Pi Obsidian Vault

Dead-simple, agent-safe Obsidian vault access for Pi.

Prerequisite: In Obsidian Desktop, go to Settings → General → Advanced → CLI (Command line interface), enable it, then click Register for PATH.

pi install npm:pi-obsidian-vault

pi-obsidian-vault gives Pi agents safe, bounded access to one local Obsidian vault: retrieve context first, then make explicit note changes only when requested.

Auto-detect comes first. Open your vault in Obsidian Desktop once, reload Pi, and ask. Pi can also auto-open the configured/detected vault when a vault-touching tool needs it. Manual /obsidian-vault set-vault is only the fallback when auto-detect cannot find the vault.

Quick start

Auto-detect is the normal path:

1. Install the package.
2. Open your vault in Obsidian Desktop once.
3. Restart Pi or run /reload.
4. Ask naturally.

find my notes about project roadmap

make a note about the automatic vault detection idea

append today's decision to Projects/Roadmap.md

If Pi cannot see your vault, it asks for the vault folder path instead of guessing. You can also set it directly:

/obsidian-vault set-vault /home/me/Documents/My Vault

What it is

This is a Pi coding-agent extension and skill package for one local Obsidian vault. It keeps agents on a small, explicit tool surface instead of broad filesystem access.

It is not an Obsidian community plugin, desktop GUI, pane, or automatic vault organizer.

Tools at a glance

The package registers eight Pi tools plus one slash command:

| Tool or command | Use it for | Supports | | --- | --- | --- | | obsidian_config | Remembering or checking the vault path | set_vault, forget_vault, status | | obsidian_retrieve | Read-only note discovery and bounded context | auto, search, context, graph, project, note, relationships | | obsidian_validate | Advisory Markdown checks | existing_note, proposed_content | | obsidian_plan | Previewing non-destructive operation sequences | preview-only, max 25 operations, never executes | | obsidian_write | Creating notes, appending Markdown, creating folders | create, append, create_folder | | obsidian_edit | Structured edits to existing notes | replace_section, insert_under_heading, update_frontmatter, remove_frontmatter, replace_exact_text | | obsidian_manage | Moving, trashing, restoring, or copying one note | move_note, trash_note, restore_note, copy_note | | obsidian_destroy | Explicit permanent destructive actions | delete_note, delete_folder, replace_note, empty_trash | | /obsidian-vault | Status, vault selection, app readiness, and session approval controls | status, set-vault, forget-vault, auto-open, auto-write, auto-destroy |

Configuration and vault resolution

Most users do not configure anything. Pi either auto-detects the vault from Obsidian Desktop or remembers the one path you set. Auto-open is enabled by default for vault-touching tools and can be toggled per session.

There is only one normal persistent setting: vaultPath.

It is stored in:

$HOME/.pi/agent/obsidian-vault.json

Normal users should set it through obsidian_config or /obsidian-vault set-vault; you do not need to edit config files by hand.

Technical resolution order:

1. OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH hidden/dev override
2. remembered vaultPath
3. Obsidian Desktop auto-detect
4. setup-needed response asking for the vault folder path

/obsidian-vault status reports local vault path and mutation readiness. It is intentionally small and is not a complete retrieval/CLI health check.

Useful commands:

/obsidian-vault
/obsidian-vault set-vault <path>
/obsidian-vault forget-vault
/obsidian-vault auto-open status
/obsidian-vault auto-open on
/obsidian-vault auto-open off
/obsidian-vault auto-write status
/obsidian-vault auto-write on
/obsidian-vault auto-write off
/obsidian-vault auto-destroy status
/obsidian-vault auto-destroy on
/obsidian-vault auto-destroy off

/obsidian vault ... also works as an alias.

Auto-open Obsidian, Auto-write this session, and Auto-destroy this session are in-memory Pi session choices. Auto-open only checks/opens the configured or detected vault; it never authorizes writes or destruction. Auto-write and auto-destroy are separate, and auto-write never authorizes destructive operations.

Agent workflow

For agents and power users, the intended flow is:

1. Retrieve candidates with obsidian_retrieve.
2. Read agentGuidance.
3. Request selected context only for exact returned selectedRef paths.
4. Validate or plan when useful.
5. Call the smallest write/edit/manage/destroy tool that matches the user's explicit request.

Retrieval is candidate-first, bounded, and read-only. It does not return full note bodies by default.

Use mode: "note" only with one explicit safe vault-relative Markdown path. Use mode: "relationships" only around one explicit Markdown note; there is no vault-wide backlink scan or broad vault/backlink scan.

obsidian_validate is workflow-neutral. Missing frontmatter, tags, templates, PARA, Zettelkasten, daily-note structure, or project-note structure are not errors. Suspicious path-like strings inside Markdown are warning-severity advisory issues.

obsidian_plan is preview-only. It never executes, stages, batches, writes files, or creates a transaction. If dryRun: false appears inside a plan, it is ignored with a warning.

For normal non-destructive mutation requests, agents should omit dryRun; the registered Pi tools preview internally and ask for human approval when the interactive UI is available. dryRun: true never commits. Destructive operations use obsidian_destroy and separate destructive approval.

Supported top-level request fields for obsidian_retrieve are exactly query, mode, path, selected, scope, budget, maxCandidates, maxRelated, includeBacklinks, includeOutgoing, includeSections, and explain.

