save-to-obsidian

Original source / Raw SKILL.md

---
name: save-to-obsidian
description: Saves markdown content to remote Obsidian vault via SSH
version: 1.0.0
---

# Save to Obsidian

Saves markdown content to remote Obsidian vault via SSH.

## Prerequisite

**This skill is for machines WITHOUT iCloud sync** (e.g., Linux/Ubuntu servers). If your machine already has iCloud Desktop sync enabled and direct access to the Obsidian vault, you don't need this skill — just copy files directly to the vault path.

## When to Use

User says: "save to obsidian", "send to obsidian", "copy to obsidian"

## Process

1. Write content to a temp .md file (enforce formatting rules below)
2. Copy to remote vault: `scp <filepath> user@remote-host:/path/to/obsidian/vault/`
3. Confirm success to user

**Example:**
```bash
# Write content to temp file
cat > /tmp/my-note.md << 'EOF'
# My Note
Content here
EOF

# Copy to remote Obsidian vault
scp /tmp/my-note.md [email protected]:~/Obsidian/MyVault/

# Clean up
rm /tmp/my-note.md
```

**Configuration:** The agent should use the SSH host and vault path configured in workspace TOOLS.md

## Formatting Rules

All content saved to Obsidian MUST follow these rules:

### Diagrams: Use Mermaid (mandatory)
- **Never** use ASCII box diagrams, ASCII art, or plaintext diagrams
- **Always** use Mermaid fenced code blocks (` ```mermaid `)
- Obsidian renders Mermaid natively — ASCII diagrams look broken
- Supported types: flowchart, sequence, state, class, ER, gantt, pie, mindmap, timeline, quadrant, graph

### Tables: Use Markdown tables
- Obsidian renders markdown tables natively
- For complex data, prefer tables over bullet lists

### Links: Use wiki-links or relative links
- Link between Obsidian notes: `[[note-name]]`
- External links: standard markdown `[text](url)`

### General
- Use headers (##) for structure — Obsidian outline panel relies on them
- Use YAML frontmatter if metadata is needed
- Keep filenames kebab-case (no spaces) for cross-platform compatibility

## Agent Owner
This skill is executed by the main OpenClaw agent session. The `save-to-obsidian.sh` script
runs as a shell command via the exec tool. No sub-agents are spawned. iCloud sync is handled
automatically after file transfer — no agent action needed.

## Success Criteria
Save succeeds when:
1. scp exits with code 0
2. File appears in vault directory with correct filename
3. iCloud sync propagates the file (typically 1-2 minutes; not verified by skill)

Failure conditions: SSH unreachable, vault path does not exist, disk full, filename
contains characters invalid for iCloud sync (handled by sanitization in script).

## Edge Cases
- **SSH failure**: script exits with error message and non-zero code; agent should report and stop
- **Duplicate filename**: overwrites silently — scp does not warn; user must check if overwrite is desired
- **Special characters in filename**: sanitized by script (spaces → hyphens, invalid chars stripped)
- **Empty content**: scp will transfer a 0-byte file; not an error but should be flagged
- **No clear title**: if content has no H1 header, agent should prompt user for filename before saving
- **iCloud sync delay**: file appears in vault within 1-2 min; if not visible after 5 min, check iCloud status

## Notes

- Uses existing SSH key auth (no password)
- Target: remote-host → Obsidian vault location
- Files sync via iCloud automatically (if vault is in iCloud folder)

## Configuration

This skill reads SSH and vault configuration from your workspace TOOLS.md:

| Variable | Description | Where to set |
|----------|-------------|--------------|
| SSH host | Hostname/IP of the remote machine hosting the Obsidian vault | TOOLS.md (e.g., `myserver.local`) |
| SSH user | Username on the remote machine | TOOLS.md (e.g., `your-username`) |
| SSH key path | Path to SSH private key (default: `~/.ssh/id_rsa`) | TOOLS.md |
| Vault path | Absolute path to Obsidian vault on remote machine | TOOLS.md (e.g., `~/Obsidian/MyVault/`) |

**Example TOOLS.md entry:**
```
## Obsidian Remote Vault
- SSH host: myserver.local
- SSH user: your-username
- Vault path: ~/Obsidian/MyVault/
```

No API keys or tokens required — uses SSH key authentication only.


---

## Skill Companion Files

> Additional files collected from the skill directory layout.

