Obsidian CLI

17 min read 2026-05-17 Markdown

Title: Obsidian CLI - Obsidian Help

URL Source: https://obsidian.md/help/cli

Markdown Content: Obsidian CLI is a command line interface that lets you control Obsidian from your terminal for scripting, automation, and integration with external tools.

Anything you can do in Obsidian you can do from the command line. Obsidian CLI even includes developer commands to access developer tools, inspect elements, take screenshots, reload plugins, and more.

Install Obsidian CLI

Enable Obsidian CLI in Obsidian:

Go to Settings → General.
Enable Command line interface.
Follow the prompt to register Obsidian CLI.

If you run into issues installing Obsidian CLI see Troubleshooting.

Get started

Obsidian CLI supports both single commands and a terminal user interface (TUI) with interactive help and autocomplete.

Obsidian app must be running

Obsidian CLI requires the Obsidian app to be running. If Obsidian is not running, the first command you run launches Obsidian.

Looking to sync without the desktop app? See Obsidian Headless.

Run a command

Run an individual command without opening the TUI:

# Run the help command
obsidian help

Use the terminal interface

Use the TUI by entering obsidian. Subsequent commands can be entered without obsidian.

# Open the TUI, then run help
obsidian
help

The TUI supports autocomplete, command history, and reverse search. Use Ctrl+R to search your command history. See Keyboard shortcuts for all available shortcuts.

Examples

Here are a few examples of what Obsidian CLI can do.

Everyday use

# Open today's daily note
obsidian daily

# Add a task to your daily note
obsidian daily:append content="- [ ] Buy groceries"

# Search your vault
obsidian search query="meeting notes"

# Read the active file
obsidian read

# List all tasks from your daily note
obsidian tasks daily

# Create a new note from a template
obsidian create name="Trip to Paris" template=Travel

# List all tags in your vault with counts
obsidian tags counts

# Compare two versions of a file
obsidian diff file=README from=1 to=3

For developers

Many Developer commands are available for plugin and theme development. These commands allow agentic coding tools to automatically test and debug.

# Open developer tools
obsidian devtools

# Reload a community plugin you're developing
obsidian plugin:reload id=my-plugin

# Take a screenshot of the app
obsidian dev:screenshot path=screenshot.png

# Run JavaScript in the app console
obsidian eval code="app.vault.getFiles().length"

How to

Use parameters and flags

Commands can use parameters and flags. Most commands do not require any parameters or flags. Required parameters are marked as required. For example:

# Create a new note using the default "Untitled" name
obsidian create

A parameter takes a value, written as parameter=value. If the value has spaces, wrap it in quotes:

# Create a new note called "Note" with content "Hello world"
obsidian create name=Note content="Hello world"

A flag is a boolean switch with no value. Include it to turn it on, for example open and overwrite are flags:

# Create a note and open it
obsidian create name=Note content="Hello" open overwrite

For multiline content use \n for newline. Use \t for tab.

obsidian create name=Note content="# Title\n\nBody text"

Target a vault

If your terminal’s current working directory is a vault folder, that vault is used by default. Otherwise, the currently active vault is used.

Use vault=<name> or vault=<id> to target a specific vault. This must be the first parameter before your command:

obsidian vault=Notes daily
obsidian vault="My Vault" search query="test"

In the TUI, use vault:open <name> or <id> to switch to a different vault.

Target a file

Many commands accept file and path parameters to target a specific file. If neither is provided, the command defaults to the active file.

file=<name> resolves the file using the same link resolution as wikilinks, matching by file name without requiring the full path or extension.
path=<path> requires the exact path from the vault root, e.g. folder/note.md.

# These are equivalent if "Recipe.md" is the only file with that name
obsidian read file=Recipe
obsidian read path="Templates/Recipe.md"

Copy output

Add --copy to any command to copy the output to the clipboard:

read --copy
search query="TODO" --copy

General commands

`help`

Show list of all available commands.

Parameter	Description
`<command>`	Show help for a specific command.

`version`

Show Obsidian version.

`reload`

Reload the app window.

`restart`

Restart the app.

Bases

`bases`

List all .base files in the vault.

`base:views`

List views in the current base file.

