Agentic Os Obsidian

Agentic OS — Obsidian vault

Installs a configurable command-center dashboard inside an existing Obsidian vault. Bundles and side-loads 5 plugins (Dataview, CustomJS, Shell-commands, Terminal, Homepage). Home + per-profile + Vault Overview pages, KPI cards, sparklines, heatmap, task rollup, recent-files lists, and a button bar wired to user-defined Claude prompts via the Shell-commands plugin. All 5 required plugins are bundled and auto-enabled — the user only has to restart Obsidian. Markdown-based, no servers.

> Looking for a real web app with live API integrations and a Railway URL instead? That's the standalone route — use the agentic-os-standalone skill.

What gets installed

{vault}/
├── Dashboard/
│   ├── Home.md                       # Team-wide dashboard
│   ├── Vault-Overview.md             # Top-level vault health view
│   ├── {Profile}.md                  # One per configured profile
│   ├── Setup.md                      # In-vault setup reference
│   ├── CLAUDE.md                     # AI routing rules for this folder
│   ├── components/dashboard.js       # The renderer (CONFIG substituted)
│   └── lib/frappe-charts.min.js
└── .obsidian/
    ├── snippets/command-center.css   # Brand-styled CSS (enabled)
    ├── plugins/dataview/             # Side-loaded, enabled
    ├── plugins/customjs/             # Side-loaded, enabled
    ├── plugins/obsidian-shellcommands/  # Side-loaded, enabled, aliases pre-registered
    ├── plugins/terminal/             # Side-loaded, enabled, "Claude" profile configured
    ├── plugins/homepage/             # Side-loaded, enabled, points to Dashboard/Home
    ├── community-plugins.json        # Union'd with the 5 plugin IDs
    └── appearance.json               # CSS snippet enabled

Pre-flight checks

test -d .obsidian && echo "vault confirmed" || (echo "NOT A VAULT — cd into your Obsidian vault first" && exit 1)
test -d Dashboard && echo "DASHBOARD EXISTS — ask user before overwriting"

If Dashboard/ exists, ask: cancel / install into Dashboard-new/ / overwrite (require explicit "yes overwrite").

Interview (always run before installing)

Use AskUserQuestion for each. Capture answers into variables for substitution into CONFIG.

Q1. Organization name

"What's your organization or personal brand name? (Used in folder paths and dashboard header. Short — one word ideal.)" Default if skipped: MyOrg. Variable: ORG_NAME.

Q2. Brand label + subtitle

"What should the dashboard show as its title?" Two parts:

• Brand label (header text, e.g. "Acme"). Defaults to ORG_NAME. Variable: BRAND_LABEL.
• Brand subtitle (small text after the label, e.g. "Agentic OS", "Command Center"). Default Command Center. Variable: BRAND_SUB.

Q3. Profile list

"Who's on the team? List each profile name on a separate line. Use lowercase or capitalized — must match the folder names you'll use in step 4. For a solo vault, just one name." Parse into array. Variable: PROFILES (JSON array). The first is DEFAULT_PROFILE.

Q4. Profile folder pattern

"Where do you keep per-profile data?" Show 4 options via AskUserQuestion:

• Team/{ORG}/Profiles/{name} (recommended for orgs — matches Team/Acme/Profiles/Alex)
• Team/{name} (flat team layout)
• People/{name} (alternative naming)
• Custom — ask user to type the exact pattern. Must contain {name}. {ORG} is optional.

Variable: PROFILE_FOLDER_PATTERN. Verify each PROFILES[i] folder exists (warn if missing — installer will still write the dashboard; profile folders just won't have data yet).

Q5. Daily / Tasks / Snapshots subpaths

Three quick AskUserQuestion calls (each with sensible defaults):

• Daily subpath within each profile folder. Default Daily. Empty disables. Variable: DAILY_SUBPATH.
• Tasks subpath (Task Board plugin uses task-list). Default task-list. Empty disables the task widget. Variable: TASKS_SUBPATH.
• Snapshots subpath for JSON files the dashboard reads. Default snapshots. Variable: SNAPSHOTS_SUBPATH.

Also: Root daily path for team-wide rollups. Default Daily. Variable: ROOT_DAILY_PATH.

