commands.md

Commands

Every user command exposed by obsidian-cli.nvim. All commands prefix with :Obsidian and are dispatched through the official Obsidian CLI to your running Obsidian app.

Command count: 44 total across 11 categories.

Daily notes

:ObsidianToday

Open today's daily note in the current buffer. If the note is already loaded in a buffer, switches to that buffer instead of re-reading from disk. Requires Obsidian's core "Daily notes" plugin to be enabled (ships enabled in default installs).

• Default keymap: <leader>ot
• Wraps: obsidian daily:path
• Notes: the date format and folder come from your Obsidian Settings → Core plugins → Daily notes configuration. The plugin reads them at runtime and respects whatever you configure on the Obsidian side.

:ObsidianTask {text}

Append a checkbox-prefixed task to today's daily note: - [ ] {text}. If today's note is already loaded in a buffer, the append happens in place in that buffer (instant visual feedback) and the cursor jumps to the end of the new line. If the buffer isn't open, the append goes through the CLI's disk-write path.

• Default keymap: <leader>oT
• Wraps: in-buffer edit, or obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] {text}"
• Example: :ObsidianTask buy groceries appends - [ ] buy groceries

:ObsidianTodo {text}

Alias of :ObsidianTask. Same behavior, different name for users who prefer "todo" terminology.

:ObsidianAppend {text}

Append plain {text} to today's daily note (no checkbox prefix). Useful for log entries, meeting notes, or quick captures that aren't tasks.

• Default keymap: <leader>oa
• Wraps: in-buffer edit, or obsidian daily:append content="{text}"

:ObsidianTasksToday

Open a picker showing today's incomplete tasks. Selecting an entry jumps to that task in today's note.

• Default keymap: <leader>ox
• Wraps: obsidian tasks daily format=json, filtered Lua-side to incomplete (status == " ") tasks
• Note: the CLI's tasks daily todo filter combo is broken (returns "No tasks found." even when tasks exist), so the wrapper fetches all daily tasks and filters incomplete ones in Lua.

Note creation

:ObsidianNew {title}

Create a new note with the given title. After creation, the new file opens in the current buffer.

• Default keymap: <leader>on
• Wraps: obsidian create name={title}
• Example: :ObsidianNew Trip to Paris creates Trip to Paris.md in the vault root

:ObsidianNewFrom {template} {title}

Create a new note from a template. Requires Obsidian's core Templates plugin (or the Templater community plugin) to be configured.

• Default keymap: <leader>oN
• Wraps: obsidian create name={title} template={template}
• Example: :ObsidianNewFrom daily Q1 Review creates a new note named "Q1 Review" using the "daily" template
• Setup: enable Templates in Obsidian Settings → Core plugins → Templates, set a template folder, create template .md files

Finding & navigating

:ObsidianFind

Pick any note in the vault from a fuzzy-searchable picker. Selecting a note opens it in the current buffer.

• Default keymaps: <leader>of, <leader>fo
• Wraps: obsidian files
• Picker: Snacks (preferred) or quickfix (fallback)

:ObsidianRecent

Pick from notes sorted by most-recently-modified. Limited to the number configured by recent_limit (default 20).

• Default keymap: <leader>or
• Config: recent_limit = 20 — raise to show more, lower to show fewer
• Implementation: calls obsidian files, then sorts by mtime Lua-side using vim.uv.fs_stat. The CLI's sort= flag isn't supported as of v1.12.7, so the wrapper does the sort itself.

:ObsidianSearch [{query}]

Full-text search the vault. Two modes:

• Live mode (no argument) — picker opens immediately with an empty result list. Type into the search box and results populate as you type, sourced from obsidian search:context. This is the default behavior of <leader>os.

• One-shot mode (with argument) — runs the query once and shows static results. Useful for scripting: :ObsidianSearch meeting notes.

• Default keymap: <leader>os (opens live mode)

• Wraps: obsidian search:context query={query} format=json

• Picker: Snacks only for live mode (quickfix fallback can't do live search). One-shot mode works with both pickers.

:ObsidianBacklinks

Show all notes that link to the current note. Buffer-local — only meaningful when editing a vault file.