`base:create`

Create a new item in a base. Defaults to the active base view if no file is specified.

file=<name>        # base file name
path=<path>        # base file path
view=<name>        # view name
name=<name>        # new file name
content=<text>     # initial content

open               # open file after creating
newtab             # open in new tab

`base:query`

Query a base and return results.

file=<name>                    # base file name
path=<path>                    # base file path
view=<name>                    # view name to query
format=json|csv|tsv|md|paths   # output format (default: json)

Bookmarks

`bookmarks`

List bookmarks.

total              # return bookmark count
verbose            # include bookmark types
format=json|tsv|csv  # output format (default: tsv)

`bookmark`

Add a bookmark.

file=<path>        # file to bookmark
subpath=<subpath>  # subpath (heading or block) within file
folder=<path>      # folder to bookmark
search=<query>     # search query to bookmark
url=<url>          # URL to bookmark
title=<title>      # bookmark title

Command palette

Commands for Command palette and Hotkeys. This includes all commands registered by plugins.

`commands`

List available command IDs.

filter=<prefix>    # filter by ID prefix

`command`

Execute an Obsidian command.

id=<command-id>    # (required) command ID to execute

`hotkeys`

List hotkeys for all commands.

total              # return hotkey count
verbose            # show if hotkey is custom
format=json|tsv|csv  # output format (default: tsv)

`hotkey`

Get hotkey for a command.

id=<command-id>    # (required) command ID

verbose            # show if custom or default

Daily notes

`daily`

Open daily note.

paneType=tab|split|window    # pane type to open in

`daily:path`

Get daily note path. Returns the expected path even if the file hasn’t been created yet.

`daily:read`

Read daily note contents.

`daily:append`

Append content to daily note.

content=<text>     # (required) content to append
paneType=tab|split|window    # pane type to open in

inline             # append without newline
open               # open file after adding

`daily:prepend`

Prepend content to daily note.

content=<text>     # (required) content to prepend
paneType=tab|split|window    # pane type to open in

inline             # prepend without newline
open               # open file after adding

File history

`diff`

List or compare versions from local File recovery and Sync. Versions are numbered from newest to oldest.

file=<name>          # file name
path=<path>          # file path
from=<n>             # version number to diff from
to=<n>               # version number to diff to
filter=local|sync    # filter by version source

Examples:

# List all versions of the active file
diff

# List all versions of a specific file
diff file=Recipe

# Compare the latest version to the current file
diff file=Recipe from=1

# Compare two versions
diff file=Recipe from=2 to=1

# Only show Sync versions
diff filter=sync

`history`

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

`history:list`

List all files with local history.

`history:read`

Read a local history version.

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
version=<n>        # version number (default: 1)

`history:restore`

Restore a local history version.

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
version=<n>        # (required) version number

`history:open`

Open file recovery.

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

Files and folders

`file`

Show file info (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

Example:

path       Notes/Recipe.md
name       Recipe
extension  md
size       1024
created    1700000000000
modified   1700001000000

`files`

List files in the vault.

folder=<path>      # filter by folder
ext=<extension>    # filter by extension

total              # return file count

`folder`

Show folder info.

path=<path>              # (required) folder path
info=files|folders|size  # return specific info only

`folders`

List folders in the vault.

folder=<path>      # filter by parent folder

total              # return folder count

`open`

Open a file.

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

newtab             # open in new tab

`create`

Create or overwrite a file.

name=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
content=<text>     # initial content
template=<name>    # template to use

overwrite          # overwrite if file exists
open               # open file after creating
newtab             # open in new tab

`read`

Read file contents (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

`append`

Append content to a file (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
content=<text>     # (required) content to append

inline             # append without newline

`prepend`

Prepend content after frontmatter (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
content=<text>     # (required) content to prepend

inline             # prepend without newline

`move`

Move or rename a file (default: active file). This will automatically update internal links if turned on in your vault settings.

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
to=<path>          # (required) destination folder or path

`rename`

Rename a file (default: active file). The file extension is preserved automatically if omitted from the new name. Use move to rename and move a file at the same time. This will automatically update internal links if turned on in your vault settings.

