Agent skill

CLI Anything Obsidian

Command-line interface for Obsidian — Knowledge management and note-taking via Obsidian Local REST API.

Apache-2.0Auto-check passedKnowledge Management

Install CLI Anything Obsidian

skills CLI

$ npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/CLI-Anything cli-anything-obsidian --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/cli-anything-obsidian .claude/skills/cli-anything-obsidian && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Paste into Claude Code

Install the "cli-anything-obsidian" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything/tree/main/skills/cli-anything-obsidian into .claude/skills/cli-anything-obsidian/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cli-anything-obsidian", then confirm the skill loads.

Claude Code copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

$skill-installer

$skill-installer install https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything/tree/main/skills/cli-anything-obsidian

Type this inside Codex. $skill-installer <name> installs a curated skill from openai/skills. The installer writes to $CODEX_HOME/skills (default ~/.codex/skills). Restart Codex if the skill does not show up.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a codex

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.codex/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/CLI-Anything cli-anything-obsidian --agent codex

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git skills-src && mkdir -p .agents/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/cli-anything-obsidian .agents/skills/cli-anything-obsidian && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.agents/skills/ instead of .agents/skills for a personal install.

Codex skills documentation · loads skills from .agents/skills/

Paste into Codex

Install the "cli-anything-obsidian" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything/tree/main/skills/cli-anything-obsidian into .agents/skills/cli-anything-obsidian/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cli-anything-obsidian", then confirm the skill loads.

Codex copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a cursor

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.cursor/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/CLI-Anything cli-anything-obsidian --agent cursor

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git skills-src && mkdir -p .cursor/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/cli-anything-obsidian .cursor/skills/cli-anything-obsidian && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.cursor/skills/ instead of .cursor/skills for a personal install.

Cursor skills documentation · loads skills from .cursor/skills/, .agents/skills/, .claude/skills/, .codex/skills/

Paste into Cursor

Install the "cli-anything-obsidian" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything/tree/main/skills/cli-anything-obsidian into .cursor/skills/cli-anything-obsidian/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cli-anything-obsidian", then confirm the skill loads.

Cursor copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

gemini skills install

$ gemini skills install https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git --path skills/cli-anything-obsidian

--scope user (default) or --scope workspace; --path is the subfolder of the repo that holds the skill; --consent skips the security confirmation prompt.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a gemini-cli

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.gemini/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/CLI-Anything cli-anything-obsidian --agent gemini-cli

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git skills-src && mkdir -p .gemini/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/cli-anything-obsidian .gemini/skills/cli-anything-obsidian && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.gemini/skills/ instead of .gemini/skills for a personal install, then run /skills reload.

Gemini CLI skills documentation · loads skills from .gemini/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into Gemini CLI

Install the "cli-anything-obsidian" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything/tree/main/skills/cli-anything-obsidian into .gemini/skills/cli-anything-obsidian/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cli-anything-obsidian", then confirm the skill loads.

Gemini CLI copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/CLI-Anything cli-anything-obsidian

Installs for Copilot at project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Preview a skill first with gh skill preview. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

skills CLI

$ npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a github-copilot

Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.copilot/skills/.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git skills-src && mkdir -p .github/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/cli-anything-obsidian .github/skills/cli-anything-obsidian && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.copilot/skills/ instead of .github/skills for a personal install. Commit .github/skills so cloud agent and code review can use it.

GitHub Copilot skills documentation · loads skills from .github/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into GitHub Copilot

Install the "cli-anything-obsidian" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything/tree/main/skills/cli-anything-obsidian into .github/skills/cli-anything-obsidian/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cli-anything-obsidian", then confirm the skill loads.

GitHub Copilot copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

skills CLI

$ npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a opencode

OpenCode documents no install command of its own. Project install goes to .agents/skills/; add -g for ~/.config/opencode/skills/.

GitHub CLI

$ gh skill install HKUDS/CLI-Anything cli-anything-obsidian --agent opencode

Project scope by default (.agents/skills/); add --scope user for a personal install.