### README.md

```markdown
# Save to Obsidian

An OpenClaw skill that saves markdown content to an Obsidian vault via SSH, with automatic formatting rules for diagrams, tables, and links.

## Prerequisite

**This skill is for machines WITHOUT iCloud sync** (e.g., Linux/Ubuntu servers, remote machines). If your machine already has iCloud Desktop sync enabled and direct access to the Obsidian vault folder, you don't need this skill — just copy files directly to the vault path.

## What It Does

This skill allows your OpenClaw agent to save any generated markdown content directly to your Obsidian vault on a remote machine. It automatically enforces formatting rules to ensure content renders properly in Obsidian:
- Converts or enforces Mermaid diagrams (no ASCII art)
- Uses markdown tables (Obsidian native rendering)
- Applies kebab-case filenames for cross-platform compatibility

## How to Install

1. Copy this skill to your OpenClaw skills directory
2. Set up SSH access to the remote machine hosting your Obsidian vault
3. Create a script at `~/.openclaw/scripts/save-to-obsidian.sh` that copies files to your vault location
4. Ensure the script is executable and works with your SSH key

Example script:
```bash
#!/bin/bash
scp "$1" user@remote-host:/path/to/obsidian-vault/
```

## Usage

Say to your agent:
- "save to obsidian"
- "send to obsidian"  
- "copy to obsidian"

The agent will format the content appropriately and transfer it to your vault.

## Requirements

- SSH access to the remote machine hosting the Obsidian vault
- Obsidian vault accessible on the remote machine
- A save-to-obsidian.sh script configured for your setup
- **Note:** Not needed if your local machine already has iCloud sync to the vault

## Future Work

- Support for multiple vault destinations
- Direct iCloud sync without SSH intermediary
- Automatic tagging and frontmatter generation
- Batch save operations

## License

MIT

```

### _meta.json

```json
{
  "owner": "chunhualiao",
  "slug": "save-to-obsidian",
  "displayName": "Save to Obsidian",
  "latest": {
    "version": "1.1.0",
    "publishedAt": 1771393719651,
    "commit": "https://github.com/openclaw/skills/commit/003088c1f86b2883e7f2a8f0b0fcbbda59ae9fae"
  },
  "history": [
    {
      "version": "1.0.0",
      "publishedAt": 1771275359846,
      "commit": "https://github.com/openclaw/skills/commit/f2afa8594a661facc61b2316c048fb59ac6ff672"
    }
  ]
}

```

### references/README.md

```markdown
# References

- [Obsidian Markdown Guide](https://help.obsidian.md/Editing+and+formatting/Basic+formatting+syntax)
- [Mermaid Documentation](https://mermaid.js.org/)
- [Obsidian Mermaid Support](https://help.obsidian.md/Editing+and+formatting/Advanced+formatting+syntax#Diagram)

```

### scripts/save-to-obsidian.sh

```bash
#!/bin/bash
# Save content to Obsidian vault via scp
# Usage: ./save-to-obsidian.sh <source_file> <vault_dir> [ssh_host] [filename_override]
# Set OBSIDIAN_HOST and OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH in TOOLS.md

set -euo pipefail

SOURCE="${1:?Usage: $0 <source_file> <vault_dir> [ssh_host] [filename_override]}"
VAULT_DIR="${2:?Usage: $0 <source_file> <vault_dir> [ssh_host] [filename_override]}"
SSH_HOST="${3:-${OBSIDIAN_HOST:-}}"
FILENAME="${4:-$(basename "$SOURCE")}"

if [[ -z "$SSH_HOST" ]]; then
    echo "Error: SSH host required (arg 3 or OBSIDIAN_HOST env var)"
    exit 1
fi

# Sanitize filename (no spaces, safe for iCloud)
SAFE_FILENAME=$(echo "$FILENAME" | tr ' ' '-' | tr -cd '[:alnum:]._-')
if [[ -z "$SAFE_FILENAME" ]]; then
    SAFE_FILENAME="obsidian-note-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S).md"
fi

DEST_PATH="${VAULT_DIR}/${SAFE_FILENAME}"

echo "Saving to Obsidian..."
echo "  Source: $SOURCE"
echo "  Dest:   ${SSH_HOST}:${DEST_PATH}"

if scp "$SOURCE" "${SSH_HOST}:${DEST_PATH}"; then
    echo "✅ Saved: $SAFE_FILENAME"
    echo "   iCloud sync will propagate within 1-2 minutes"
else
    echo "❌ scp failed. Check: SSH access to $SSH_HOST, vault path exists, disk space"
    exit 1
fi

```