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
name=<name>        # (required) new file name

`delete`

Delete a file (default: active file, trash by default).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

permanent          # skip trash, delete permanently

Links

`backlinks`

List backlinks to a file (default: active file).

file=<name>        # target file name
path=<path>        # target file path

counts             # include link counts
total              # return backlink count
format=json|tsv|csv  # output format (default: tsv)

`links`

List outgoing links from a file (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

total              # return link count

`unresolved`

List unresolved links in vault.

total              # return unresolved link count
counts             # include link counts
verbose            # include source files
format=json|tsv|csv  # output format (default: tsv)

`orphans`

List files with no incoming links.

total              # return orphan count

`deadends`

List files with no outgoing links.

total              # return dead-end count

Outline

`outline`

Show headings for the current file.

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
format=tree|md|json  # output format (default: tree)

total              # return heading count

Plugins

`plugins`

List installed plugins.

filter=core|community  # filter by plugin type

versions               # include version numbers
format=json|tsv|csv    # output format (default: tsv)

`plugins:enabled`

List enabled plugins.

filter=core|community  # filter by plugin type

versions               # include version numbers
format=json|tsv|csv    # output format (default: tsv)

`plugins:restrict`

Toggle or check restricted mode.

on                 # enable restricted mode
off                # disable restricted mode

`plugin`

Get plugin info.

id=<plugin-id>     # (required) plugin ID

`plugin:enable`

Enable a plugin.

id=<id>                # (required) plugin ID
filter=core|community  # plugin type

`plugin:disable`

Disable a plugin.

id=<id>                # (required) plugin ID
filter=core|community  # plugin type

`plugin:install`

Install a community plugin.

id=<id>            # (required) plugin ID

enable             # enable after install

`plugin:uninstall`

Uninstall a community plugin.

id=<id>            # (required) plugin ID

`plugin:reload`

Reload a plugin (for developers).

id=<id>            # (required) plugin ID

Properties

`aliases`

List aliases in the vault. Use active or file/path to show aliases for a specific file.

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

total              # return alias count
verbose            # include file paths
active             # show aliases for active file

`properties`

List properties in the vault. Use active or file/path to show properties for a specific file.

file=<name>        # show properties for file
path=<path>        # show properties for path
name=<name>        # get specific property count
sort=count         # sort by count (default: name)
format=yaml|json|tsv  # output format (default: yaml)

total              # return property count
counts             # include occurrence counts
active             # show properties for active file

`property:set`

Set a property on a file (default: active file).

name=<name>                                    # (required) property name
value=<value>                                  # (required) property value
type=text|list|number|checkbox|date|datetime   # property type
file=<name>                                    # file name
path=<path>                                    # file path

`property:remove`

Remove a property from a file (default: active file).

name=<name>        # (required) property name
file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

`property:read`

Read a property value from a file (default: active file).

name=<name>        # (required) property name
file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

Publish

`publish:site`

Show publish site info (slug, URL).

`publish:list`

List published files.

total              # return published file count

`publish:status`

List publish changes.

total              # return change count
new                # show new files only
changed            # show changed files only
deleted            # show deleted files only

`publish:add`

Publish a file or all changed files (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

changed            # publish all changed files

`publish:remove`

Unpublish a file (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

`publish:open`

Open file on published site (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

Random notes

`random`

Open a random note.

folder=<path>      # limit to folder

newtab             # open in new tab

`random:read`

Read a random note (includes path).

folder=<path>      # limit to folder

Search

`search`

Search vault for text. Returns matching file paths.

query=<text>       # (required) search query
path=<folder>      # limit to folder
limit=<n>          # max files
format=text|json   # output format (default: text)

total              # return match count
case               # case sensitive

`search:context`

Search with matching line context. Returns grep-style path:line: text output.

query=<text>       # (required) search query
path=<folder>      # limit to folder
limit=<n>          # max files
format=text|json   # output format (default: text)

case               # case sensitive

`search:open`

Open search view.

query=<text>       # initial search query

Sync

Sync without the desktop app

These commands control Sync within the running Obsidian app. To sync vaults from the command line without the desktop app, see Headless Sync.

`sync`

Pause or resume sync.

on                 # resume sync
off                # pause sync

`sync:status`

Show sync status and usage.

`sync:history`

List sync version history for a file (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

total              # return version count

`sync:read`

Read a sync version (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
version=<n>        # (required) version number

`sync:restore`

Restore a sync version (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
version=<n>        # (required) version number

`sync:open`

Open sync history (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

`sync:deleted`

List deleted files in sync.

total              # return deleted file count

Tasks

Commands for task management.