Manual copy

$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything.git skills-src && mkdir -p .opencode/skills && cp -r skills-src/skills/cli-anything-obsidian .opencode/skills/cli-anything-obsidian && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.config/opencode/skills/ instead of .opencode/skills for a personal install.

OpenCode skills documentation · loads skills from .opencode/skills/, .claude/skills/, .agents/skills/

Paste into OpenCode

Install the "cli-anything-obsidian" agent skill from https://github.com/HKUDS/CLI-Anything/tree/main/skills/cli-anything-obsidian into .opencode/skills/cli-anything-obsidian/ in this project. Copy the whole folder (SKILL.md and every file beside it), keep the folder name "cli-anything-obsidian", then confirm the skill loads.

OpenCode copies the folder itself, the same result as the manual copy. Check what it changed before you commit it.

Facts

Skill name: cli-anything-obsidian
GitHub stars: 52k
Token cost: ~1.3k tokens
SKILL.md length: 367 words
Files: 1
Skills in repo: 78
Repo updated: Sep 22, 2026
First seen: Oct 7, 2026
Licence: Apache-2.0

At a glance

Command-line interface for Obsidian — Knowledge management and note-taking via Obsidian Local REST API.

Works in 5 steps: Always use --json flag for parseable… → Check return codes - 0 for success,… → Parse stderr for error messages on failure → …
Tasks that involve Note-taking
SKILL.md covers Installation, Usage, Command Groups and Examples, plus 5 more sections
Calls pip; needs OBSIDIAN_API_KEY

What it does

CLI Anything Obsidian is an agent skill from HKUDS/CLI-Anything. Command-line interface for Obsidian — Knowledge management and note-taking via Obsidian Local REST API. Designed for AI agents and power users who need to manage notes, search the vault, and execute commands without the GUI.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.3k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

It sits in Knowledge Management, covering Note-taking and REST APIs. It works with Obsidian. The repository describes itself as: "CLI-Anything: Making ALL Software Agent-Native" -- CLI-Hub: https://clianything.cc/. The licence is Apache-2.0.

When your agent uses it

Tasks that involve Note-taking
Tasks that involve REST APIs

Example prompts

“/cli-anything-obsidian”

Requirements

Python 3
A credential in YOUR_KEY
A credential in OBSIDIAN_API_KEY

Workflow steps

5 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

Always use --json flag for parseable output
Check return codes - 0 for success, non-zero for errors
Parse stderr for error messages on failure
Set OBSIDIAN_API_KEY environment variable to avoid passing --api-key on every call
Verify Obsidian is running with server status before other commands

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 34f5195. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

Tool permissions
Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.
From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.
Runs code
Shell commands in SKILL.md call:
- pip
From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.
Network
Links to these hosts (documentation or services it may open):
- github.com
From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.
Credentials
Names these keys or tokens, usually read from environment variables:
- OBSIDIAN_API_KEY
From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

CLI Anything Obsidian loads about 1.3k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 62 tokens; SKILL.md has 367 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it: ~62
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches: ~1.3k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from HKUDS/CLI-Anything at commit 34f5195, republished under its Apache-2.0 licence (© HKUDS). 367 words, ~1,341 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/cli-anything-obsidian/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).

name: cli-anything-obsidian
description: Command-line interface for Obsidian — Knowledge management and note-taking via Obsidian Local REST API. Designed for AI agents and power users who need to manage notes, search the vault, and execute commands without the GUI.

cli-anything-obsidian

Knowledge management and note-taking via the Obsidian Local REST API. Designed for AI agents and power users who need to manage notes, search the vault, and execute commands without the GUI.

Installation

This CLI is installed as part of the cli-anything-obsidian package:

bash

pip install cli-anything-obsidian

Prerequisites:

Python 3.10+
Obsidian must be installed and running with the Local REST API plugin enabled

Usage

Basic Commands

bash

# Show help
cli-anything-obsidian --help

# Start interactive REPL mode
cli-anything-obsidian

# List vault files
cli-anything-obsidian vault list

# Run with JSON output (for agent consumption)
cli-anything-obsidian --json vault list

REPL Mode

When invoked without a subcommand, the CLI enters an interactive REPL session:

bash

cli-anything-obsidian
# Enter commands interactively with tab-completion and history

Command Groups

Vault

Vault file management commands.

