Obsidian URI

Canonical version: Obsidian URI.

Obsidian URI is the custom obsidian:// protocol that Obsidian registers with the operating system. It lets any external application (browser, launcher, task manager, script) open vaults, jump to notes, run searches, and create content. No plugin needed; this is the official way to control Obsidian from the outside.

The format is simple:

obsidian://action?param1=value1&param2=value2

All parameter values must be URI-encoded: space becomes %20, / becomes %2F. Forgetting this is the number one reason a link "doesn't work".

Actions

Two shorthand forms exist:

• obsidian://vault/My Vault/My Note is equivalent to open with vault and file
• obsidian:///absolute/path/to/note is equivalent to open with path

Examples

# Open a note (path relative to the vault root)
obsidian://open?vault=Notes&file=Ideas%2FMy%20Note

# Jump straight to a heading inside a note
obsidian://open?vault=Notes&file=My%20Note%23Some%20Heading

# Silent capture: create a note without switching to Obsidian
obsidian://new?vault=Notes&name=Quick%20Capture&content=An%20idea&silent=true

# Append to an inbox note instead of creating a new file
obsidian://new?vault=Notes&file=Inbox&content=New%20line&append=true

# Open or create today's daily note
obsidian://daily?vault=Notes

# Search the whole vault
obsidian://search?vault=Notes&query=knowledge%20management

The fastest way to get a valid link: run Copy Obsidian URL from the Obsidian Command Palette on any open note.

Good to know

• Links only work on machines where Obsidian is installed and the target vault exists.
• Windows and macOS register the protocol automatically on install. On Linux, it requires an obsidian.desktop file with Exec=<executable> %u.
• Actions support x-success callbacks (x-callback-url), so calling apps can get back the created note's name and URL.
• The native actions cover opening, creating, and searching. To go further (execute commands, apply templates, set frontmatter, navigate to blocks), the AdvancedURI plugin for Obsidian extends the same scheme.

References

• Official documentation: https://help.obsidian.md/Extending+Obsidian/Obsidian+URI
• x-callback-url specification: https://x-callback-url.com/

Related

• Obsidian
• Obsidian URL Deeplinks
• How to create deep links in Obsidian
• AdvancedURI plugin for Obsidian
• Obsidian CLI
• Obsidian Command Palette
• Daily notes core plugin for Obsidian
• Unique note creator core plugin for Obsidian

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