Obs Memory

Obsidian Agent Memory

You have access to a persistent Obsidian knowledge vault — a graph-structured memory that persists across sessions. Use it to orient yourself, look up architecture and component knowledge, and write back discoveries.

Vault Discovery

Resolve the vault path using this chain (first match wins):

1. Environment variable: $OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH
2. Agent config reference: Parse the vault path from the agent's project or global config (look for "Obsidian Knowledge Vault" section with a path like ~/Documents/SomeName/)
3. Default: ~/Documents/AgentMemory

Store the resolved path as $VAULT for all subsequent operations. Derive $VAULT_NAME as basename "$VAULT" for CLI calls.

Verify the vault exists by checking for $VAULT/Home.md. If the vault doesn't exist, inform the user and suggest running the init command to bootstrap a new vault from the bundled template.

Session Start — Orientation

At the start of every session, orient yourself with at most 2 operations:

Step 1: Read TODOs

CLI-first:

obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME tasks path="todos" todo verbose

Fallback: Read the file at $VAULT/todos/Active TODOs.md.

Know what's pending, in-progress, and recently completed.

Step 2: Detect current project and read its overview

Auto-detect the project from the current working directory:

basename $(git rev-parse --show-toplevel 2>/dev/null) 2>/dev/null || basename $(pwd)

Then check if a matching project exists by listing files in $VAULT/projects/*/. Match the git repo name (or directory name) against project folder names. If a match is found, read the project overview at $VAULT/projects/{matched-name}/{matched-name}.md.

This project overview contains wikilinks to all components, patterns, architecture decisions, and domains. Do not read those linked notes yet — follow them on demand when the current task requires that context.

What NOT to read at session start

• Home.md (only if you're lost and can't find the project)
• sessions/ (only if the user references prior work)
• Domain indexes (only if you need cross-project knowledge)
• Component notes (only when working on that component)

Automatic Behaviors

These behaviors apply to any agent using this skill. They do not require explicit commands.

On session start

Auto-orient (TODOs + project overview) without being asked, following the Session Start procedure above. If the vault doesn't exist at the resolved path, inform the user and suggest running init.

On session end signals

When the user says "done", "wrapping up", "that's it", "let's stop", or similar end-of-session language — offer to write a session summary. Don't auto-run; ask first: "Want me to write a session summary to the vault before we wrap up?"

On component discovery

When you deeply analyze a component that has no vault note — and the project has an active vault — offer to create a component note and infer relationships from imports and dependencies. Example: "I noticed there's no vault note for the AuthMiddleware component. Want me to create one and map its dependencies?"

On first run

When the vault doesn't exist at any resolved path, guide the user through init, then auto-scaffold the current project if inside a git repo.

During Work — Graph Navigation

Principle: Use CLI queries first, file reads second. The Obsidian CLI provides structured access to properties, links, backlinks, tags, and search — prefer these over reading entire files.

CLI-first lookups (preferred)

Use these CLI commands for targeted queries without consuming file-read tokens:

# Query a component's dependencies
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="Component Name" name="depends-on"

# Find what depends on a component
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="Component Name" name="depended-on-by"
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME backlinks file="Component Name"

# Find all outgoing links from a note
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME links file="Component Name"

# Find all notes of a type
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME tag verbose name="component"

# Search vault content
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME search format=json query="search term" matches limit=10

# Get note structure without full read
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME outline file="Component Name"

# Read a specific property
obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME property:read file="Component Name" name="key-files"

Where $VAULT_NAME is the vault folder name (basename of $VAULT).

File-read fallback (when CLI unavailable)

Fall back to file reads when the Obsidian CLI is not available:

• Need to understand a component? The project overview links to it. Read that one note.
• Need an architecture decision? The component note or project overview links to it. Follow the link.
• Need cross-project knowledge? Component/pattern notes link to domain notes. Follow the link.
• Need session history? Only read if you're stuck or the user references prior work.

Frontmatter-first scanning

When you need to scan multiple notes to find the right one, read just the first ~10 lines of each file. The tags, project, type, and status fields in the frontmatter tell you if the note is relevant before reading the full body.