`tasks`

List tasks in the vault. Use active or file/path to show tasks for a specific file.

file=<name>        # filter by file name
path=<path>        # filter by file path
status="<char>"    # filter by status character

total              # return task count
done               # show completed tasks
todo               # show incomplete tasks
verbose            # group by file with line numbers
format=json|tsv|csv  # output format (default: text)
active             # show tasks for active file
daily              # show tasks from daily note

Examples:

# List all tasks in the vault
tasks

# List incomplete tasks in the vault
tasks todo

# List completed tasks from a specific file
tasks file=Recipe done

# List tasks from today's daily note
tasks daily

# Count tasks in daily note
tasks daily total

# List tasks with file paths and line numbers
tasks verbose

# Filter by custom status (quote special chars)
tasks 'status=?'

`task`

Show or update a task.

ref=<path:line>    # task reference (path:line)
file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path
line=<n>           # line number
status="<char>"    # set status character

toggle             # toggle task status
daily              # daily note
done               # mark as done
todo               # mark as todo

Examples:

# Show task info
task file=Recipe line=8
task ref="Recipe.md:8"

# Toggle task completion
task ref="Recipe.md:8" toggle

# Toggle task in daily note
task daily line=3 toggle

# Set task status
task file=Recipe line=8 done      # → [x]
task file=Recipe line=8 todo      # → [ ]
task file=Recipe line=8 status=-  # → [-]
task daily line=3 done            # Mark daily note task as done

Templates

`templates`

List templates.

total              # return template count

`template:read`

Read template content.

name=<template>    # (required) template name
title=<title>      # title for variable resolution

resolve            # resolve template variables

`template:insert`

Insert template into active file.

name=<template>    # (required) template name

Notes:

resolve option processes {{date}}, {{time}}, {{title}} variables
Use create path=<path> template=<name> to create a file with a template

Themes and snippets

`themes`

List installed themes.

versions           # include version numbers

`theme`

Show active theme or get info.

name=<name>        # theme name for details

`theme:set`

Set active theme.

name=<name>        # (required) theme name (empty for default)

`theme:install`

Install a community theme.

name=<name>        # (required) theme name

enable             # activate after install

`theme:uninstall`

Uninstall a theme.

name=<name>        # (required) theme name

`snippets`

List installed CSS snippets.

`snippets:enabled`

List enabled CSS snippets.

`snippet:enable`

Enable a CSS snippet.

name=<name>        # (required) snippet name

`snippet:disable`

Disable a CSS snippet.

name=<name>        # (required) snippet name

Unique notes

`unique`

Create unique note.

name=<text>        # note name
content=<text>     # initial content
paneType=tab|split|window    # pane type to open in

open               # open file after creating

Vault

`vault`

Show vault info.

info=name|path|files|folders|size  # return specific info only

`vaults`

List known vaults.

total              # return vault count
verbose            # include vault paths

`vault:open`

Switch to a different vault (TUI only).

name=<name>        # (required) vault name

Web viewer

`web`

Open URL in web viewer.

url=<url>          # (required) URL to open

newtab             # open in new tab

Wordcount

`wordcount`

Count words and characters (default: active file).

file=<name>        # file name
path=<path>        # file path

words              # return word count only
characters         # return character count only

Workspace

`workspace`

Show workspace tree.

ids                # include workspace item IDs

`workspaces`

List saved workspaces.

total              # return workspace count

`workspace:save`

Save current layout as workspace.

name=<name>        # workspace name

`workspace:load`

Load a saved workspace.

name=<name>        # (required) workspace name

`workspace:delete`

Delete a saved workspace.

name=<name>        # (required) workspace name

`tabs`

List open tabs.

ids                # include tab IDs

`tab:open`

Open a new tab.

group=<id>         # tab group ID
file=<path>        # file to open
view=<type>        # view type to open

`recents`

List recently opened files.

total              # return recent file count

Developer commands

`devtools`

Toggle Electron dev tools.

