On the local Markdown knowledge base created by soia-pkm-bootstrap-vault-base , configure the Obsidian consumption end. Obsidian only provides editing, browsing, and database views; Markdown, YAML frontmatter, and Git (if enabled) remain the source of truth for content.
Customer-readable description
What this skill can do
- Install or check Obsidian 1.9+.
- Enable the core plugin Bases, used for database views such as the book library and article library.
- Check whether
.obsidian/andsnippets/wide-page.csshave been generated by the base script, and explain the manual enabling steps. - Provide optional configuration boundaries such as Tars, Terminal, and Obsidian Git.
This skill does not create the PARA skeleton, does not replace base, and does not write Obsidian data back to other cloud knowledge bases.
How customers use it
- First install and run
soia-pkm-bootstrap-vault-base; for general initialization use--no-obsidian; if you want the script to also generate the CSS snippet, run it without that parameter as shown in the command below. - Provide the existing vault path, and confirm whether Obsidian is installed and its version.
- Complete the core plugin and optional plugin configuration according to this skill.
- Open the target vault in Obsidian, and confirm that rules, templates, and articles display correctly.
Dependencies and installation
Install this skill (the hard dependency will also require base):
npx skills add soia-team/soia-open-skills -g -a '*' -s soia-pkm-bootstrap-vault-obsidian -y
Configuration conventions:
~/.config/soia-skills/soia-open-skills/soia-pkm/soia-pkm-bootstrap-vault-obsidian/config.yml
SOIA_PKM_BOOTSTRAP_VAULT_OBSIDIAN_CONFIG_FILE=<custom-config-path>
External installation entry points:
- Obsidian download:https://obsidian.md/download
- Version recommendation: 1.9+, subject to the current official version and local system support.
Logs and completion receipt
The receipt should at least state: the Obsidian version check result, the vault open/check result, whether Bases is enabled, whether.obsidian/CSS exists, whether optional plugins were skipped, and the items that still need to be completed manually by the user in the client. Do not write accounts, tokens, or local private paths to the logs.
Configuration process
1. Install Obsidian
From the Obsidian official download page , install the desktop client and sign in (if the user needs account capabilities such as sync or community plugins). It is not necessary to write account credentials into the vault or skill configuration in order to open a local Markdown vault.
2. Run general initialization
General-layer command:
python3 <path-to-base-skill>/scripts/init_vault.py <vault-path> --no-obsidian
If you want to keep the CSS snippet from the base default configuration:
python3 <path-to-base-skill>/scripts/init_vault.py <vault-path>
init_vault.py 's Obsidian separation method is minimal filtering:--no-obsidian skips the directories and files of .obsidian/** in the configuration; when no parameter is provided, the original default behavior is maintained. The script has no independent Bases configuration generation logic; Bases needs to be enabled in the Obsidian client.
3. Enable core functionality
In the settings of the current Obsidian version, enable the core plugin Bases, then open a Bases file or create a view to confirm that YAML frontmatter can be used as fields. The setting names in the current version may change; if the interface differs, defer to the actual Obsidian interface and record the correction points.
Default checklist:
| Type | Item | Required? | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|
| Body | Obsidian 1.9+ | Yes | Open and edit a local Markdown vault |
| Core plugins | Bases | Recommended/as needed per view | Database views such as library and article library |
| CSS snippet | wide-page.css |
Recommended | Fill the editor width; provided by the default configuration |
| AI CLI | Codex / Claude Code / Gemini CLI / Antigravity CLI / opencode / workbuddy | Recommended | Read and write local Markdown directly |
| Community plugins | Tars | Optional | Call AI within Obsidian |
| Community plugins | Terminal | Optional | Run AI CLI within Obsidian |
| Community plugins | Obsidian Git | Optional | Provide Git version control for the vault |
This system does not use Dataview and does not strongly depend on Templater; the default templates and frontmatter are sufficient to run the general closed loop. Before installing community plugins, first verify the author, permissions, and local security policy.
4. Check the CSS snippet
If using the default configuration, confirm that the following relative paths exist:
.obsidian/snippets/wide-page.css
Enable this snippet in Obsidian's appearance/theme-related settings; the specific setting names are subject to the client's actual interface. If the user initializes with the general layer's --no-obsidian then this file will not be generated, and the base script needs to be rerun (without --no-obsidian) or added according to the user's own configuration.
5. Verify
Open a Markdown article in Obsidian and check the title, frontmatter, wikilinks, templates, and Chinese directory display; then open a Bases view to confirm the fields are readable. Finally, return to the CLI or file manager to verify that the Markdown body is still located in the vault and that platform settings have not been mistaken for the source of truth for content.
Completion receipt
After execution, output:
- The Obsidian version checked or installed.
- The status of Bases, the CSS snippet, and optional plugins.
- File changes within the vault that are only platform configuration.
- The verification results of actually opening articles and views.
- Steps the user needs to complete according to the current client interface; if none, write "None".