
obsidian-bases
Create and edit Obsidian Bases (.base files) with views, filters, formulas, and summaries. Use when working with .base files, creating database-like views of notes, or when the user mentions Bases, table views, card views, filters, or formulas in Obsidian.
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/galaxy-dawn/claude-scholar --skill obsidian-bases- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads obsidian-bases automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
Obsidian Bases Skill
Workflow
- Create the file: Create a
.basefile in the vault with valid YAML content - Define scope: Add
filtersto select which notes appear (by tag, folder, property, or date) - Add formulas (optional): Define computed properties in the
formulassection - Configure views: Add one or more views (
table,cards,list, ormap) withorderspecifying which properties to display - Validate: Verify the file is valid YAML with no syntax errors. Check that all referenced properties and formulas exist. Common issues: unquoted strings containing special YAML characters, mismatched quotes in formula expressions, referencing
formula.Xwithout definingXinformulas - Test in Obsidian: Open the
.basefile in Obsidian to confirm the view renders correctly. If it shows a YAML error, check quoting rules below
Schema
Base files use the .base extension and contain valid YAML.
# Global filters apply to ALL views in the base
filters:
# Can be a single filter string
# OR a recursive filter object with and/or/not
and: []
or: []
not: []
# Define formula properties that can be used across all views
formulas:
formula_name: 'expression'
# Configure display names and settings for properties
properties:
property_name:
displayName: "Display Name"
formula.formula_name:
displayName: "Formula Display Name"
file.ext:
displayName: "Extension"
# Define custom summary formulas
summaries:
custom_summary_name: 'values.mean().round(3)'
# Define one or more views
views:
- type: table | cards | list | map
name: "View Name"
limit: 10 # Optional: limit results
groupBy: # Optional: group results
property: property_name
direction: ASC | DESC
filters: # View-specific filters
and: []
order: # Properties to display in order
- file.name
- property_name
- formula.formula_name
summaries: # Map properties to summary formulas
property_name: Average
Filter Syntax
Filters narrow down results. They can be applied globally or per-view.
Filter Structure
# Single filter
filters: 'status == "done"'
# AND - all conditions must be true
filters:
and:
- 'status == "done"'
- 'priority > 3'
# OR - any condition can be true
filters:
or:
- 'file.hasTag("book")'
- 'file.hasTag("article")'
# NOT - exclude matching items
filters:
not:
- 'file.hasTag("archived")'
# Nested filters
filters:
or:
- file.hasTag("tag")
- and:
- file.hasTag("book")
- file.hasLink("Textbook")
- not:
- file.hasTag("book")
- file.inFolder("Required Reading")
Filter Operators
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
== | equals |
!= | not equal |
> | greater than |
< | less than |
>= | greater than or equal |
<= | less than or equal |
&& | logical and |
|| | logical or |
| <code>!</code> | logical not |
Properties
Three Types of Properties
- Note properties - From frontmatter:
note.authoror justauthor - File properties - File metadata:
file.name,file.mtime, etc. - Formula properties - Computed values:
formula.my_formula
File Properties Reference
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
file.name | String | File name |
file.basename | String | File name without extension |
file.path | String | Full path to file |
file.folder | String | Parent folder path |
file.ext | String | File extension |
file.size | Number | File size in bytes |
file.ctime | Date | Created time |
file.mtime | Date | Modified time |
file.tags | List | All tags in file |
file.links | List | Internal links in file |
file.backlinks | List | Files linking to this file |
file.embeds | List | Embeds in the note |
file.properties | Object | All frontmatter properties |
The this Keyword
- In main content area: refers to the base file itself
- When embedded: refers to the embedding file
- In sidebar: refers to the active file in main content
Formula Syntax
Formulas compute values from properties. Defined in the formulas section.
formulas:
# Simple arithmetic
total: "price * quantity"
# Conditional logic
status_icon: 'if(done, "✅", "⏳")'
# String formatting
formatted_price: 'if(price, price.toFixed(2) + " dollars")'
# Date formatting
created: 'file.ctime.format("YYYY-MM-DD")'
# Calculate days since created (use .days for Duration)
days_old: '(now() - file.ctime).days'
# Calculate days until due date
days_until_due: 'if(due_date, (date(due_date) - today()).days, "")'
Key Functions
Most commonly used functions. For the complete reference of all types (Date, String, Number, List, File, Link, Object, RegExp), see FUNCTIONS_REFERENCE.md.
| Function | Signature | Description |
|---|---|---|
date() | date(string): date | Parse string to date (YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss) |
now() | now(): date | Current date and time |
today() | today(): date | Current date (time = 00:00:00) |
if() | if(condition, trueResult, falseResult?) | Conditional |
duration() | duration(string): duration | Parse duration string |
file() | file(path): file | Get file object |
link() | link(path, display?): Link | Create a link |
Duration Type
When subtracting two dates, the result is a Duration type (not a number).
