Obsidian skill for LLMs

about.md

This is designed to go in a skill folder for Claude Code or other AI tools.

the basic layout is

• SKILL.md - the skill with yaml frontmatter to describe it
• references/
  • callouts.md - how to do callouts
  • syntax-complete.md - complete syntax guide

Hopefully it's fairly self explanatory

callouts.md

Obsidian Callouts Reference

Basic Syntax

> [!type] Optional Title
> Callout content here.
> Supports **markdown** and [[wikilinks]].

Foldable Callouts

Add - or + after the type to make callouts foldable:

> [!info]- Collapsed by default
> This content is hidden until clicked

> [!info]+ Expanded by default
> This content is visible but can be collapsed

Built-in Callout Types

Type	Aliases	Default Color	Icon
note	—	Blue	Pencil
abstract	summary, tldr	Cyan	Clipboard list
info	—	Blue	Info circle
todo	—	Blue	Checkbox
tip	hint, important	Cyan	Flame
success	check, done	Green	Checkmark
question	help, faq	Yellow	Question mark
warning	caution, attention	Orange	Warning triangle
failure	fail, missing	Red	X mark
danger	error	Red	Zap/lightning
bug	—	Red	Bug
example	—	Purple	List
quote	cite	Grey	Quote marks

Examples

Note

> [!note]
> Standard informational callout

Tip / Hint / Important

> [!tip] Pro tip
> These three types look identical

> [!hint]
> Use whichever reads best in context

> [!important]
> All three use cyan color and flame icon

Warning / Caution / Attention

> [!warning]
> Orange callout for warnings

> [!caution]
> Same appearance as warning

> [!attention]
> Also same as warning

Abstract / Summary / TLDR

> [!abstract]
> Use for summaries at top of notes

> [!tldr]
> Same style, different semantic meaning

Success / Check / Done

> [!success]
> Green with checkmark

> [!done]
> Same style - good for completed items

Failure / Fail / Missing

> [!failure]
> Red with X - for errors or missing items

> [!missing]
> Same style

Question / Help / FAQ

> [!question]
> Yellow with question mark

> [!faq] Frequently Asked Questions
> Good for Q&A sections

Danger / Error

> [!danger]
> Red with lightning bolt - more severe than warning

> [!error]
> Same style as danger

Bug

> [!bug]
> Red with bug icon - for known issues

Example

> [!example]
> Purple - good for code examples or demonstrations

Quote / Cite

> [!quote]
> Grey with quote marks - for quotations

> [!cite] Attribution
> Same style - good for citations

Nested Callouts

Callouts can be nested:

> [!question] Can callouts be nested?
> > [!success] Yes they can!
> > > [!info] Even multiple levels deep

Custom Titles

The type identifier becomes the default title. Override with text after the type:

> [!note] My Custom Title
> Content here

To have no title, use empty brackets or just the type:

> [!note]
> This callout has "Note" as the title

Callouts with Complex Content

Callouts support full markdown:

> [!example] Code Example
> Here's how to use it:
> ```python
> def hello():
>     print("Hello!")
> ```
>
> And a list:
> - Item 1
> - Item 2
>
> Even [[wikilinks]] and ==highlights== work.

Theme Variations

Colors and icons may vary by theme. The colors listed above are defaults - custom themes may use different color schemes.

SKILL.md

name	description
obsidian-markdown	Guide for reading and writing Obsidian markdown files. This skill should be used when working with Obsidian vaults, creating or editing notes for Obsidian, or when the user mentions Obsidian markdown syntax. Covers wikilinks, embeds, callouts, tags, front matter, and other Obsidian-specific extensions to standard markdown.

Obsidian Markdown Guide

This skill provides guidance for reading and writing markdown files compatible with Obsidian.

Front Matter Convention

Obsidian notes should start with YAML front matter:

---
created: 2024-01-15
tags:
  - topic/subtopic
  - another-tag
---

• created - Date the note was created (YYYY-MM-DD format)
• tags - Optional list of tags; omit entirely if no tags apply

Other common properties: aliases, cssclasses, publish, title

Core Obsidian Syntax

Wikilinks

Obsidian uses [[wikilinks]] for internal links:

Syntax	Purpose
[[Note Name]]	Link to note
[[Note Name|display text]]	Link with custom text
[[Note Name#Heading]]	Link to heading
[[Note Name#^blockid]]	Link to block
[[#Heading]]	Link within same note

Prefer wikilinks over markdown links for Obsidian content - they support backlinks, graph view, and auto-rename. Use paths ([[folder/note]]) when filenames aren't unique across the vault.

Pipes in tables need escaping - inside a markdown table the pipe ("|") character needs escaping - use \| if you need to use a pipe character insie a table, such as for a link with custom text.

