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corysama | on: Obsidian Sync now has a headless client
Also new: Obsidian joins the CLI gang

https://help.obsidian.md/cli

I’ve been having a lot of fun recently using AI CLIs with Obsidian. No plugins necessary because it’s just a directory tree of markdown files.

dSebastien | parent | next
The Obsidian CLI enables many scenarios not possible with the Markdown files alone: building and debugging plugins, running commands, controlling Obsidian, querying bases, accessing the Obsidian index, ...
manmal | parent | next
I've been using iCloud to sync Obsidian, and have consistently run into the problem that iCloud file container access needs full disk permissions that I don't want to give the agent (or Ghostty). Does everybody use Obsidian's paid sync instead or what? Or SyncThing?
kcrwfrd_ | root | parent | next
I just pay for the sync.

I like that I can have some vaults that sync to both my personal and work laptops and other vaults that only sync to one or the other.

It’s awfully convenient without any vendor lock in since I can just take my plain markdown files and leave anytime.

ozlikethewizard | root | parent
Another option is obsidian lets you set which folders should sync. So I have everything in one vault, and in my trusted environment I let have everything synced, work machine only gets the work folder, and windows gaming machine only gets required non-confidential stuff (i.e notes about stuff that isnt me).

Its nice to be able to review it all from one machine though

typicalrunt | root | parent | next
I used to use SyncThing, then Dropbox, then iCloud. But then I just caved and paid for Obsidian Sync and it is the best money spent aside from Claude. I don't have to tinker with weird settings anymore or deal with sync issues, it just works.
FloatArtifact | root | parent | next
I can't wonder if that's by design to make it hard for a plugin to have it's own sync mechanism. Definitely not proof of this that I know of, but a thought.
wiether | root | parent | next
Obsidian is plain Markdown and JSON files.

There can't be a will from the devs to make it hard to sync.

It's just that unlike git or Dropbox or whatever, that are just generic "syncing" tools, Obsidian Sync has been built to provide the best experience with Obsidian.

FloatArtifact | root | parent | next
I'm talking more about the plugin architecture not about the file format or third-party applications. sync plugins seems to be pretty limited compared to what's offered for a subscription.
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{"deleted":true,"id":47200204,"parent":47198913,"time":1772312637,"type":"comment"}
febed | root | parent | next
I’ve been using Obsidian with Dropbox sync for years. What’s so special about the Obsidian sync?
wiether | root | parent
Obsidian with Dropbox can work on an iOS device?

With Obsidian Sync you manage everything directly in Obsidian: sync status, activity, history, selective sync...

And "it just works" across platform, without having to think about/set something else up.

wellthisisgreat | root | parent
it's not per-vault is it? I have multiple vaults I'd like to sync selectively (50% of files in one vault for one machine, and 100% on another etc.) No space restrictions?
wiether | root | parent
I only use a single vault, so I'm afraid I can't answer to your question.

So when I talk about selective sync, it's about what is synced within a vault, and more specifically Obsidian settings/plugins...

I don't have the need to selectively sync only some of my vault's content, so never looked into it.

I just know that Obsidian Sync does what I'm expecting it to do.

And to add some context: I'd rather they just add a regular "Obsidian" sub that included vault sync; instead of giving away Obsidian for free, and selling add-ons. Because on itself, Obsidian Sync is quite expensive. If I'm willing to pay that much for that little, it's because, to me, I'm paying first for the development of Obsidian in itself.

But I understand why they wanted to go this way.

I don't know if it is/was the best move; because I see lots of people not willing to use Obsidian just because they are "scamming" people on their expensive Sync add-on.

4diii | root | parent
someone reverse engineered obsidian sync a couple years ago, but obsidian ended up “patching” it. Saw some recent discussion on here about it: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=44768641
wiether | root | parent
Seems fair to me.

Obsidian Sync has always been presented as a paid add-on, here to provide income for the company building Obsidian and giving it for free.

If they provided a direct BYOS(ync/erver) mechanism, less people would pay for the add-on, which is their source of income.

Instead, they let you use your own sync mechanism by only relying on text files.

I understand why some people could get upset about this, but they've always been transparent :

- no proprietary format ; can migrate at anytime without effort

- free but closed-sourced software

- add-ons for income

poglet | root | parent
Joplin has great sync support for a number of providers, Dropbox, Onedrive, Nextcloud, S3 etc, Obsidian supports none of these on iOS so I cant sync all my devices without having all my notes go to Obsidian servers and paying the fee.
rafaquintanilha | root | parent | next
Definitely one of the biggest ROI is to pay for the sync. I regret all years I tried git-based alternatives (it's still useful to have it in git for backup, but not as the main syncing mechanism).
vergessenmir | root | parent | next
Just pay for the sync. I used to juggle with git, rsync, inotify etc and other tools

Its one of the few subscriptions where it actually feels like money well spent

hombre_fatal | root | parent | next
I was using SyncThing, and it worked, but any time you have an Obsidian vault open on two devices, or shortly after another, you're always thinking about if you're going to have to clean up a bunch of sync conflict files later. And that mental overhead is not worth saving $4/mo.

