When to Use This Skill
| Use this skill when... | Use the alternative instead when... |
|---|---|
| Listing every vault Obsidian knows about | Listing files inside the active vault — use vault-files |
| Targeting a non-active vault for one command | Switching the active vault permanently — vault:open (TUI only) |
| Reporting vault info (path, file count, size) for diagnostics | Reading a specific note — use vault-files |
The CLI defaults to the active vault (the one currently focused in the
Obsidian app), unless your terminal's working directory is itself inside a
vault folder — in which case that vault wins. The vault= prefix overrides
both, scoped to a single command invocation.
Prerequisites
- Obsidian desktop v1.12.4+ with CLI enabled
- Obsidian must be running
Vault Info
# Active vault overview
obsidian vault
# Specific fields only
obsidian vault info=name
obsidian vault info=path
obsidian vault info=files
obsidian vault info=folders
obsidian vault info=size
Enumerate Known Vaults
# All known vaults (name only)
obsidian vaults
# Include vault paths (verbose)
obsidian vaults verbose
# Just the count
obsidian vaults total
Target a Specific Vault
vault= is a global prefix — it must come before the command, not as
a normal parameter:
# Run against a specific vault by name
obsidian vault=Notes daily
obsidian vault="My Vault" search query="meeting"
# By vault ID (from `obsidian vaults verbose` or settings)
obsidian vault=abc123def files
In the TUI, vault:open name=Notes switches the active vault for the rest
of the session. Outside the TUI, prefer the vault= prefix per command.
Working-Directory Default
If the terminal is cd-ed into a vault folder, that vault is the default —
no vault= needed:
cd ~/vaults/Work
obsidian search query="status::active" # runs against ~/vaults/Work
This is convenient for shell scripts that live alongside a specific vault.
Common Patterns
"Diagnostic snapshot of every vault"
obsidian vaults verbose | while read -r line; do
name=$(echo "$line" | awk '{print $1}')
echo "=== $name ==="
obsidian vault="$name" vault info=files
obsidian vault="$name" vault info=size
done
"Search across one vault while a different one is active"
obsidian vault=Personal search query="trip ideas" format=json
"Confirm which vault a script will hit"
obsidian vault info=name
obsidian vault info=path
Agentic Optimizations
| Context | Command |
|---|---|
| Active vault summary | obsidian vault |
| Active vault path only | obsidian vault info=path |
| Active vault file count | obsidian vault info=files |
| List vaults (verbose) | obsidian vaults verbose |
| Vault count | obsidian vaults total |
| Run command against a vault | obsidian vault=NAME <command> |
Related Skills
- vault-files — File operations within the active or targeted vault
- publish-sync — Per-vault Obsidian Sync configuration and status
- search-discovery — Search inside a (possibly
vault=-prefixed) vault