obsidian-vault-ops
The obsidian-vault-ops skill enables reading, writing, and managing files within an Obsidian vault, including handling wiki-links and YAML frontmatter in markdown notes. Use it when performing vault file operations, creating new notes with proper formatting, editing existing content while preserving structure, or managing internal note relationships through linked references.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/ballred/obsidian-claude-pkm /tmp/obsidian-vault-ops && cp -r /tmp/obsidian-vault-ops/vault-template/.claude/skills/obsidian-vault-ops ~/.claude/skills/obsidian-vault-opsSKILL.md
# 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
1. Check if note already exists
2. Use appropriate template if available
3. Add YAML frontmatter with date and tags
4. 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
```markdown
[[Note Name]] # Simple link
[[Note Name|Display Text]] # Link with alias
[[Note Name#Section]] # Link to section
```
## YAML Frontmatter
Standard frontmatter structure:
```yaml
---
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
1. Calculate today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format
2. Check if `Daily Notes/{date}.md` exists
3. If not, read `Templates/Daily Template.md`
4. Replace template variables
5. Write to `Daily Notes/{date}.md`
### Finding Related Notes
1. Extract key terms from current note
2. Search vault for matching content
3. 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
1. Always check CLAUDE.md for vault-specific conventions
2. Preserve existing structure when editing
3. Use relative paths for internal links
4. Add frontmatter to new notes
5. Link to relevant goals when creating tasksAnalyze alignment between daily activities and long-term goals. Identify gaps, over/under-investment, and suggest rebalancing. Use for goal audits and priority checks.
Process inbox items using GTD principles. Categorize, clarify, and organize captured notes into actionable items. Use for inbox zero and capture processing.
Organize and restructure vault notes. Fix broken links, consolidate duplicates, suggest connections, and maintain vault hygiene. Use when managing vault organization or cleaning up notes.
Facilitate comprehensive weekly review process. Analyze past week's daily notes, calculate goal progress, and help plan next week. Use for Sunday/Monday weekly reviews.
Scaffold the PKM system onto an existing Obsidian vault. Scans your vault structure, maps folders interactively, and generates configuration — no template required.
Find broken wiki-links in the vault. Read-only analysis — scans for [[links]] and verifies target files exist. No writes, no dependencies.
Create daily notes and manage morning, midday, and evening routines. Structure daily planning, task review, and end-of-day reflection. Use for daily productivity routines or when asked to create today's note.
Track progress toward 3-year, yearly, monthly, and weekly goals. Calculate completion percentages, surface stalled goals, connect daily tasks to objectives. Use for goal reviews and progress tracking.