The conflicts are never hard: it's like a git merge conflict where you just take the latest of every conflict block.

sudhirkhanger | root | parent | next
What tool can be used to resolve syncthing conflicts? I get a lot of.stversion files.
batisteo | root | parent
For me using SyncThing totally worth it, but I guess it's down to our income difference
EchoReflection | root | parent
I used multiple sync "solutions" (terrible idea, in retrospect); Dropsync, Syncthing, Drivesync, in addition to paying for Obsidian Sync, because I was delusional about "backing up my data". Huge mistake on my part, I've spent many, many, many hours deduplicating worthless "backups". Agree with "just pay for Obsidian Sync".
eloop | root | parent
Mirrors my experience.
haltcatchfire | root | parent
I try to selfhost most of my stuff I rely on. Immich, Vaultwarden, etc. I gave up on trying to selfhost sync solutions for Obsidian - Obsidian Sync is just so damn frictionless compared to all other solutions. Also, it feels good supporting the development of Obsidian.
jorgejiro | root | parent | next
I've been using Obsidian since the beginning, and it's the best money I can spend annually. It works perfectly, and I've never had any problems.
loading story #47210951
sylens | root | parent | next
I just pay for the sync. It probably helps I jumped on board when they still had early bird pricing for the sync
iaresee | root | parent | next
I gave up on iCloud sync.

After the tenth time iCloud absolutely destroyed my vault’s file layout and scattered copies of my files all over my iCloud Drive, I just gave up and shell out for paid sync now. It’s fine. I don’t mind paying for things I get actual value from.

tibbon | root | parent
Same. I lost data this way. It wasn't worth it. Happy to support Obsidian
JimmyBiscuit | root | parent | next
Im just running a Nextcloud on a raspberry pi to sync everything. Works flawlessly for multiple years now.
mk12 | root | parent | next
I use Syncthing (with Synctrain client on iOS) and it works great.
369548684892826 | root | parent
protip: You can make synctrain sync with an iOS shortcut, with the shortcut being triggered when Obsidian is opened or closed. This means you're always in sync, even if iOS hasn't allowed synctrain to run in the background.
giancarlostoro | root | parent | next
I use both and I prefer their builtin sync, since I also code on Linux.
zeta0134 | root | parent | next
I've had no trouble with syncthing on Android. It just has access to the sync folders, as far as I can tell. Seems to work great, even if I've got the same file open simultaneously on several devices. I use a tablet in my kitchen to show my TODO at all times.
seabrookmx | root | parent | next
I've had good luck with syncthing. But I only sync between laptop and desktop.. the mobile story with syncthing isn't ideal.
dexterdog | root | parent | next
Why not? I've used it between my desktops and my phone with no problem for years.
bossyTeacher | root | parent
I use syncthing on mobile with no problems. Depending on your settings it might not work on low battery though.
vorticalbox | root | parent | next
I have been using remotely save and a free bucket from backblaze. It as a s3 compatible api so works using the s3 feature.
yard2010 | root | parent
I'm doing the same since this is the only method I found I can let my bot access the files, something I couldn't achieve with Obsidian Sync.. until now!
kace91 | root | parent | next
I use git. push to private repo, you can use a cron in your machine to push regularly and so on.

The only limitation comes if you use the vault in a closed system like iOS, where you can't run terminal commands. other than that, flawless.

loading story #47210163
codybontecou | root | parent | next
I built a one-time purchase solution that might help you.

- https://isolated.tech/apps/syncmd

- https://isolated.tech/apps/syncmd/blog/obsidian-git-ios-setu...

You can git clone directly to your iOS file system which fixes the Obsidian git plugin issue so you can use the Obsidian git plugin on your computer and mobile devices.

vulkoingim | root | parent | next
I used iCloud in the past, but found that syncing between a few devices sometimes left my notes in a weird state - sometimes overwritten, missing, etc. I switched some time ago to https://github.com/remotely-save/remotely-save with backblaze and I periodically sync to a git repo for a second backup. No issues since then.
chrisweekly | root | parent | next
Obsidian's paid sync works great for me.
loading story #47208910
qaq | root | parent | next
github private repo works fine
bossyTeacher | root | parent | next
If you mostly use single-vault Obsidian in two devices, SyncThing is perfect imo.
poglet | root | parent
https://github.com/vrtmrz/obsidian-livesync
etra0 | root | parent | next
I did run with this setup for a few months (I believe like, 5 months already?) and when it works, it's nice, but 90% of the time it has been extremely painful.

