Use cases

Obsidian CLI is a programmatic playground for plain text.

Develop.: Build plugins and themes faster. Edit code, reload, test, and debug without leaving the terminal.
Collaborate.: Deploy documentation, sync shared vaults to servers, and integrate Obsidian into your team’s toolchain.
Automate.: Orchestrate your workflow with cron jobs, shell scripts, and custom integrations. If you can script it, you can do it.
Tinker.: Read, search, and write to your vault programmatically. Give agentic tools the ability to interact with your vault.

Get started

Install Obsidian CLI

Update Obsidian

Download the latest Obsidian installer. Download →

Activate the CLI

Enable Command line interface in Settings → General.

Register the CLI

Follow the on-screen instructions to add the CLI to your system PATH. Restart your terminal for changes to take effect.

Registration creates a symlink at /usr/local/bin/obsidian. This requires administrator privileges. You will be prompted via a system dialog.

The installer adds an Obsidian.com terminal redirector alongside Obsidian.exe. This is required because Obsidian runs as a GUI app.

The CLI binary is copied to ~/.local/bin/obsidian. Make sure ~/.local/bin is in your PATH.

Run your first command

Once installed, you’re ready to go. Note that the Obsidian app must be running.

Run a command

Use TUI mode

Examples

See it in action

Check out practical examples, from everyday note-taking to developer automation.

Hotkeys

Keyboard shortcuts

Convenient shortcuts and autocomplete built into the TUI.

Navigation

Move left ← / Ctrl+B

Move right → / Ctrl+F

Start of line Ctrl+A

End of line Ctrl+E

Previous word Alt+B

Next word Alt+F

Editing

Delete to start of line Ctrl+U

Delete to end of line Ctrl+K

Delete previous word Ctrl+W / Alt+⌫

Accept suggestion Tab

Dismiss suggestions Shift+Tab

Accept first suggestion →

General

Previous command ↑ / Ctrl+P

Next command ↓ / Ctrl+N

Search history Ctrl+R

Cancel Escape

Clear screen Ctrl+L

Exit Ctrl+C / Ctrl+D

Sync

Headless Sync

Run Obsidian Sync without a GUI. All the speed, privacy, and end-to-end encryption of Obsidian Sync, on any server or automated environment.

Automate remote backups.
Automate publishing a website.
Give agentic tools access to a vault without access to your full computer.
Sync a shared team vault to a server that feeds other tools.
Run scheduled automations — aggregate daily notes into weekly summaries, auto-tag, and more.

Get started

Learn how to install and use Obsidian CLI.