Q6. Pages to ship

Which dashboard pages? MultiSelect:

• Home (team rollup) — always recommended
• Per-profile pages (one per Q3 profile)
• Vault Overview (top-level folder health)
• Custom — user names extra pages

Variable: PAGES (array). Installer creates one .md per page.

Q7. Overview folders (only if Vault Overview is in PAGES)

"Name 3-5 top-level folders to show on the Vault Overview page. For each: folder path, one-line description, optional CLAUDE.md path (or empty)." Variable: OVERVIEW_FOLDERS (array of [path, description, claude_path]). Defaults if skipped: detect Projects/, Resources/, Intelligence/, Departments/, Teams/, Daily/ if present.

Q8. Buttons (with Claude prompts)

"What action buttons should the dashboard expose? For each button: label (short), icon (emoji or empty), scope (team / profile / both), and a Claude prompt (the text passed to claude -p '...'). Use {profile} in the prompt to interpolate the current profile name. Add as many as you want; defaults are zero."

Suggest these as starter buttons (user can accept/reject each):

• Morning brief (☀️, both, prompt: "Read today's daily for {profile} if it exists. Write a 5-line morning brief covering open loops, top priorities, and energy level. Append under a '## Morning brief' heading.")
• New daily (📝, both, prompt: "Create today's daily note at /$(date +%Y-%m-%d).md with standard frontmatter and section headings. Don't overwrite if it exists.")
• Launch Claude (💬, both, cmd: terminal:open-terminal.claude.root) — wired via Terminal plugin "Claude" profile, NOT a shell-command
• Reload (🔄, both, cmd: app:reload)
• Settings (⚙️, both, cmd: app:open-settings)

For every button with a prompt, the installer generates a shell-commands alias shell-command- and a cmd: obsidian-shellcommands:shell-command-.

Variable: BUTTONS (object with team and profile arrays).

Q9. Brand colors

Two hex colors. Defaults: primary #020309, canvas #FAF3E3. Substitute into CONFIG.COLORS and the CSS snippet variables at the top of command-center.css.

Q10. Brand mark (optional)

"Path to a PNG/SVG logo to show in the dashboard header? Leave blank for no logo." If provided, copy to Dashboard/lib/brand-mark.png and set BRAND_MARK_PATH to that. Default empty.

Critical constraints — read before editing the renderer template

These two pitfalls broke real installs. Treat them as load-bearing.

1. CustomJS file shape: ONE class expression, period.

CustomJS evaluates each .js file as eval(\(${file_contents})\) — it wraps the entire file in parentheses to coerce it into a single expression and pull the class out. This means:

• ✅ Allowed: a single class dashboard { ... } declaration. Comments before and after are fine.
• ❌ NOT allowed: a top-level const CONFIG = {...} or any other statement before/after the class. (const CONFIG = ...) is a syntax error because const is a statement, not an expression. CustomJS surfaces this as SyntaxError: ParseError: Unexpected token.

In references/obsidian/dashboard-template.js, CONFIG lives as a static CONFIG = { ... } field at the top of the class body. All code references it as this.constructor.CONFIG.X (not bare CONFIG.X). Preserve that pattern when editing — if you re-introduce a top-level const, the dashboard renders as a blank page with no console error from the dataviewjs block.

Smoke test before shipping any renderer change:

node -e "$(cat dashboard-template.js | sed 's/__[A-Z_]*__/null/g' | python3 -c 'import sys; print(f\"({sys.stdin.read()})\");')"

If that fails with a SyntaxError, the file violates the constraint. Fix before substitution.

2. Plugin data.json keys are NOT what you'd guess.

Always cross-reference the keys against a known-working vault — do not invent them from the plugin's UI labels. Confirmed-correct keys:

| Plugin | Key | Wrong-but-tempting alternative | |---|---|---| | customjs | jsFolder (and jsFiles: "") | ❌ folder (silently ignored — plugin scans nothing) | | dataview | enableDataviewJs, enableInlineDataviewJs, enableInlineDataview | (these are correct) | | homepage | homepages (plural, object keyed by display name) → .value | ❌ homepage (singular) | | terminal | profiles.claude.executable (absolute path) | ❌ relying on claude in PATH (Obsidian doesn't inherit login shell PATH) | | obsidian-shellcommands | shell_commands[shell-command-].shell_command | ❌ flat commands[] array |

When in doubt, look at a known-working install's data.json before writing the install flow.

