Obsidian Writer

Write .md and .canvas files that render correctly in Obsidian. Output to the vault directory, synced via Git.

Vault Location

Default: ~/obsidian-vault/ (configurable per request).

Workflow

1. Write .md / .canvas files following specs below
2. Git commit + push (agent does this automatically)
3. User's Mac Mini pulls → syncs to iCloud → Obsidian reads

Markdown — Obsidian-Specific Syntax

Standard Markdown (headings, bold, lists, code blocks) is assumed known. Only Obsidian extensions below:

Properties (Frontmatter)

Must be the very first thing in the file:

---
tags:
  - finance/macro
  - iran-war
aliases:
  - 伊朗战争概览
cssclasses:
  - wide-page
created: 2026-03-10
---

Reserved keys: tags, aliases, cssclasses, publish, permalink, description.

Internal Links (Wikilinks)

[[Note Name]]                    # link to note
[[Note Name|Display Text]]      # custom display
[[Note Name#Heading]]            # link to heading
[[Note Name#^block-id]]          # link to block

Block References

Add ^block-id at end of any paragraph/list item:

This is an important paragraph. ^key-insight

- List item ^item-ref

Then link: [[Note Name#^key-insight]]

Block IDs: lowercase alphanumeric + dashes only.

Embeds

![[Note Name]]                   # embed entire note
![[Note Name#Heading]]           # embed section
![[image.png]]                   # embed image
![[image.png|300]]               # resize width 300px
![[image.png|300x200]]           # exact dimensions
![[audio.mp3]]                   # embed audio player
![[video.mp4]]                   # embed video player
![[document.pdf]]                # embed PDF
![[document.pdf#page=3]]         # embed specific page

Supported formats — see references/file-formats.md.

Callouts

> [!note] Optional Title
> Content with **Markdown** and [[wikilinks]].

> [!tip]- Foldable (collapsed by default)
> Hidden content.

> [!warning]+ Foldable (expanded by default)
> Shown content.

13 types: note, abstract/summary/tldr, info, todo, tip/hint/important, success/check/done, question/help/faq, warning/caution/attention, failure/fail/missing, danger/error, bug, example, quote/cite.

Other Obsidian Extensions

==highlighted text==             # highlight
%%hidden comment%%               # not rendered
- [ ] incomplete task            # task
- [x] completed task             # done task
$E = mc^2$                       # inline LaTeX
$$\int_0^\infty f(x)dx$$         # block LaTeX
This is a footnote[^1].         # footnote
[^1]: Footnote content.

Tags

#tag                             # simple tag
#parent/child                    # nested tag

Tags in body text or frontmatter. No spaces allowed.

Mermaid Diagrams

graph TD

A[Start] --> B{Decision}

B -->|Yes| C[Action]

B -->|No| D[End]

Canvas — JSON Canvas Spec 1.0

Full spec: references/canvas-spec.md

Quick Reference

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "node1",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 0, "y": 0,
      "width": 400, "height": 200,
      "text": "# Title\n\nMarkdown content",
      "color": "4"
    },
    {
      "id": "node2",
      "type": "file",
      "x": 500, "y": 0,
      "width": 400, "height": 400,
      "file": "path/to/note.md",
      "subpath": "#heading"
    },
    {
      "id": "node3",
      "type": "link",
      "x": 0, "y": 300,
      "width": 400, "height": 300,
      "url": "https://example.com"
    },
    {
      "id": "group1",
      "type": "group",
      "x": -50, "y": -50,
      "width": 1000, "height": 500,
      "label": "Group Name",
      "color": "5"
    }
  ],
  "edges": [
    {
      "id": "edge1",
      "fromNode": "node1",
      "fromSide": "right",
      "toNode": "node2",
      "toSide": "left",
      "color": "1",
      "label": "relates to"
    }
  ]
}

Node types: text, file, link, group.

Colors: "1" red, "2" orange, "3" yellow, "4" green, "5" cyan, "6" purple, or hex "#FF0000".

Edge endpoints: fromEnd/toEnd → "none" or "arrow" (toEnd defaults to "arrow").

Sides: top, right, bottom, left.

Canvas Layout Tips

• Use a grid: nodes at multiples of 50px
• Standard node: 400×200 (text), 400×400 (file/link)
• Groups: 50px padding around contained nodes
• Nodes array order = z-index (last = top)

File Naming

kebab-case.md                    # note files
YYYY-MM-DD-title.md             # daily/dated notes
kebab-case.canvas               # canvas files

No spaces, no special chars, no CJK in filenames (for Git cross-platform safety).

Vault Structure

vault/
├── 00-inbox/                    # new/unsorted notes
├── 01-projects/                 # active projects
├── 02-areas/                    # ongoing areas
├── 03-resources/                # reference material
├── 04-archive/                  # archived notes
├── assets/                      # images, PDFs, attachments
├── canvas/                      # .canvas files
├── templates/                   # note templates
└── .gitignore

.gitignore

.obsidian/workspace.json
.obsidian/workspace-mobile.json
.obsidian/app.json
.trash/
.DS_Store
.smart-connections/

Keep .obsidian/ tracked (minus volatile files) so plugins/themes sync.

Guardrails

• Never modify .obsidian/ config files
• Always use [[wikilinks]] not text for internal links
• UTF-8 encoding, LF line endings
• Attachment paths relative to vault root
• Test canvas JSON validity before writing