Directory listing before reading

List directory contents before reading files — know what exists without consuming tokens:

• $VAULT/projects/{name}/**/*.md — all notes for a project
• $VAULT/domains/{tech}/*.md — domain knowledge files

Writing to the Vault

Write concisely. Notes are for your future context, not human documentation. Prefer:

• Bullet points over prose
• Wikilinks over repeated explanations (link to it, don't re-state it)
• Frontmatter tags for discoverability over verbose descriptions

When to write

• New component discovered: Create a component note when you deeply understand a part of the codebase
• Architecture decision made: Record ADRs when significant design choices are made
• Pattern identified: Document recurring patterns that future sessions should follow
• Domain knowledge learned: Write to domain notes when you discover cross-project knowledge

Scoping rules

| Knowledge type | Location | Example | |---|---|---| | One project only | projects/{name}/ | How this API handles auth | | Shared across projects | domains/{tech}/ | How Go interfaces work | | Universal, tech-agnostic | patterns/ | SOLID principles | | Session summaries | sessions/ | What was done and discovered | | TODOs | todos/Active TODOs.md | Grouped by project |

Frontmatter conventions

Always include in new notes:

---
tags: [category, project/short-name]
type: 
project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
created: YYYY-MM-DD
---

Wikilink conventions

• Link to related notes: [[projects/{name}/components/Component Name|Component Name]]
• Link to domains: [[domains/{tech}/{Tech Name}|Tech Name]]
• Link back to project: [[projects/{name}/{name}|project-name]]

Note templates

Component Note:

---
tags: [components, project/{short-name}]
type: component
project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
created: {date}
status: active
layer: ""
depends-on: []
depended-on-by: []
key-files: []
---

Sections: Purpose, Gotchas

Architecture Decision:

---
tags: [architecture, decision, project/{short-name}]
type: adr
project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
status: proposed | accepted | superseded
created: {date}
---

Sections: Context, Decision, Alternatives Considered, Consequences

Session Note:

---
tags: [sessions]
type: session
projects:
  - "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]"
created: {date}
branch: {branch-name}
---

Sections: Context, Work Done, Discoveries, Decisions, Next Steps

Commands

init — Initialize the Vault

Bootstrap a new Obsidian Agent Memory vault from the bundled template.

Usage: init [path]

Steps:

1. Determine vault path: Use the first argument if provided, otherwise use the vault resolution chain (default: ~/Documents/AgentMemory).

1. Check if vault already exists: Look for $VAULT/Home.md. If it exists, tell the user the vault already exists at that path and offer to open it.

1. Locate the bundled template: The template is at vault-template/ relative to the skill package root. Search for the skill package installation directory — it may be in the agent's plugin/skill cache or a local checkout. Look for the vault-template/Home.md file to confirm the correct path.

1. Create the vault:

``bash mkdir -p "$VAULT" cp -r "$TEMPLATE_DIR/vault-template/"* "$VAULT/" ``

1. Create Obsidian config directory:

``bash mkdir -p "$VAULT/.obsidian" ` Write the following to $VAULT/.obsidian/app.json: `json { "alwaysUpdateLinks": true, "newFileLocation": "folder", "newFileFolderPath": "inbox", "attachmentFolderPath": "attachments" } ``

1. Create empty directories:

``bash mkdir -p "$VAULT/inbox" mkdir -p "$VAULT/attachments" ` Create .gitkeep` files in each empty directory.

1. Report the created vault and provide next steps:

• Open in Obsidian: Vault Switcher → Open folder as vault → $VAULT
• Set the vault path via OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH environment variable or agent config
• Start working — the agent will build the knowledge graph as it goes

1. Generate agent config snippet: Output a vault path snippet appropriate for the user's agent. For Claude Code, output a CLAUDE.md snippet:

``markdown ## Obsidian Knowledge Vault Persistent knowledge vault at $VAULT. ` For other agents, output a generic instruction: "Add OBSIDIANVAULTPATH=$VAULT` to your environment or agent config."

1. Auto-scaffold current project: If inside a git repo, automatically run the project command to scaffold the current project in the vault.

1. Concise output: Keep the final output to 5-8 lines max: vault path created, project scaffolded (if applicable), how to open in Obsidian, how to set the vault path.

analyze — Analyze Project & Hydrate Vault

Analyze the current codebase and populate the vault with interconnected, content-rich notes.

Usage: analyze (no arguments — uses current repo)

Phase 1: Discovery — Scan for Knowledge Sources

Scan the repo for files that contain pre-existing knowledge:

| Category | Files to scan | |---|---| | Agent configs | CLAUDE.md, .claude/CLAUDE.md, .cursorrules, .windsurfrules, .clinerules, AGENTS.md, Agents.md | | Documentation | README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, ARCHITECTURE.md, docs/architecture.md, docs/ARCHITECTURE.md | | Existing ADRs | docs/adr/ADR-*.md, architecture/ADR-*.md, adr/*.md, docs/decisions/*.md | | Project metadata | package.json, go.mod, Cargo.toml, pyproject.toml, setup.py, Gemfile, pom.xml, build.gradle, *.csproj | | Build/CI | Makefile, Dockerfile, docker-compose.yml, .github/workflows/*.yml, .gitlab-ci.yml | | Config | tsconfig.json, .eslintrc.*, jest.config.*, .goreleaser.yml |

Read each discovered file. For large files (README, agent configs), read fully. For metadata files, extract key fields (name, version, dependencies).

