensure Obsidian (the desktop app) and the obsidian:// URI handler are installed for full functionality. If you’re comfortable with those points, the skill’s requirements and instructions are proportionate to its purpose.

Obsidian

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.