Install execution

After the interview, do these in order. Resolve $SKILL_DIR from the skill's own path. All references live under $SKILL_DIR/references/obsidian/.

Step 1. Create folder structure

mkdir -p Dashboard/components Dashboard/lib Dashboard/snapshots
mkdir -p .obsidian/snippets .obsidian/plugins

Step 2. Substitute CONFIG and write dashboard.js

Read $SKILL_DIR/references/obsidian/dashboard-template.js. Substitute each placeholder with the captured value:

| Placeholder | Value | |---|---| | __ORG_NAME__ | ORG_NAME | | __BRAND_LABEL__ | BRAND_LABEL | | __BRAND_SUB__ | BRAND_SUB | | __BRAND_MARK_PATH__ | BRAND_MARK_PATH (or "") | | __PROFILES_JSON__ | JSON.stringify(PROFILES) | | __DEFAULT_PROFILE__ | DEFAULT_PROFILE | | __PROFILE_FOLDER_PATTERN__ | PROFILE_FOLDER_PATTERN | | __DAILY_SUBPATH__ | DAILY_SUBPATH | | __TASKS_SUBPATH__ | TASKS_SUBPATH | | __SNAPSHOTS_SUBPATH__ | SNAPSHOTS_SUBPATH | | __ROOT_DAILY_PATH__ | ROOT_DAILY_PATH | | __OVERVIEW_FOLDERS_JSON__ | JSON.stringify(OVERVIEW_FOLDERS) | | __BUTTONS_JSON__ | JSON.stringify(BUTTONS) | | __CLAUDE_PROMPTS_JSON__ | "{}" (reserved for later use) | | __SKILLS_FOLDER__ | optional skills folder path (e.g. Plugins/skills); empty hides the Vault Overview Skills section | | __SKILL_GROUPS_JSON__ | "{}" (or JSON.stringify({"Group": ["skill-a", "skill-b"]})) | | __PROJECT_CATEGORIES_JSON__ | "[]" (or JSON.stringify(["Agency","Content"]) if user has Projects// subfolders) | | __CONNECTORS_JSON__ | "[]" (or JSON.stringify([["Slack","Team comms"], ...])) | | __CHEATSHEET_JSON__ | "[]" (or JSON.stringify([["Meeting note","Intelligence/meetings/YYYY-MM-DD-{Title}.md"], ...])) |

Ask the user about these five optional Vault Overview fields only if they chose to ship the Vault Overview page. All accept empty defaults.

Write the result to Dashboard/components/dashboard.js. Verify with both checks before declaring success:

# 1. Plain JS parse
node --check Dashboard/components/dashboard.js || { echo "FATAL: dashboard.js has a syntax error"; exit 1; }

# 2. CustomJS-wrapped parse — catches the 'top-level const' pitfall (see Critical Constraints)
node -e "try { new Function('return (' + require('fs').readFileSync('Dashboard/components/dashboard.js','utf8') + ')'); console.log('CustomJS wrap OK'); } catch (e) { console.error('FATAL — CustomJS will reject this file:', e.message); process.exit(1); }"

Both must pass. If check #2 fails but #1 passes, you've reintroduced a top-level statement before the class.

Step 3. Copy static assets

cp "$SKILL_DIR/references/obsidian/frappe-charts.min.js" Dashboard/lib/

If a brand mark was provided in Q10, copy it into Dashboard/lib/.

Step 4. Generate dashboard MD pages

For each page in PAGES, read the corresponding template and substitute placeholders:

• references/obsidian/home-template.md → Dashboard/Home.md
• references/obsidian/vault-overview-template.md → Dashboard/Vault-Overview.md
• For each profile in PROFILES: references/obsidian/profile-template.md → Dashboard/{Profile}.md, substitute {{PROFILE_NAME}}

Step 5. Setup + CLAUDE docs

• references/obsidian/setup-template.md → Dashboard/Setup.md, substitute {{BRAND_LABEL}}, {{PAGES_LINKS}}
• references/obsidian/claude-md-template.md → Dashboard/CLAUDE.md, substitute {{ORG_NAME}}, {{PROFILE_FOLDER_PATTERN}}

Step 6. Side-load plugins

For each of dataview, customjs, obsidian-shellcommands, terminal, homepage:

if [ ! -d ".obsidian/plugins/$ID" ]; then
  mkdir -p ".obsidian/plugins/$ID"
  cp "$SKILL_DIR/references/obsidian/plugins/$ID/"* ".obsidian/plugins/$ID/"
fi

The if guard preserves any newer version the user already has.

