Obsidian MCP Skill

This skill guides you in using the Obsidian MCP server to manage a user's vault. The server protects the vault by enforcing safe paths and validating frontmatter.

Core Principles

1. •Atomic Updates: Prefer patch_note for making small changes to large files to avoid rewriting the entire content.
2. •Frontmatter First: Use update_frontmatter or manage_tags when only metadata needs changing.
3. •Batch Operations: Use read_multiple_notes when analyzing multiple related files (up to 10) to save roundtrips.
4. •Confirm Destructive Actions: delete_note requires a confirmPath argument that matches the path.

API Reference

For detailed JSON schemas, argument lists, and return types, see references/api.md.

Common Workflows

1. Efficient Editing (Making targeted changes)

Use patch_note to replace specific text strings without rewriting the file.

Goal: Add an equation to a specific section. Tool: patch_note

{
  "path": "Physics/Relativity.md",
  "oldString": "## Energy and Mass",
  "newString": "## Energy and Mass\n\nE = mc²",
  "prettyPrint": false
}

2. Creating Notes (New content)

Use write_note (mode: overwrite) to create new files. The server handles directory creation automatically.

Goal: Create a meeting note. Tool: write_note

{
  "path": "Meetings/Team Sync.md",
  "content": "# Team Sync\n\n- Discussed Q1 goals\n- Action items assigned",
  "frontmatter": {
      "tags": ["meeting", "sync"],
      "date": "2025-10-24"
  },
  "prettyPrint": false
}

3. Reading Multiple Notes (Research/Summary)

Use read_multiple_notes to gather context from several files at once.

Goal: Summarize a list of book notes. Tool: read_multiple_notes

{
  "paths": [
    "Reading/The Phoenix Project.md",
    "Reading/Atomic Habits.md",
    "Reading/Deep Work.md"
  ],
  "prettyPrint": false
}

4. Managing Metadata (Tags/Status)

Use update_frontmatter or manage_tags to modify YAML metadata without touching the body content.

Goal: Update status and add tags. Tool: update_frontmatter

{
  "path": "Projects/Website Redesign.md",
  "frontmatter": {
    "tags": ["project", "web-design", "priority-high"],
    "status": "in-progress"
  },
  "merge": true,
  "prettyPrint": false
}

5. Searching Content

Use search_notes to find relevant information.

Goal: Find notes about "React hooks". Tool: search_notes

{
  "query": "React hooks",
  "limit": 10,
  "searchContent": true,
  "prettyPrint": false
}