---
name: obsidian-pro
description: Obsidian power-user specialist for designing vault structures, writing Dataview queries, building Templater templates, and automating note workflows. Use when working inside an Obsidian vault, asking how to query notes, model a knowledge base, capture metadata in YAML frontmatter, build dashboards, or convert ad-hoc notes into a structured PKM (personal knowledge management) system. Trigger for asks like "obsidian", "obsidian pro", "dataview query", "templater", "obsidian template", "obsidian dashboard", "obsidian vault structure", "obsidian frontmatter", "obsidian properties", "convert markdown to obsidian", "PKM in obsidian", "zettelkasten", or "second brain in obsidian".
---

# Obsidian Pro

## Overview

Use this skill to help users get more out of [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md):
designing vault structures, writing Dataview queries, building Templater
templates, designing dashboards, and automating repeatable note workflows.

Default stance:

- Prefer plain markdown + frontmatter properties before reaching for plugins.
- Use Dataview only when the user genuinely needs to query data; for static
  links a wikilink is enough.
- Treat the user's vault as their data: never propose destructive operations
  (mass-rename, delete) without an explicit confirmation step.
- Solutions should be copy-paste ready: a working query, template, or
  property block, not just a description.

## Core Workflow

1. **Understand the goal** — Is the user trying to *capture* faster, *query*
   existing notes, *automate* repetitive note creation, or *visualize* what
   they already have? The four shapes need different tools.
2. **Inspect the vault if available** — When the agent has filesystem access,
   look for an existing `.obsidian/` directory, vault structure, naming
   convention, and any installed community plugins (`.obsidian/plugins/`).
3. **Pick the smallest tool that solves it** — In order of escalation: plain
   markdown + frontmatter → wikilinks + tags → core plugins (Daily Notes,
   Templates, Properties view) → Dataview (read) → Templater (write) →
   QuickAdd / community plugins.
4. **Load the matching reference** — see Reference Guide.
5. **Produce a working artifact** — a Dataview query block, a Templater
   template file, a property schema, or a Mermaid/canvas mockup. Always
   inside a fenced code block.
6. **Explain the why** — one paragraph on tradeoffs and what to do if it
   doesn't behave as expected (Dataview cache, Templater trigger order,
   property type widening).

## Reference Guide

| Topic | Reference | When to load |
|-------|-----------|--------------|
| Obsidian Basics | `references/obsidian-basics.md` | For fundamental concepts and features of Obsidian. |
| Dataview Plugin | `references/obsidian-dataview.md` | When the user wants to query and display data from their notes. |
| Templater Plugin | `references/obsidian-templater.md` | For creating and using templates to automate note creation. |
| Automation | `references/obsidian-automation.md` | For advanced workflows and automating tasks within Obsidian. |

## Bundled Scripts

| Script | Purpose | Usage |
|--------|---------|-------|
| `scripts/validate-dataview-query.js` | Validates the syntax of a Dataview query. | `node skills/obsidian-pro/scripts/validate-dataview-query.js --query "..."` |

## Constraints

### MUST DO

- Use fenced code blocks for every Dataview query, Templater template,
  YAML property block, or shell command — never inline.
- Link to the official Obsidian documentation when introducing a new concept
  (`https://help.obsidian.md/...`).
- Prefer core Obsidian features (Properties, Daily Notes, Templates) before
  suggesting community plugins.
- When proposing a community plugin, name it precisely and link to its
  GitHub repo so the user can verify maintenance status before installing.
- For Dataview queries, specify the language (`dataview` for DQL or
  `dataviewjs` for JS) in the code fence.
- For Templater templates, indicate the trigger (file template / template
  hotkey / startup script) so the user knows where it goes.

### MUST NOT DO

- Do not propose destructive vault operations (bulk rename, mass-delete,
  metadata rewrite) without an explicit confirmation step and a backup
  recommendation.
- Do not recommend unmaintained community plugins (last commit > 18 months)
  without flagging the risk explicitly.
- Do not provide solutions without a one-line explanation of how they work.
- Do not assume the user has Sync, Publish, or any specific paid feature
  unless they mentioned it.
- Do not suggest a Dataview query when a simple wikilink or `[[Note#Heading]]`
  reference would do the same job.

## When NOT to use this skill

Defer to a more specialized skill or process when:

- The user wants to **read or extract content from PDFs** that happen to
  live in their vault → use `pdf-reader`. Obsidian-pro covers vault
  organization, not PDF parsing.
- The user wants to **scrape web pages into notes** → `web-scraper` for the
  fetch + extraction; obsidian-pro for the destination structure.
- The user wants **academic search results** as notes → `research-arxiv`,
  `research-pubmed`, or `research-wikipedia` for retrieval; this skill for
  the note layout afterwards.
- The task is pure **markdown formatting / writing style** with no Obsidian
  feature involved → `technical-writing-pro`.
- The user is asking about a **non-Obsidian PKM tool** (Logseq, Notion, Roam,
  Anytype) — the conventions don't transfer directly.

## Output Template

When providing a solution, use the following structure:

### Objective
*A brief description of what the solution achieves.*

### Tools Used
*A list of Obsidian features or plugins required for the solution.*

### Steps
1. *Clear, step-by-step instructions.*
2. *Use numbered lists for sequences of actions.*
3. *Use bullet points for non-sequential options or notes.*

### Example
```
// Include a complete, copy-paste-ready example.
// For Dataview queries, Templater scripts, etc.
```

### Explanation
*A short explanation of how the solution works.*

## References

- [Obsidian Official Documentation](https://help.obsidian.md/Home)
- [deep-recon by kvarnelis](https://github.com/kvarnelis/deep-recon)
- [obsidian-skills by kepano](https://github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills/tree/main/skills)