Step 7. Plugin data.json files

dataview:

{"enableDataviewJs": true, "enableInlineDataviewJs": true, "enableInlineDataview": true}

customjs: The key is jsFolder (NOT folder).

{"jsFiles": "", "jsFolder": "Dashboard/components", "startupScriptNames": [], "registeredInvocableScriptNames": []}

obsidian-shellcommands: For each button in BUTTONS.team and BUTTONS.profile that has a prompt, generate one shell-commands entry:

{
  "shell_commands": {
    "shell-command-": {
      "shell_command": "cd \"{{vault_dir}}\" && claude -p \"\" --dangerously-skip-permissions",
      "alias": "",
      "platform_specific_commands": {"default": "use this"},
      "shells": {},
      "events": {},
      "debounce": null,
      "execution_notification_mode": "disabled",
      "output_channels": {"stdout": "notification", "stderr": "notification-bigger"},
      "output_handlers": {},
      "output_wrappers": {"stdout": null, "stderr": null},
      "command_palette_availability": "enabled"
    }
  },
  "preferences": {"debug": false},
  "settings_version": "0.23.0"
}

Replace `` with kebab-cased label. Escape double quotes in the prompt.

terminal: Cross-platform "claude" integrated profile.

Resolving the claude binary path — #1 source of Launch Claude button failures. Obsidian's Terminal plugin spawns processes without the user's login shell, so PATH is not enough. Need absolute path.

Probe in this order, take the first hit:

CLAUDE_BIN="$(zsh -ic 'command -v claude' 2>/dev/null || bash -ic 'command -v claude' 2>/dev/null || command -v claude)"
if [ -z "$CLAUDE_BIN" ] || [ ! -x "$CLAUDE_BIN" ]; then
  for candidate in \
    "$HOME/.local/bin/claude" \
    "$HOME/.claude/local/claude" \
    "/opt/homebrew/bin/claude" \
    "/usr/local/bin/claude" \
    "$HOME/.npm-global/bin/claude" \
    "$HOME/.volta/bin/claude" \
    "/usr/bin/claude"; do
    [ -x "$candidate" ] && CLAUDE_BIN="$candidate" && break
  done
fi
if [ -n "$CLAUDE_BIN" ] && "$CLAUDE_BIN" --version >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "resolved: $CLAUDE_BIN"
else
  CLAUDE_BIN=""
fi

If empty, fall through to AskUserQuestion asking for the full path or to skip. If skipped, omit the claude profile entirely rather than ship a broken one.

{
  "profiles": {
    "claude": {
      "args": ["--dangerously-skip-permissions"],
      "executable": "",
      "followTheme": true,
      "name": "Claude",
      "platforms": {"darwin": true, "linux": true, "win32": true},
      "restoreHistory": false,
      "rightClickAction": "copyPaste",
      "successExitCodes": ["0", "SIGINT", "SIGTERM"],
      "terminalOptions": {"documentOverride": null},
      "type": "integrated",
      "useWin32Conhost": true
    }
  },
  "addToCommand": true,
  "focusOnNewInstance": true,
  "newInstanceBehavior": "newHorizontalSplit"
}

Print the resolved path to the user in the final summary (Launch Claude wired to: /opt/homebrew/bin/claude). Verify before declaring complete: test -x "$CLAUDE_BIN" and "$CLAUDE_BIN" --version. If a user later sees a Python FileNotFoundError stack from the terminal pane, the executable moved — recovery: re-run which claude, edit .obsidian/plugins/terminal/data.json → profiles.claude.executable, reload Obsidian. Skill should offer

…

Source & license

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

• Author: naveedharri
• Source: naveedharri/benai-skills
• License: MIT

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