Also gather:

• Repo URL from git remote get-url origin
• Repo root path from git rev-parse --show-toplevel
• Active branch from git branch --show-current
• Directory tree (top 2 levels of source directories, excluding hidden/vendor/node_modules)
• File extension frequency (for language detection)

Phase 2: Analysis — Extract & Synthesize

Using the discovered content, synthesize:

1. Project metadata: name, language(s), framework(s), repo URL, local path
2. Architecture summary: Entry points, layer organization (e.g., internal/ → Go service layers, src/components/ → React app), build system
3. Component inventory: Major functional modules — each top-level source directory or logical grouping that represents a distinct unit. For each: purpose (from README/agent config context), key files, and relationships
4. Pattern inventory: Coding conventions, error handling strategies, testing approaches — extracted from agent config files (CLAUDE.md sections like "Coding Guidelines", "Testing", etc.)
5. Domain mapping: Detected technologies → vault domain notes (e.g., Go, TypeScript, Terraform, React)
6. Existing decisions: ADR files found in the repo → import as vault ADR notes
7. Dependency summary: Key dependencies from package manifests (listed in project overview, not separate notes)

Phase 3: Hydration — Write Vault Notes

Idempotency rules:

• If project directory doesn't exist → create everything (scaffold + populate)
• If project directory exists but overview is a skeleton → replace overview with populated version
• If individual component/pattern/ADR notes already exist → skip and report (don't overwrite manual work)
• Domain notes: create if missing, append project link if existing

Notes to write:

1. Project overview ($VAULT/projects/{name}/{name}.md) — Fully populated:

``yaml --- aliases: [] tags: [project/{short-name}] type: project repo: {git remote url} path: {repo root path} language: {detected language(s)} framework: {detected framework(s)} created: {YYYY-MM-DD} status: active --- `` Sections:

• Architecture: Real description from analysis
• Components: Table with wikilinks to component notes
• Project Patterns: Table with wikilinks to pattern notes
• Architecture Decisions: List with wikilinks to ADR notes
• Key Dependencies: From package manifests
• Domains: Wikilinks to domain notes

1. Component notes ($VAULT/projects/{name}/components/{Component}.md) — One per major module:

``yaml --- tags: [components, project/{short-name}] type: component project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]" created: {YYYY-MM-DD} status: active layer: {detected layer} depends-on: [] depended-on-by: [] key-files: [{key files list}] --- `` Sections: Purpose, Gotchas

1. Pattern notes ($VAULT/projects/{name}/patterns/{Pattern}.md) — From agent config conventions:

``yaml --- tags: [patterns, project/{short-name}] type: pattern project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]" created: {YYYY-MM-DD} --- `` Sections: Pattern, When to Use, Implementation

1. ADR imports ($VAULT/projects/{name}/architecture/ADR-{NNNN} {title}.md) — From existing repo ADRs:

``yaml --- tags: [architecture, decision, project/{short-name}] type: adr project: "[[projects/{name}/{name}]]" status: accepted created: {YYYY-MM-DD} --- `` Preserve original content, add vault frontmatter.

1. Domain notes ($VAULT/domains/{tech}/{Tech}.md):

• If new: create with project link
• If existing: add this project to "Projects Using This Domain" section

1. Index updates:

• $VAULT/projects/Projects.md — add/update row
• $VAULT/domains/Domains.md — add/update rows for new domains

Phase 4: Report

Print a summary:

Analyzed: {project-name}
  Sources read: {N} knowledge files
  Created: project overview (populated)
  Created: {N} component notes
  Created: {N} pattern notes
  Imported: {N} architecture decisions
  Linked: {N} domain notes
  Skipped: {N} existing notes (preserved)

recap — Write Session Summary

Write a session summary note and update TODOs.

Usage: recap

Steps:

1. Gather session context by running:

``bash git log --oneline -20 git diff --stat HEAD~5..HEAD 2>/dev/null || git diff --stat git branch --show-current ``

1. Read current TODOs — CLI-first:

``bash obsidian vault=$VAULT_NAME tasks path="todos" todo verbose ` Fallback: Read $VAULT/todos/Active TODOs.md`.

1. **Read project overview

…

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: ComeOnOliver
• Source: ComeOnOliver/skillshub
• License: MIT
• Homepage: https://skillshub.wtf

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.