Obsidian Knowledge Base

Vault path: {{HOME}}/obsidian-vault

Use OpenClaw native file tools first: read, edit, write, and apply_patch.

Use shell commands only when the task genuinely requires command output that native tools cannot provide. Never use shell heredocs or inline Python for routine vault edits.

Approval-safe operating rule

Routine note and Todo work must not require Telegram approval prompts.

Preferred order:

1. read the relevant absolute file path.
2. Make deterministic exact-text changes with edit.
3. Use write only when creating a new note or replacing a fully inspected/generated file.
4. Use apply_patch only when multiple vault files need coordinated deterministic changes.
5. Use exec only as a last resort for searches, lint checks, or git/status operations; avoid it for content mutation unless Ben explicitly asks or the native tools cannot do the job.

Important: /usr/bin/obsidian is not a usable Obsidian.md vault CLI on this host. It is the npm package obsidian-cli v0.5.1 for ObsidianQA test-run imports into Obsidianqa.com, requiring API credentials. Do not use it for unattended Markdown vault edits or note maintenance.

Do not run:

• python - <<'PY', python3 - <<'PY', cat <<EOF, tee <<EOF, or any other shell heredoc.
• Inline Python/Node/Ruby/Perl one-liners to edit markdown when edit or write can do it.
• Broad find/ls discovery for normal note updates.

If exec approval is triggered, stop and switch to native file tools when possible instead of retrying variations of the same command.

Working rules

• Always work inside {{HOME}}/obsidian-vault, never in the workspace.
• Never read, edit, create, or delete anything under Wiki/Kip/ — that folder is managed by the memory-wiki plugin.
• Read a note before editing it.
• Prefer known absolute paths for root files such as {{HOME}}/obsidian-vault/Todo.md and {{HOME}}/obsidian-vault/Ideas.md.
• For targeted search, prefer native read of likely files first. Use exec + rg only when the target file is genuinely unknown.
• Use the existing category structure: Work, Teaching, Home, Open Source.
• Keep filenames descriptive, because the filename is the note title.
• Do not delete notes unless Ben explicitly asks for deletion.
• Use wikilinks like [[Note Name]] when adding references inside notes.

Folder map

{{HOME}}/obsidian-vault/
├── Archive/
├── Documents/
│   ├── Work/
│   ├── Teaching/
│   ├── Home/
│   └── Open Source/
├── Wiki/
│   └── Kip/          ← OFF LIMITS (memory-wiki plugin)
├── Ideas.md
├── Todo.md
└── README.md

Search

Use targeted search instead of browsing the whole vault.

Approval-safe approach:

1. If the request names Todo, Ideas, or a likely note path, read that file directly.
2. If the path is unknown but the note title is clear, infer the likely path under Documents/<category>/ and read it.
3. Only then use exec with rg for search.

When shell search is necessary, keep it read-only and narrow:

rg -il "search terms" {{HOME}}/obsidian-vault/ --glob '*.md' --glob '!Wiki/Kip/**'

List notes only when needed, and exclude Wiki/Kip/:

find {{HOME}}/obsidian-vault -name '*.md' -not -path '*/.*' -not -path '{{HOME}}/obsidian-vault/Wiki/Kip/*'

Create or edit notes

When creating a new note, use an absolute path under the vault.

Use this frontmatter template when creating notes:

---
created: '<ISO timestamp>'
modified: '<ISO timestamp>'
---

# Title

When editing a note:

1. Read the file first.
2. Make the smallest sensible deterministic edit.
3. Prefer edit with exact old/new text. If multiple nearby changes are needed, merge them into one replacement.
4. Update modified if frontmatter exists.
5. Do not add frontmatter to older notes unless Ben asks or you are creating the note.
6. Verify by reading the changed lines back. Use git status/commit only when explicitly requested or already part of the workflow.

Todo rules

Todo.md is the root task list.

Life-area sections:

• ## Work
• ## Home
• ## Open Source
• ## Teaching

Inside ## Work, keep:

• ### High Priority for today's focus
• ### Medium Priority for active but secondary work

Global Todo convention:

• Keep a single ## Done section at the bottom of Todo.md for all completed items across Work, Home, Open Source, and Teaching.
• Do not use a ## Since Last Digest section. The old buffer workflow is deprecated.
• Completed items stay in ## Done until Ben confirms a News Apps digest has been sent or explicitly asks to archive/sweep them. Then the digest workflow moves them into Archive/Done-Items.md with a <!-- digest: YYYY-MM-DD --> marker and clears ## Done fully.
• Ensure each todo item has a relevant hashtag when possible. Use only canonical tags from {{HOME}}/.openclaw/workspace/skills/news-apps-digest/taxonomy.yaml.
• Run the kip-todo-lint skill for hashtag validation when tags are new or suspect. Do not use ad hoc Python cleanup for tag fixes.
• Remove obvious typos and stray empty lines during routine cleanup, but do it with exact edit replacements after reading Todo.md.

When Ben names today's priorities:

1. Read {{HOME}}/obsidian-vault/Todo.md.
2. Move those items into ### High Priority using exact edit replacements.
3. Put the most urgent ones first.
4. Treat high priority as current focus, not permanent importance.
5. Read the affected section back to verify.

When Ben says something is done or asks to check it off:

1. Read {{HOME}}/obsidian-vault/Todo.md.
2. Mark the checkbox as complete.
3. Move the item to the bottom ## Done section.
4. Ensure no blank lines remain after moving items.
5. Verify by reading the affected active section and ## Done.
6. Do not leave checked items in active sections.

Do not write to Archive/Done-Items.md from this skill unless Ben explicitly asks to archive/sweep completed items after a digest.

When work is no longer urgent, move it back to ### Medium Priority.

Ideas rules

Ideas.md is the single root list for future work.

• Keep ideas under the matching category heading.
• Keep idea entries short and scannable.
• If an idea becomes active, move it into Todo.md.

Documents rules

Documents/ holds longer-lived notes.

• Use Documents/Work/ for work notes.
• Use Documents/Teaching/ for teaching notes.
• Use Documents/Home/ for home notes.
• Use Documents/Open Source/ for open source notes.
• Keep subfolders when they are already useful, like Documents/Teaching/CUNY/.
• Put reference notes, planning notes, and support material in Documents/, not in Todo.md or Ideas.md.

Periodic review cues

• Daily: Correct typos, clean up misformatted notes, ensure relevant canonical hashtags, remove empty lines, and move completed items to the bottom ## Done section in Todo.md using native file tools. Run kip-todo-lint if any new or suspect tags appear.
• After Ben says a News Apps digest has been sent, sweep ## Done into Archive/Done-Items.md with that digest date marker, then leave ## Done empty.
• Monthly: review Ideas.md and category notes in Documents/.
• Quarterly: archive stale notes and simplify the vault structure where needed.

Failure handling

If a vault operation triggers an approval prompt unexpectedly:

1. Do not retry the same task with another shell/Python variation.
2. Explain briefly that the shell path hit approval.
3. Switch to read/edit/write if possible.
4. Ask Ben only if native tools cannot complete the task safely.