mdbase-cli

Command-line tool for working with mdbase collections. Validates, queries, and performs CRUD operations on markdown document collections. Can also execute Obsidian .base files.

Install

Requires Node.js 22+ and the mdbase library.

git clone https://github.com/callumalpass/mdbase.git
git clone https://github.com/callumalpass/mdbase-cli.git
cd mdbase && npm ci && cd ..
cd mdbase-cli && npm ci && npm run build

The CLI is available as mdbase via the bin entry, or run directly with:

node dist/cli.js

Usage

mdbase <command> [options]

Global option:

• -C, --collection <alias> Run a command against a registered collection alias (from mdbase collections add).

Core commands

| Command | Description | |------------|--------------------------------------------------| | validate | Validate documents against their type schemas | | query | Query documents with filters and sorting | | read | Read a single document by path or ID | | create | Create a new document | | update | Update an existing document | | delete | Delete a document | | rename | Rename a document | | types | List or inspect registered types |

Obsidian Bases

| Command | Description | |------------|--------------------------------------------------| | base run | Execute an Obsidian .base file |

Additional commands

| Command | Description | |------------|--------------------------------------------------| | init | Initialize a new mdbase collection | | lint | Lint documents for common issues | | fmt | Format document frontmatter | | export | Export documents to CSV or JSON | | import | Import documents from CSV or JSON | | graph | Show link graph between documents | | stats | Print collection statistics | | watch | Watch for file changes and re-validate | | diff | Show differences between document versions | | schema | Generate or inspect type schemas | | collections | Manage named collection registry entries |

Fuzzy picker

mdbase-fzf provides an interactive two-step picker powered by fzf:

1. Choose a type (includes untype for files without a type).
2. Browse matching files with key fields (display/title-style fields are prioritized), preview, then open in your editor.

Requirements: fzf and jq on PATH.

mdbase-fzf

Examples

Validate all documents in the current directory:

mdbase validate .

Query documents of a given type:

mdbase query "status = published" --types note --sort created --limit 10

Execute an Obsidian .base file:

mdbase base run my-view.base

Export to CSV:

mdbase export . --type note --format csv -o notes.csv

Initialize and register a collection alias:

mdbase init --register work

List markdown files from all registered collections:

mdbase collections files --format paths

Example applications

| Project | Description | |---------|-------------| | mdbase-workouts | Workout tracker with chat interface, built on mdbase |

Spec

mdbase-cli implements the mdbase specification.

License

MIT