Obsidian Notes

Overview

Save notes to a PARA-structured Obsidian vault by selecting the appropriate location and template. Templates are read dynamically from the vault itself.

Vault Discovery

Obsidian vaults are located in ~/Obsidian/. A vault is identified by having a .obsidian/ subdirectory.

Discovery process:

1. List directories in ~/Obsidian/
2. Check each for a .obsidian/ folder
3. If one vault exists, use it automatically
4. If multiple vaults exist, ask user to choose

PARA Structure

Vaults follow PARA methodology with numbered prefixes:

[vault]/
├── 0.Inbox/      # Quick captures, unsorted notes
├── 1.Projects/   # Active projects with defined outcomes
├── 2.Areas/      # Ongoing responsibilities
│   └── Templates/  # Note templates (fixed location)
├── 3.Resources/  # Reference material, knowledge base
└── 4.Archives/   # Completed/inactive items

Location Decision Tree

To determine where to save a note:

1. Quick capture with no clear category? → 0.Inbox/
2. Active project with a defined end goal? → 1.Projects/[project-name]/
3. Ongoing area of responsibility? → 2.Areas/[area-name]/
4. Reference material or knowledge? → 3.Resources/[topic]/
5. Completed or inactive item? → 4.Archives/

Template Discovery

Templates are stored in 2.Areas/Templates/ within the vault.

To find the right template:

1. List all .md files in 2.Areas/Templates/
2. Read the template frontmatter to identify the type: field
3. Match note type to template type
4. If no match, use minimal frontmatter

Common template types:

• issue - Bug investigations, issue tracking
• incident - Incident response notes
• command - Useful commands and scripts
• project - Project documentation
• daily - Daily journal entries
• reflection - Self-reflections
• moc - Map of Content

Creating Notes

1. Discover vault - Find vault with .obsidian/ folder in ~/Obsidian/
2. Determine location - Use decision tree to pick PARA folder
3. Find template - Read from 2.Areas/Templates/ and match type
4. Apply template - Replace placeholders:
   • {{date}} → Current date (YYYY-MM-DD)
   • {{title}} → Note title
   • {{time}} → Current time (HH:MM)
5. Write file - Save to determined location

File Naming

• Use descriptive names: My Note Title.md
• Projects may use emoji prefixes: 1.Projects/💻 Project Name/
• Incidents use slug format: inc-12345-brief-description.md
• Daily notes use date: YYYY-MM-DD.md

Minimal Frontmatter

When no template matches, use minimal frontmatter:

---
type: note
created: {{date}}
---

Examples

Quick capture

User: "Save this quick thought about refactoring"

Location: 0.Inbox/Refactoring thought.md Template: None (minimal frontmatter)

Issue tracking

User: "Create a note for the cart bug investigation"

1. Read templates from 2.Areas/Templates/
2. Find template with type: issue
3. Location: 2.Areas/Issues/Cart bug investigation.md

Knowledge reference

User: "Save this info about GraphQL pagination"

Location: 3.Resources/GraphQL pagination.md Template: None (minimal frontmatter)

Notes

• Always include YAML frontmatter with at least type and created
• Use wikilinks [[]] for internal links
• Create subfolders as needed within PARA directories