• Default keymap: <leader>ob (buffer-local in vault markdown)
• Wraps: obsidian backlinks path={current_file_relative_to_vault} format=json
• Note: "No backlinks found." from the CLI is treated as an empty result, not an error.

:ObsidianUnresolved

List all [[wiki links]] in the vault whose target file doesn't exist. Selecting an entry jumps to the source file with the cursor positioned inside the broken link, ready for :ObsidianResolveLink or :ObsidianFollowLink.

• Default keymap: <leader>ou
• Wraps: obsidian unresolved format=json verbose

Editing tasks & links

:ObsidianTaskToggle

Toggle the checkbox state of the task on the current line. [ ] ↔ [x]. Buffer-local in vault markdown.

• Default keymap: <leader>oc (buffer-local in vault markdown)
• Implementation: in-place buffer edit via nvim_buf_set_lines. Doesn't go through the CLI to avoid file-watcher race conditions.
• Errors with: "no checkbox on this line" if the cursor isn't on a - [ ] or - [x] line.

:ObsidianFollowLink (v0.0.4)

Follow the [[wiki link]] under the cursor. If the target note exists, opens it in the current buffer. If it doesn't exist, prompts to create it (default Yes, so pressing Enter creates).

• Default keymap: <leader>ol (buffer-local in vault markdown)
• Wraps: obsidian files (for resolution) + obsidian create (for creation)
• Handles:
  • Plain links: [[Welcome]] → opens Welcome.md
  • Path links: [[folder/note]] → opens folder/note.md
  • Basename fallback: [[note]] → matches any */note.md in the vault (case-insensitive)
  • Aliased links: [[Note|Display]] → resolves Note
  • Heading refs: [[Note#Section]] → resolves Note
  • Block refs: [[Note^block-id]] → resolves Note
• Confirmation: default-Yes so pressing Enter at the "create?" prompt creates the note.

:ObsidianResolveLink

Force-create a new note from the [[wiki link]] under the cursor, without checking if it already exists. Designed for bulk-resolving broken links from :ObsidianUnresolved.

• Default keymap: <leader>oR (buffer-local in vault markdown)
• Wraps: obsidian create name={link_text}
• Handles: same alias/heading/block-ref stripping as :ObsidianFollowLink
• Difference from :ObsidianFollowLink: always creates, never navigates. Use this when you're working through :ObsidianUnresolved and know you want to create the target. Use :ObsidianFollowLink for general navigation.
• Errors with: CLI error if the file already exists (from obsidian create itself).

App control

:ObsidianStart

Launch the Obsidian desktop app from inside Neovim. Useful when you've quit Obsidian and want to bring it back without leaving your editor.

• Wraps: open -a Obsidian (macOS), xdg-open obsidian:// (Linux), obsidian:// URI (Windows)
• Note: the Obsidian CLI requires the desktop app to be running for almost all commands. Add Obsidian to your OS login items so it starts automatically.

Escape hatch — run arbitrary Obsidian commands (v0.0.4)

:ObsidianCommand {id} (v0.0.4)

Execute any registered Obsidian command directly by ID. This is the low-level entry point for triggering Obsidian actions that aren't wrapped by a dedicated :Obsidian* command — including commands exposed by community plugins (Templater, Dataview, Tasks, etc.).

• Wraps: obsidian command id={id}
• Examples:
  • :ObsidianCommand app:reload — reload Obsidian's UI silently
  • :ObsidianCommand app:show-release-notes — show the release notes panel
  • :ObsidianCommand templater-obsidian:insert-template-modal — invoke Templater's template picker (focus-stealing)
• Discovery: use :ObsidianCommandList to browse all available command IDs.

:ObsidianCommandList [{filter}] (v0.0.4)

Browse and run any registered Obsidian command from a picker. Without arguments, shows all ~72 commands from core and community plugins. With an argument, filters by prefix.

• Wraps: obsidian commands [filter={prefix}] → Snacks picker
• Examples:
  • :ObsidianCommandList — all commands
  • :ObsidianCommandList daily — only commands starting with "daily"
  • :ObsidianCommandList templater — only Templater commands (if installed)
• Picker: uses the plugin's pickers.select helper. Snacks-preferred, with a vim.fn.inputlist fallback for non-Snacks setups or when Snacks's vim.ui.select override crashes.

