Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Obsidian Bases Editor agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
The obsidian-bases skill teaches an AI agent how to write Obsidian Bases files, which are database-style views of your notes saved as .base files in YAML. It is useful if you keep notes with frontmatter and want a table or card view filtered by tag, folder or property. After this guide you will know how to install the skill, ask for a Base in plain language, and check the result in Obsidian.
Obsidian Bases Editorkepano/obsidian-skills · MIT Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the obsidian-bases skill ZIP from this page.
- 2Install the skill. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/, into a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 3Describe the view. Ask the agent in plain words for the notes you want, the filter, the columns and the layout.
- 4Save into the vault. Have the agent save the result as a .base file in your Obsidian vault.
- 5Open in Obsidian. Open the .base file in Obsidian and check that the view renders without YAML errors.
- 6Fix and refine. If a column or row is wrong, ask the agent to check quoting and that every formula is defined, then re-open the file.
What the obsidian-bases skill does
Obsidian Bases are views that list notes matching conditions you set. The skill gives the agent the Bases file format, so it can create a .base file in your vault with valid YAML, choose which notes appear using filters, define formulas, and pick a layout such as table, cards, list or map.
The skill only teaches the format. According to its source, it does not run scripts and does not use the network. The output is a file you open and check in Obsidian.
- Creates .base files with filters, formulas, summaries and views
- Checks the YAML for common mistakes such as unquoted strings with special characters, mismatched quotes in formulas, and formula names that are used but never defined
- Works with note properties from frontmatter, file properties such as file.name and file.mtime, and formula properties
Install the obsidian-bases skill
Download the ZIP for the skill from this page. Unzip it into one of the following locations, depending on whether you want it for all projects or just one.
If you use the Claude apps, you can instead upload the skill under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal install: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Project install: unzip into the project's .claude/skills/ folder
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the skill
Ask for a Base with a natural request
You do not need to name the skill. The skill's description says it is used when you work with .base files, create database-like views of notes, or mention Bases, table views, card views, filters or formulas in Obsidian. Describe the view you want in plain words, and say where you want the file saved in your vault.
Good requests name the notes to include, the columns to show, and the layout. For example, you can ask for a table of all notes tagged with a particular tag, showing the due date and a computed column for days remaining.
- Show a table of notes in the Projects folder with status and due date columns
- Make a card view of notes with a cover_image property
- Filter out notes tagged archived and sort the rest by due date
Use formulas for computed columns
Formulas calculate values from your properties and are defined in the formulas section. A common use is counting days until a due date. The skill's reference notes that subtracting two dates returns a Duration, so you read a numeric field such as .days from it.
Duration does not support round, floor or ceil directly. Read the .days field first, then apply number functions.
formulas:
days_until_due: 'if(due_date, (date(due_date) - today()).days, "")'
days_old: '(now() - file.ctime).days'Check the file and open it in Obsidian
Before trusting a new Base, open the .base file in Obsidian and confirm the view renders. If Obsidian shows a YAML error, the usual causes are unquoted strings with special characters or mismatched quotes in a formula. If a column is empty or wrong, check that every formula.X you reference is defined in formulas.
Map views need latitude and longitude properties and the Maps community plugin, according to the skill's source.
- Confirm every referenced property and formula exists
- Check quoting in formula expressions
- Open the file in Obsidian and compare the rows with the notes you expected
Safety notes before you let an agent edit many notes
A wrong filter or formula can silently show the wrong notes, and nothing in the skill will warn you. Ask the agent to create one Base first and review it in Obsidian before you ask for more.
Requirements: Obsidian with the Bases feature is needed to open and view the resulting .base file. The skill cannot help with other note apps.
- Start with a single Base, not a batch of changes across the vault
- Keep a backup or version history of your vault before large edits
- Confirm the filters match the notes you expect
What people use it for
- A table of project notes filtered by a status property, sorted by due date
- A card gallery of notes that have a cover_image property
- A list of notes in one folder, excluding anything tagged archived
- A computed column showing days until each due date
- A view of notes linked to a particular note, using file.hasLink in a filter
Frequently asked questions
What is the obsidian-bases skill?
It is an agent skill that teaches an AI agent to create and edit Obsidian Bases .base files. It covers views, filters, formulas and summaries. The skill only teaches the file format and does not run any scripts.
Do I need to install anything else to use it?
You need Obsidian with the Bases feature to open and view the .base file that the agent creates. The skill itself runs no scripts and uses no network, according to its source.
Where do I put the skill files?
Unzip the downloaded ZIP into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into a project's .claude/skills/ folder. In the Claude apps you can upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Is the obsidian-bases skill free?
The skill is published under the MIT licence, as stated on this page. Check the licence file in the source repository for the full terms.
Can it work with Notion, Logseq or other note apps?
No. The skill is for Obsidian, and .base files only render in Obsidian. It cannot help with other note apps.
Why does my Base show an error or the wrong notes?
Common causes are unquoted strings containing special YAML characters, mismatched quotes in formula expressions, and referencing formula.X without defining X in formulas. A wrong filter can also silently show the wrong notes, so check the view in Obsidian.
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Our verdict
Use this skill if you are an Obsidian user who wants table or card views of notes filtered by tag, folder or frontmatter, or who wants computed columns like days until a due date without learning the Bases YAML first. Pick something else if you do not use Obsidian, or if you need an agent to change many notes at once without reviewing the output.
Download the skill