Valid budget values: tiny, standard, expanded.

Examples

Representative calls for each public tool:

Configure

{ "operation": "set_vault", "vaultPath": "/home/me/Documents/My Vault" }

{ "operation": "forget_vault" }

{ "operation": "status" }

Retrieve

{ "query": "project roadmap", "mode": "search", "budget": "standard" }

{ "query": "Project Roadmap connections", "mode": "graph", "budget": "expanded" }

{
  "mode": "context",
  "query": "implementation details",
  "selected": [{ "path": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "title": "Roadmap" }],
  "budget": "standard"
}

{ "mode": "note", "path": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "budget": "tiny" }

{ "mode": "relationships", "path": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "budget": "standard", "maxRelated": 10, "includeBacklinks": true }

Validate

{
  "target": "proposed_content",
  "content": "# Roadmap\n\nSee [Plan](Plan.md).",
  "expectedPath": "Projects/Roadmap.md"
}

{ "target": "existing_note", "path": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "budget": "tiny" }

Plan

{
  "operations": [
    { "tool": "obsidian_write", "operation": "create", "path": "Projects/New Idea.md", "content": "# New Idea\n" },
    { "tool": "obsidian_edit", "operation": "replace_exact_text", "path": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "oldText": "old", "newText": "new" }
  ]
}

Write

{ "operation": "create", "title": "New Idea", "folderHint": "Projects", "content": "# New Idea\n\nDetails." }

{ "operation": "append", "path": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "content": "\n## Update\n\nNew notes." }

{ "operation": "create_folder", "path": "Projects/New Area" }

Edit

{ "operation": "replace_exact_text", "path": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "oldText": "Old phrase", "newText": "New phrase" }

Manage one note

{ "operation": "move_note", "fromPath": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "toPath": "Archive/Roadmap.md" }

{ "operation": "trash_note", "path": "Archive/Roadmap.md" }

{ "operation": "restore_note", "trashPath": "_Trash/Roadmap.md", "toPath": "Projects/Roadmap.md" }

{ "operation": "copy_note", "fromPath": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "toPath": "Archive/Roadmap Copy.md" }

trash_note is a recoverable move-to-trash, not permanent deletion. copy_note is byte-for-byte and does not rewrite links.

Destroy explicitly

These require explicit destructive approval.

{ "operation": "delete_note", "path": "Archive/Old.md" }

{ "operation": "delete_folder", "path": "Archive/Old Project" }

{ "operation": "replace_note", "path": "Projects/Roadmap.md", "content": "# Replaced Roadmap\n" }

{ "operation": "empty_trash" }

Safety model

Read-only tools (obsidian_retrieve, obsidian_validate, obsidian_plan) do not mutate the vault.

Normal mutation tools (obsidian_write, obsidian_edit, obsidian_manage) preview before commit and use human approval or session auto-write through Pi. obsidian_destroy is the only tool for permanent delete, recursive folder delete, full-note replacement, or empty trash, and it uses separate destructive approval.

Hard rails include:

• safe vault-relative Markdown paths only for note targets
• no absolute paths, traversal, hidden paths, .obsidian paths, wildcard or bulk operations
• no overwrite, suffixing, auto-renaming, fuzzy destructive targets, or accidental full-note overwrite
• no broad vault scans, broad vault dumps, or broad backlink scans
• no automatic link rewriting
• no templates or automatic organization
• no transactions, batch execution, arbitrary CLI commands, Shell execution, network calls, GUI automation, pane automation, or user-requested UI-open behavior

The retrieval adapter uses a read-only command allowlist and shell:false. The only desktop launch behavior is the centralized auto-open preflight for the configured/detected vault.

Outputs are designed and tested to redact common sensitive local details such as vault roots and absolute paths. Vault-relative paths such as Projects/Roadmap.md are normal and may appear.

Limitations and troubleshooting

• Retrieval may degrade or return setup guidance when Obsidian Desktop or the controlled CLI adapter is unavailable.
• If retrieval or existing-note validation says Obsidian CLI setup is required: go to Obsidian Settings → General → Advanced → CLI (Command line interface), enable it, then click Register for PATH. If CLI is already enabled but PATH is not registered, uncheck/re-check CLI, then click Register for PATH.
• Relationship/backlink metadata can degrade; there is no broad backlink scan.
• Mutations require explicit safe targets. The tools do not fuzzy-pick notes for edits, moves, deletes, or restores.
• Move/copy destinations must not already exist. No overwrite means existing destinations are refused rather than overwritten.
• copy_note preserves bytes and does not rewrite links.
• trash_note moves into _Trash by default. Permanent destruction lives only in obsidian_destroy.
• Release checks use temporary or disposable vaults. Real-vault checks are opt-in/manual only.
• Release safety posture includes no-overwrite, no-shell/network, no-broad-scan, human approval/auto-write separation, and redaction checks.

If auto-write or auto-destroy is on and you want prompts again:

/obsidian-vault auto-write off
/obsidian-vault auto-destroy off

If the vault is wrong:

/obsidian-vault set-vault /path/to/other/vault

or ask the agent naturally.

Security and issues

Please report security-sensitive issues using SECURITY.md. Do not include private vault contents, secrets, or absolute local paths in public issues.