Plugin management (v0.0.4)

:ObsidianPluginList (v0.0.4)

Browse all installed plugins (core + community) with an action menu. Each entry shows ✓ for enabled, ○ for disabled. Selecting an entry opens a second picker with actions: Enable, Disable, Uninstall, Reload, Info, or Cancel.

• Wraps: obsidian plugins format=json versions + obsidian plugins:enabled format=json
• Banner: if Restricted Mode is active, the picker title shows ⚠ RESTRICTED MODE ON (community plugins suspended) so users know why community plugins appear as ○.
• Confirmation: Disable and Uninstall actions prompt before proceeding. Default is No (destructive default).

:ObsidianPluginInfo {id} (v0.0.4)

Show metadata for a specific plugin by ID (version, description, enabled state).

• Wraps: obsidian plugin id={id}
• Example: :ObsidianPluginInfo zk-prefixer

:ObsidianPluginInstall {id} (v0.0.4)

Install a community plugin by ID and auto-enable it.

• Wraps: obsidian plugin:install id={id} enable
• Example: :ObsidianPluginInstall templater-obsidian
• Finding IDs: community plugin IDs match the GitHub repo name. Check obsidian.md/plugins or use :ObsidianPluginList once a plugin is installed.

:ObsidianPluginUninstall {id} (v0.0.4)

Uninstall a community plugin by ID. Destructive — prompts for confirmation before deleting the plugin's folder under .obsidian/plugins/. Default is No.

• Wraps: obsidian plugin:uninstall id={id}
• Example: :ObsidianPluginUninstall templater-obsidian

:ObsidianPluginEnable {id} (v0.0.4)

Enable an installed plugin by ID.

• Wraps: obsidian plugin:enable id={id}
• Example: :ObsidianPluginEnable zk-prefixer

:ObsidianPluginDisable {id} (v0.0.4)

Disable an installed plugin by ID. Confirmed — disabling a core plugin like backlink can silently break foundational Obsidian features, so the command prompts before proceeding. Default is No.

• Wraps: obsidian plugin:disable id={id}
• Example: :ObsidianPluginDisable zk-prefixer

:ObsidianPluginReload {id} (v0.0.4)

Hot-reload a plugin by ID. Primarily useful for plugin developers — if you're editing a plugin's main.js, running this reloads the plugin without restarting Obsidian.

• Wraps: obsidian plugin:reload id={id}
• Example: :ObsidianPluginReload my-plugin

:ObsidianRestrictedMode [on|off] (v0.0.4)

Toggle Obsidian's Restricted (safe) Mode. When on, ALL community plugins are disabled as a group. When off, they're restored to their previous enabled states. Without an argument, reports the current state.

• Wraps: obsidian plugins:restrict [on|off]
• Use cases:
  • Debug plugin conflicts ("does this break if I turn off all community plugins?")
  • Open an untrusted vault safely (all community plugins disabled until you explicitly re-enable)
  • Temporary performance boost (disable expensive plugins like Dataview during bulk edits)
• Examples:
  • :ObsidianRestrictedMode — query current state
  • :ObsidianRestrictedMode on — turn on safe mode
  • :ObsidianRestrictedMode off — restore community plugins
• Indicator: when restricted mode is ON, :ObsidianPluginList shows a warning banner in its picker title.

Bases (database views) (v0.0.4)

Bases is Obsidian's core database feature (shipped in Obsidian 1.8+). A .base file defines a filter, columns, and views over your vault notes.

:ObsidianBases (v0.0.4)

List all .base files in the vault as a picker. Selecting one opens it in the current buffer (you'll see raw YAML config — Bases's visual editor only works in the Obsidian app).

• Wraps: obsidian bases
• Empty case: notification "no .base files in vault" if the vault has no bases.

:ObsidianBaseViews [{base-path}] (v0.0.4)

List views defined in a specific .base file. Without an argument, uses the currently-focused base in Obsidian.