`dev:debug`

Attach/detach Chrome DevTools Protocol debugger.

on                 # attach debugger
off                # detach debugger

`dev:cdp`

Run a Chrome DevTools Protocol command.

method=<CDP.method>  # (required) CDP method to call
params=<json>        # method parameters as JSON

`dev:errors`

Show captured JavaScript errors.

clear              # clear the error buffer

`dev:screenshot`

Take a screenshot (returns base64 PNG).

path=<filename>    # output file path

`dev:console`

Show captured console messages.

limit=<n>                        # max messages to show (default 50)
level=log|warn|error|info|debug  # filter by log level

clear                            # clear the console buffer

`dev:css`

Inspect CSS with source locations.

selector=<css>     # (required) CSS selector
prop=<name>        # filter by property name

`dev:dom`

Query DOM elements.

selector=<css>     # (required) CSS selector
attr=<name>        # get attribute value
css=<prop>         # get CSS property value

total              # return element count
text               # return text content
inner              # return innerHTML instead of outerHTML
all                # return all matches instead of first

`dev:mobile`

Toggle mobile emulation.

on                 # enable mobile emulation
off                # disable mobile emulation

`eval`

Execute JavaScript and return result.

code=<javascript>  # (required) JavaScript code to execute

Keyboard shortcuts

These shortcuts are available in the TUI.

Action	Shortcut
Move cursor left	`←` / `Ctrl+B`
Move cursor right (accepts suggestion at end of line)	`→` / `Ctrl+F`
Jump to start of line	`Ctrl+A`
Jump to end of line	`Ctrl+E`
Move back one word	`Alt+B`
Move forward one word	`Alt+F`

Editing

Action	Shortcut
Delete to start of line	`Ctrl+U`
Delete to end of line	`Ctrl+K`
Delete previous word	`Ctrl+W` / `Alt+Backspace`

Autocomplete

Action	Shortcut
Enter suggestion mode / accept selected suggestion	`Tab`
Exit suggestion mode	`Shift+Tab`
Enter suggestion mode (from fresh input)	`↓`
Accept first/selected suggestion (at end of line)	`→`

History

Action	Shortcut
Previous history entry / navigate suggestions up	`↑` / `Ctrl+P`
Next history entry / navigate suggestions down	`↓` / `Ctrl+N`
Reverse history search (type to filter, `Ctrl+R` to cycle)	`Ctrl+R`

Other

Action	Shortcut
Execute command or accept suggestion	`Enter`
Undo autocomplete / exit suggestion mode / clear input	`Escape`
Clear screen	`Ctrl+L`
Exit	`Ctrl+C` / `Ctrl+D`

Troubleshooting

If you are having trouble running Obsidian CLI:

Make sure you are using the latest Obsidian installer version (1.12.7 or above).
If you just updated Obsidian from an earlier version, turn off the CLI setting and turn it back on again, then allow Obsidian to perform the automatic PATH registration.
Restart your terminal after registering the CLI for the PATH changes to take effect.
Obsidian must be running. The CLI connects to the running Obsidian instance.

Windows

Windows uses a terminal redirector that connects Obsidian to stdin/stdout properly. This is necessary because Obsidian normally runs as a GUI app which is incompatible with terminal outputs on Windows. When you install Obsidian 1.12.7+ the Obsidian.com terminal redirector will be added in the folder where you installed the Obsidian.exe file.

The CLI registration adds Obsidian into your user’s PATH variable, which takes only takes effect after you re-start the terminal.

macOS

The CLI registration creates a symlink at /usr/local/bin/obsidian pointing to the CLI binary bundled inside the app. This requires administrator privileges — you will be prompted via a system dialog.

Check that the symlink exists and points to the correct binary:

ls -l /usr/local/bin/obsidian

If the symlink is missing, create it manually:

sudo ln -sf /Applications/Obsidian.app/Contents/MacOS/obsidian-cli /usr/local/bin/obsidian

If you previously registered the CLI with an older version of Obsidian, you may have a leftover PATH entry in ~/.zprofile. The new registration process removes this automatically, but if it remains, you can safely delete the lines starting with # Added by Obsidian from ~/.zprofile.

Linux

The CLI registration copies the CLI binary to ~/.local/bin/obsidian. This is done because some Linux installation methods run from temporary directories that cannot be symlinked persistently.

Make sure ~/.local/bin is in your PATH. Add the following to your ~/.bashrc or ~/.zshrc if it isn’t:

export PATH="$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin"

Check that the binary exists:

ls -l ~/.local/bin/obsidian

If the binary is missing, copy it manually from the Obsidian installation directory:

cp /path/to/Obsidian/obsidian-cli ~/.local/bin/obsidian
chmod 755 ~/.local/bin/obsidian