Command	Description
`list`	List files in the vault or a subdirectory
`read`	Read the content of a note
`create`	Create a new note
`update`	Overwrite an existing note
`delete`	Delete a note from the vault
`append`	Append content to an existing note

Search

Vault search commands.

Command	Description
`query`	Search using Obsidian query syntax
`simple`	Plain text search across the vault

Note

Active note commands.

Command	Description
`active`	Get the currently active note in Obsidian
`open`	Open a note in the Obsidian editor

Command

Obsidian command palette commands.

Command	Description
`list`	List all available Obsidian commands
`execute`	Execute a command by its ID

Server

Server status and info commands.

Command	Description
`status`	Check if the Obsidian Local REST API is running

Session

Session state commands.

Command	Description
`status`	Show current session state

Examples

List and Read Notes

bash

# List all vault files
cli-anything-obsidian vault list

# List files in a subdirectory
cli-anything-obsidian vault list "Daily Notes"

# Read a note
cli-anything-obsidian vault read "Projects/my-project.md"

Show full SKILL.md (147 more words)Show less

Create and Update Notes

bash

# Create a new note
cli-anything-obsidian vault create "Projects/new-project.md" --content "# New Project"

# Update (overwrite) a note
cli-anything-obsidian vault update "Projects/new-project.md" --content "# Updated Content"

# Append to a note
cli-anything-obsidian vault append "Projects/new-project.md" --content "\n## New Section"

Search

bash

# Plain text search (GET /search/simple/)
cli-anything-obsidian search simple "meeting notes"

# Dataview DQL query — default --type dql, sent as
# application/vnd.olrapi.dataview.dql+txt
cli-anything-obsidian search query 'TABLE file.link FROM "Projects"'

# JsonLogic query — application/vnd.olrapi.jsonlogic+json
cli-anything-obsidian search query --type jsonlogic \
  '{"==":[{"var":"frontmatter.status"},"active"]}'

Commands

bash

# List available commands
cli-anything-obsidian command list

# Execute a command by ID
cli-anything-obsidian command execute "editor:toggle-bold"

Interactive REPL Session

Start an interactive session for exploratory use.

bash

cli-anything-obsidian
# Enter commands interactively
# Use 'help' to see available commands

API Key Configuration

bash

# Via flag
cli-anything-obsidian --api-key YOUR_KEY vault list

# Via environment variable (recommended for agents)
export OBSIDIAN_API_KEY=YOUR_KEY
cli-anything-obsidian vault list

State Management

The CLI maintains lightweight session state:

API key: Configurable via --api-key or OBSIDIAN_API_KEY environment variable
Host URL: Defaults to https://localhost:27124; configurable via --host

Output Formats

All commands support dual output modes:

Human-readable (default): Tables, colors, formatted text
Machine-readable (--json flag): Structured JSON for agent consumption

bash

# Human output
cli-anything-obsidian vault list

# JSON output for agents
cli-anything-obsidian --json vault list

For AI Agents

When using this CLI programmatically:

Always use --json flag for parseable output
Check return codes - 0 for success, non-zero for errors
Parse stderr for error messages on failure
Set OBSIDIAN_API_KEY environment variable to avoid passing --api-key on every call
Verify Obsidian is running with server status before other commands

More Information

Full documentation: See README.md in the package
Test coverage: See TEST.md in the package
Methodology: See HARNESS.md in the cli-anything-plugin

Version

1.1.0

Files

Just SKILL.md in skills/cli-anything-obsidian of HKUDS/CLI-Anything.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 34f5195