• Wraps: obsidian base:views [path={base-path}]
• Example: :ObsidianBaseViews projects.base → prints view names

:ObsidianBaseQuery {base-path} {view} (v0.0.4)

Query a specific view of a base and show matching notes in a picker.

• Wraps: obsidian base:query path={base-path} view={view} format=paths
• Example: :ObsidianBaseQuery projects.base Active → picker showing notes that match the "Active" view's filter
• Usage note: view names with spaces work — arguments are joined after the first two.

:ObsidianBaseCreate {base-path} {view} {name} (v0.0.4)

Create a new row in a base. The row becomes a new .md note with frontmatter matching the base's schema.

• Wraps: obsidian base:create path={base-path} view={view} name={name}
• Example: :ObsidianBaseCreate projects.base Active Migrate to Postgres
• Notes: the name can contain spaces (arguments from the third onward are joined).

Daily navigation (v0.0.5)

:ObsidianYesterday (v0.0.5)

Open yesterday's daily note. Computes the date by taking today's daily note path and replacing the date portion with yesterday's date. Supports YYYY-MM-DD and other common date formats. Handles month/year boundaries correctly.

• Wraps: date math on obsidian daily:path output
• Notes: if yesterday's note doesn't exist on disk, Neovim creates a new buffer. Save with :w to create the file.

:ObsidianTomorrow (v0.0.5)

Same as :ObsidianYesterday but for tomorrow's date.

Navigation & link auditing (v0.0.5)

:ObsidianOutline (v0.0.5)

Show headings of the current file as a picker. Selecting a heading jumps to that line. Indentation in the picker reflects heading levels (## vs ###).

• Wraps: obsidian outline path={current} format=json
• Buffer-local: only works on vault markdown files
• Empty case: "no headings in this file"

:ObsidianLinks (v0.0.5)

Show outgoing links from the current file. Answers "what does this note link TO?"

• Wraps: obsidian links path={current}
• Buffer-local: only works on vault markdown files
• Empty case: "no outgoing links in this file"

:ObsidianOrphans (v0.0.5)

List files with no incoming links — notes that nothing links to. Cleanup candidates.

• Wraps: obsidian orphans
• Empty case: "no orphan files"

:ObsidianDeadends (v0.0.5)

List files with no outgoing links — notes that don't link to anything. Content islands.

• Wraps: obsidian deadends
• Empty case: "no dead-end files"

Tag browser (v0.0.5)

:ObsidianTags (v0.0.5)

Browse all tags in the vault with occurrence counts. Two-step picker: first select a tag, then see all notes containing that tag.

• Wraps: obsidian tags counts format=json → obsidian tag name={tag} verbose
• Empty case: "no tags in vault"

:ObsidianTag {name} (v0.0.5)

Show notes containing a specific tag directly (skips the tag-selection step). The # prefix is optional.

• Wraps: obsidian tag name={name} verbose
• Examples: :ObsidianTag project or :ObsidianTag #project
• Empty case: "No notes found with tag #name"

File operations (v0.0.5)

:ObsidianRename {new-name} (v0.0.5)

Rename the current note. Shows the full resulting filename (with .md extension) in the confirmation dialog. Blocks the operation if a file with the target name already exists.

• Wraps: obsidian rename path={current} name={new-name}
• Confirmation: Yes/No prompt with default No
• Collision detection: checks vim.fn.filereadable before sending the CLI command
• Buffer cleanup: closes the old buffer after renaming (no stale buffer left behind)
• Auto .md: appends .md if not already present in the name

:ObsidianMove {folder} (v0.0.5)

Move the current note to a different folder. Shows the full destination path in the confirmation dialog. Blocks if a file with the same name already exists at the destination.

• Wraps: obsidian move path={current} to={folder}
• Confirmation: Yes/No prompt with default No
• Collision detection: checks vim.fn.filereadable on the destination path
• Buffer cleanup: closes the old buffer, opens the file at the new path

:ObsidianDelete (v0.0.5)

Delete the current note. The file is moved to Obsidian's trash (.trash/ in the vault), not permanently deleted. Recoverable from the Obsidian app.