Embeds

Prefix with "!" to embed content inline:

![[Note Name]]
![[image.png]]
![[image.png|300]]

Tags

Use #tag inline or in front matter. Nest with /: #parent/child

Highlights and Comments

==highlighted text==
%%hidden comment%%

Callouts

> [!note] Optional title
> Content here

> [!warning]- Foldable (collapsed)
> Hidden until clicked

Types: note, tip, info, warning, danger, bug, example, quote, success, failure, question, abstract

Block References

Add ^block-id at end of line (with space before) to make it linkable:

This paragraph can be linked to. ^my-id

Then link with [[Note#^my-id]] or embed with ![[Note#^my-id]]

Reference Documentation

For detailed syntax when needed:

• references/syntax-complete.md - Full syntax reference including tables, footnotes, math, diagrams, image sizing, and all formatting options
• references/callouts.md - Complete callout types with aliases and color schemes

syntax-complete.md

Obsidian Markdown Complete Syntax Reference

Standard Markdown (CommonMark)

Headings

# Heading 1
## Heading 2
### Heading 3
#### Heading 4
##### Heading 5
###### Heading 6

Text Styling

Style	Syntax	Result
Bold	**bold** or __bold__	bold
Italic	*italic* or _italic_	italic
Bold + Italic	***both***	both
Strikethrough	~~struck~~	struck
Highlight	==highlighted==	highlighted (yellow background)

Lists

Unordered:

- Item 1
- Item 2
  - Nested item

Ordered:

1. First
2. Second
   1. Nested

Task lists:

- [ ] Incomplete task
- [x] Completed task

Blockquotes

> This is a blockquote
> It can span multiple lines
>
> > Nested blockquotes work too

Code

Inline: `code`

Fenced block with syntax highlighting:

```python
def hello():
    print("Hello, world!")
```

Obsidian uses Prism.js for syntax highlighting.

Links and Images

External link:

[Link text](https://example.com)

Image:

![Alt text](path/to/image.png)

Horizontal Rule

---

---

Tables (GitHub Flavored Markdown)

| Left | Center | Right |
|:-----|:------:|------:|
| L    |   C    |     R |
| data |  data  |  data |

• :--- left align
• :---: center align
• ---: right align

---

Obsidian-Specific Syntax

Internal Links (Wikilinks)

Link Type	Syntax
Link to note	[[Note Name]]
Link with alias	[[Note Name|Display Text]]
Link to heading	[[Note Name#Heading]]
Link to block	[[Note Name#^blockid]]
Same-note heading	[[#Heading]]
Same-note block	[[#^blockid]]
With path	[[folder/Note Name]]

Wikilinks vs Markdown Links:

Feature	Wikilinks	Markdown [text](path)
Backlinks	Yes	Yes (but edge cases)
Auto-rename	Yes	No
Graph view	Full support	Limited
Portability	Obsidian only	Any markdown app

Recommendation: Use wikilinks for Obsidian vaults. Use markdown links only if portability to other apps is required.

Disambiguation: Wikilinks resolve by filename alone. If duplicate names exist in different folders, include the path: [[projects/todo]] vs [[personal/todo]]. Without a path, Obsidian may resolve to the wrong file.

Block References

Add a block ID to any paragraph or list item:

This is a paragraph I want to reference. ^my-block-id

Block IDs can only contain letters, numbers, and dashes. They must have a space before the ^.

Embeds (Transclusions)

Embed Type	Syntax
Note	![[Note Name]]
Note section	![[Note Name#Heading]]
Block	![[Note Name#^blockid]]
Image	![[image.png]]
Image resized	![[image.png|300]] (width in pixels)
Image sized	![[image.png|300x200]] (width x height)
PDF	![[document.pdf]]
PDF page	![[document.pdf#page=3]]
PDF with height	![[document.pdf#height=400]]

Tags

Inline tags:

#tag #category/subcategory #nested/path/tag

Front matter tags:

---
tags:
  - tag1
  - category/subcategory
---

Tag rules:

• Must start with a letter
• Can contain letters, numbers, underscores, hyphens
• Use / for nested hierarchy

Comments

Comments are hidden in Reading view.

Inline:

This is visible %%this is hidden%% and this is visible

Block:

%%
This entire block
is hidden from readers
%%

Footnotes

Here is a sentence with a footnote[^1].

Here is another with a named footnote[^note].

[^1]: This is the footnote content.
[^note]: Named footnotes work too.

Footnote definitions can be placed anywhere in the document.

Callouts

Basic syntax:

> [!type] Optional Title
> Callout content here.
> Supports **markdown** and [[links]].

Foldable callouts:

> [!info]- Collapsed by default (click to expand)
> Hidden content

> [!info]+ Expanded by default (click to collapse)
> Visible content

Math (LaTeX)

Inline: $E = mc^2$

Block:

$$
\frac{n!}{k!(n-k)!} = \binom{n}{k}
$$

Diagrams (Mermaid)

```mermaid
graph TD
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Do something]
    B -->|No| D[Do something else]
```

---

YAML Front Matter

---
created: 2024-01-15
tags:
  - topic/subtopic
  - another-tag
aliases:
  - alternate name
  - another alias
cssclasses:
  - custom-class
publish: true
---

Common properties:

• created - Creation date (YYYY-MM-DD)
• tags - List of tags (optional)
• aliases - Alternative names for the note
• cssclasses - Custom CSS classes to apply
• publish - Whether to include in Obsidian Publish

---

Not Supported in Obsidian

• Heading IDs (e.g., ## Heading {#custom-id})
• Definition lists
• Emoji shortcodes (:smile:) - use copy/paste instead
• Subscript/superscript markdown (use HTML: <sub>, <sup>)

---

Quick Reference

Feature	Syntax
Bold	**text**
Italic	*text*
Highlight	==text==
Strikethrough	~~text~~
Internal link	[[Note]]
External link	[text](url)
Embed note	![[Note]]
Embed image	![[image.png]]
Tag	#tag
Comment	%%hidden%%
Footnote	[^1] ... [^1]: text
Task	- [ ] task
Callout	> [!type]
Code inline	`code`
Math inline	$formula$
Link to heading	[[Note#Heading]]
Link to block	[[Note#^blockid]]