Compare with similar skills

CLI Anything Obsidian next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

CLI Anything Obsidian compared with similar skills
Skill	Stars	Used in	Tokens	Auto-check	Licence	Repo updated
CLI Anything Obsidian this skillHKUDS/CLI-Anything	52k	—	~1.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	Apache-2.0	17 days ago
Confluence To Markdowniurykrieger/claude-bedrock	105	1 repos	~2.8k	Automated safety check: Notes	MIT	5 mo ago
Anytype Importpricklywiggles/niamos	192	—	~3.3k	Automated safety check: Pass	None	3 mo ago
Obsidian Canvas BoardsAgriciDaniel/claude-obsidian	15k	—	~1.4k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	28 days ago
LLM Wikilewislulu/llm-wiki-skill	655	—	~3.7k	Automated safety check: Pass	None	5 mo ago
Obsidian Bases EditorAgriciDaniel/claude-obsidian	15k	—	~1.2k	Automated safety check: Pass	MIT	28 days ago

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Confluence To Markdown
iurykrieger/claude-bedrock
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105 GitHub starsUsed in 1 repo~2.8k tokens
Knowledge ManagementAuto-check: notes
Anytype Import
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Import a page from the user's self-hosted Anytype into this Niamos Obsidian vault, page-by-page, recursing into children only when the user explicitly says so.
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LLM Wiki
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Build and maintain a Karpathy-style LLM knowledge base — a self-compiling Obsidian markdown wiki where an Agent ingests raw sources, compiles cross-linked concept/entity/summary pages, answers…
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Questions about CLI Anything Obsidian

What does CLI Anything Obsidian do?

Command-line interface for Obsidian — Knowledge management and note-taking via Obsidian Local REST API. CLI Anything Obsidian is an agent skill from HKUDS/CLI-Anything. Command-line interface for Obsidian — Knowledge management and note-taking via Obsidian Local REST API.

When should I use CLI Anything Obsidian?

CLI Anything Obsidian fits situations like: tasks that involve Note-taking; tasks that involve REST APIs.

How do I install CLI Anything Obsidian in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/cli-anything-obsidian in HKUDS/CLI-Anything) into .claude/skills/cli-anything-obsidian in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install CLI Anything Obsidian in Codex?

Run `npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (skills/cli-anything-obsidian in HKUDS/CLI-Anything) into .agents/skills/cli-anything-obsidian in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use CLI Anything Obsidian in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add HKUDS/CLI-Anything --skill cli-anything-obsidian -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/cli-anything-obsidian, .gemini/skills/cli-anything-obsidian, .github/skills/cli-anything-obsidian and .opencode/skills/cli-anything-obsidian in your project.

What does CLI Anything Obsidian need to run?

Going by SKILL.md and its folder, CLI Anything Obsidian needs the command-line tools its instructions call (pip) and credentials named OBSIDIAN_API_KEY. Our summary lists: Python 3; A credential in YOUR_KEY; A credential in OBSIDIAN_API_KEY.

Does CLI Anything Obsidian access the network?

SKILL.md names 1 domain. As links in the text: github.com. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is CLI Anything Obsidian safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does CLI Anything Obsidian use?

CLI Anything Obsidian is published under the Apache-2.0 licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does CLI Anything Obsidian use?

About 1.3k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 5.4k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to CLI Anything Obsidian?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with CLI Anything Obsidian: Confluence To Markdown (iurykrieger/claude-bedrock, 105 stars), Anytype Import (pricklywiggles/niamos, 192 stars), Obsidian Canvas Boards (AgriciDaniel/claude-obsidian, 15k stars) and LLM Wiki (lewislulu/llm-wiki-skill, 655 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains CLI Anything Obsidian?

HKUDS (a GitHub organization) maintains it in HKUDS/CLI-Anything, which has 51,768 GitHub stars. The repository holds 78 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 22, 2026.

Source: HKUDS/CLI-Anything on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.

Install CLI Anything Obsidian

Facts

At a glance

What it does

When your agent uses it

Example prompts

Requirements

Workflow steps

What it can do on your machine

Tool permissions

Runs code

Network

Credentials

Context cost

Safety

SKILL.md

cli-anything-obsidian

Installation

Usage

Basic Commands

REPL Mode

Command Groups

Vault

Search

Note

Command

Server

Session

Examples

List and Read Notes

Create and Update Notes

Search

Commands

Interactive REPL Session

API Key Configuration

State Management

Output Formats

For AI Agents

More Information

Version

Files

Compare with similar skills

Similar skills

More from HKUDS/CLI-Anything

Related

Questions about CLI Anything Obsidian