• Wraps: obsidian delete path={current}
• Confirmation: Yes/No prompt with default No. The confirm message explicitly states the file goes to trash.
• Buffer cleanup: runs bdelete! after successful deletion

:ObsidianOpenInApp (v0.0.5)

Open the current note in the Obsidian desktop app. The app window comes to focus and displays the note with full Obsidian rendering (styled headings, rendered links, plugins active).

• Wraps: obsidian open path={current}
• Use case: when you want to see the "real" Obsidian rendering, use the graph view, or interact with Obsidian-native features

Templates (v0.0.5)

:ObsidianTemplates (v0.0.5)

Browse available templates in a picker. Selecting a template inserts it into the current note (at the active file in Obsidian).

• Wraps: obsidian templates → obsidian template:insert name={name}
• Prerequisites: Obsidian core Templates plugin enabled + template folder configured in Settings
• Empty case: "no templates configured" with setup instructions

:ObsidianTemplateInsert {name} (v0.0.5)

Insert a specific template by name into the current note. Skips the picker.

• Wraps: obsidian template:insert name={name}
• Example: :ObsidianTemplateInsert daily

Health check

:checkhealth obsidian-cli

Verifies the wrapper is in a working state:

1. Plugin is loaded (require("obsidian-cli") succeeded)
2. obsidian binary is on PATH
3. Obsidian app is running (CLI can communicate with it)
4. A vault is loaded in the app
5. obsidian files returns valid output

If any line is red or yellow, the printed hint tells you how to fix it.

Command summary table

Command	Default keymap	Buffer scope	Picker?	Wave
:ObsidianToday	<leader>ot	global	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianTask	<leader>oT	global	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianTodo	—	global	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianAppend	<leader>oa	global	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianTasksToday	<leader>ox	global	yes	v0.0.3
:ObsidianNew	<leader>on	global	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianNewFrom	<leader>oN	global	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianFind	<leader>of, <leader>fo	global	yes	v0.0.3
:ObsidianRecent	<leader>or	global	yes	v0.0.3
:ObsidianSearch	<leader>os	global	yes (live)	v0.0.3
:ObsidianBacklinks	<leader>ob	vault markdown	yes	v0.0.3
:ObsidianUnresolved	<leader>ou	global	yes	v0.0.3
:ObsidianTaskToggle	<leader>oc	vault markdown	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianResolveLink	<leader>oR	vault markdown	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianFollowLink	<leader>ol	vault markdown	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianStart	—	global	no	v0.0.3
:ObsidianCommand	—	global	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianCommandList	—	global	yes	v0.0.4
:ObsidianPluginList	—	global	yes	v0.0.4
:ObsidianPluginInfo	—	global	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianPluginInstall	—	global	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianPluginUninstall	—	global	no (confirm)	v0.0.4
:ObsidianPluginEnable	—	global	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianPluginDisable	—	global	no (confirm)	v0.0.4
:ObsidianPluginReload	—	global	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianRestrictedMode	—	global	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianBases	—	global	yes	v0.0.4
:ObsidianBaseViews	—	global	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianBaseQuery	—	global	yes	v0.0.4
:ObsidianBaseCreate	—	global	no	v0.0.4
:ObsidianYesterday	—	global	no	v0.0.5
:ObsidianTomorrow	—	global	no	v0.0.5
:ObsidianOutline	—	vault markdown	yes	v0.0.5
:ObsidianLinks	—	vault markdown	yes	v0.0.5
:ObsidianOrphans	—	global	yes	v0.0.5
:ObsidianDeadends	—	global	yes	v0.0.5
:ObsidianTags	—	global	yes (select)	v0.0.5
:ObsidianTag	—	global	yes	v0.0.5
:ObsidianRename	—	vault markdown	no (confirm)	v0.0.5
:ObsidianMove	—	vault markdown	no (confirm)	v0.0.5
:ObsidianDelete	—	vault markdown	no (confirm)	v0.0.5
:ObsidianOpenInApp	—	vault markdown	no	v0.0.5
:ObsidianTemplates	—	global	yes (select)	v0.0.5
:ObsidianTemplateInsert	—	global	no	v0.0.5

44 commands total. Bold = new in that version.