Something breaks, one automatically updates and then it breaks the entire database, SCRAM mode, recovering is painful, and all the time I get warnings, spam and logs, it's anything but seamless.

Which is a real pity, because when it works it feels magical to use within my laptop, my phone and my tablet, all self hosted, but the pain won and so I'm searching for new alternatives.

willis936 | root | parent
I use this and a self-hosted couchdb. So far it seems to be good, but I haven't spent more than a few hours with it yet. I do have what appears to be a working setup on ios, macos, and linux. Obsidian's large number of plugins and control surfaces is a bit hazardous.
mihaelm | parent | next
I love that CLIs are getting a second wind.
stingraycharles | root | parent | next
I must be a fossil living under a rock, but: were they ever gone? As the amount of new CLI based applications I install on a monthly basis is always far more than the amount of new GUI based applications.
DetroitThrow | root | parent
I think a lot of new developers used GUIs very exclusively for a very long time. Agentic workflows and Claude code have brought CLI tools to the forefront again.
steve_adams_86 | root | parent
A good example of this that I've noticed is a lot of newer devs were using GitHub Desktop or VS Code to manage git operations, but Claude gave them peek under the hood and now they're using it directly a bit more. Claude Code is a great gateway drug to CLI and TUI addiction
AbstractH24 | root | parent
> I love that CLIs are getting a second wind.

I just wish there were more solutions to add simple things like copy and paste to them.

As though they were more a derivative of the text box I type in right now. And less to MS-DOS I grew up with.

Outside of that, agreed. Eliminate GUI as a blocker.

halJordan | root | parent
It's surprising how that odds still an unsolved problem. That and trashcan integration
jiehong | root | parent
On MacOS, this is actually solved with the following native clis: pbcopy, pbpaste, trash.
neutralx | parent | next
This got me thinking if it’s possible to use Obsidian as taskwarrior. I’ve used taskwarrior in the past but it’s CLI interface which is fine for simpler tasks. Lately, I’ve been trying to use Obsidian as task manager and addition of Bases paved path for taskwarrior like usage, but in GUI. Having options to use it as CLI and as GUI offers flexibility.

I also used some plugins like bugwarrior to sync Jira/GitHub tickets locally. This is perfect when working on multiple projects/repos.

But I guess moving from Unix one tool for each job to swiss knife tool makes Obsidian overwhelming. Maybe it’s better to bridge these two tools in some way (plugins) rather than misuse Obsidian features.

input_sh | root | parent
Look at the video, it explicitly starts with dealing with tasks in Markdown files. Unintuitively if I might say so, but it does.

I agree that now that this is a possibility, some sort of a wrapper would be great to see.

giancarlostoro | parent | next
Oh snap! Thanks for that, I can really make good use of this!
jadbox | parent | next
It's not super useful yet- you can't really view notes in the CLI but you can can trigger features like search.
WNWceAJ9R9Ezc4 | root | parent | next
Notes are stored in Markdown files. Why do you need Obsidian CLI to view notes when `cat` will do?
goodmythical | root | parent | next
Okay, so my command line fu is not what it perhaps should be, but if I could use obsidian without the bloated app, I'd be even more in love.

How would I be able to search obsidian links from the command line?

Like, to travel between notes in the app of course I can just click on connecting links or search, but I wouldn't have the faintest idea how to do that in a cli.

Is there some handy way to search the current folder and subfolders for text in a file with regex? Like some kind of >find term for all of my [[term]] entries in markdown files ?

toddmorey | root | parent | next
What is obsidian beyond a pile of markdown files without the app?
xnyan | root | parent
Hackernews is accessed using http. Why do you need a web browser when curl exists?
fredoliveira | root | parent | next
Not gp, but because the way hackernews would render in a web browser versus curl is dramatically different, of course. There's a clear separation of presentation and content, and curl shows you presentation.

Notes being plain text files means that what you get by showing via a CLI is essentially the same as just `cat whatever-it-is.md`. Viewing a note via the CLI interface could have its merits (it could apply its own flavor of presentation), but come on now. Your example doesn't hold.

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kepano | root | parent | next
You can view notes with Obsidian CLI. See the "read" commands. But also you can do that with your built-in command line tools.

https://help.obsidian.md/cli

tibbon | root | parent
I've used it with Claude Code for refactoring and helping write a really in depth D&D campaign. Using frontmatter, I can keep metadata about NPCs and characters synced across all files.

Fixes all the problems I've had about "In what order do I put this data" and flipping back and forth in a huge stack of papers.

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