Duration Fields: duration.days, duration.hours, duration.minutes, duration.seconds, duration.milliseconds
IMPORTANT: Duration does NOT support .round(), .floor(), .ceil() directly. Access a numeric field first (like .days), then apply number functions.
# CORRECT: Calculate days between dates
"(date(due_date) - today()).days" # Returns number of days
"(now() - file.ctime).days" # Days since created
"(date(due_date) - today()).days.round(0)" # Rounded days
# WRONG - will cause error:
# "((date(due) - today()) / 86400000).round(0)" # Duration doesn't support division then round
Date Arithmetic
# Duration units: y/year/years, M/month/months, d/day/days,
# w/week/weeks, h/hour/hours, m/minute/minutes, s/second/seconds
"now() + \"1 day\"" # Tomorrow
"today() + \"7d\"" # A week from today
"now() - file.ctime" # Returns Duration
"(now() - file.ctime).days" # Get days as number
View Types
Table View
views:
- type: table
name: "My Table"
order:
- file.name
- status
- due_date
summaries:
price: Sum
count: Average
Cards View
views:
- type: cards
name: "Gallery"
order:
- file.name
- cover_image
- description
List View
views:
- type: list
name: "Simple List"
order:
- file.name
- status
Map View
Requires latitude/longitude properties and the Maps community plugin.
views:
- type: map
name: "Locations"
# Map-specific settings for lat/lng properties
Default Summary Formulas
| Name | Input Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
Average | Number | Mathematical mean |
Min | Number | Smallest number |
Max | Number | Largest number |
Sum | Number | Sum of all numbers |
Range | Number | Max - Min |
Median | Number | Mathematical median |
Stddev | Number | Standard deviation |
Earliest | Date | Earliest date |
Latest | Date | Latest date |
Range | Date | Latest - Earliest |
Checked | Boolean | Count of true values |
Unchecked | Boolean | Count of false values |
Empty | Any | Count of empty values |
Filled | Any | Count of non-empty values |
Unique | Any | Count of unique values |
Complete Examples
Task Tracker Base
filters:
and:
- file.hasTag("task")
- 'file.ext == "md"'
formulas:
days_until_due: 'if(due, (date(due) - today()).days, "")'
is_overdue: 'if(due, date(due) < today() && status != "done", false)'
priority_label: 'if(priority == 1, "🔴 High", if(priority == 2, "🟡 Medium", "🟢 Low"))'
properties:
status:
displayName: Status
formula.days_until_due:
displayName: "Days Until Due"
formula.priority_label:
displayName: Priority
views:
- type: table
name: "Active Tasks"
filters:
and:
- 'status != "done"'
order:
- file.name
- status
- formula.priority_label
- due
- formula.days_until_due
groupBy:
property: status
direction: ASC
summaries:
formula.days_until_due: Average
- type: table
name: "Completed"
filters:
and:
- 'status == "done"'
order:
- file.name
- completed_date
Reading List Base
filters:
or:
- file.hasTag("book")
- file.hasTag("article")
formulas:
reading_time: 'if(pages, (pages * 2).toString() + " min", "")'
status_icon: 'if(status == "reading", "📖", if(status == "done", "✅", "📚"))'
year_read: 'if(finished_date, date(finished_date).year, "")'
properties:
author:
displayName: Author
formula.status_icon:
displayName: ""
formula.reading_time:
displayName: "Est. Time"
views:
- type: cards
name: "Library"
order:
- cover
- file.name
- author
- formula.status_icon
filters:
not:
- 'status == "dropped"'
- type: table
name: "Reading List"
filters:
and:
- 'status == "to-read"'
order:
- file.name
- author
- pages
- formula.reading_time
Daily Notes Index
filters:
and:
- file.inFolder("Daily Notes")
- '/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$/.matches(file.basename)'
formulas:
word_estimate: '(file.size / 5).round(0)'
day_of_week: 'date(file.basename).format("dddd")'
properties:
formula.day_of_week:
displayName: "Day"
formula.word_estimate:
displayName: "~Words"
views:
- type: table
name: "Recent Notes"
limit: 30
order:
- file.name
- formula.day_of_week
- formula.word_estimate
- file.mtime
Embedding Bases
Embed in Markdown files:
![[MyBase.base]]
<!-- Specific view -->
![[MyBase.base#View Name]]
YAML Quoting Rules
- Use single quotes for formulas containing double quotes:
'if(done, "Yes", "No")' - Use double quotes for simple strings:
"My View Name" - Escape nested quotes properly in complex expressions
Troubleshooting
YAML Syntax Errors
Unquoted special characters: Strings containing :, {, }, [, ], ,, &, *, #, ?, |, -, <, >, =, !, %, @, ` must be quoted.
# WRONG - colon in unquoted string
displayName: Status: Active
# CORRECT
displayName: "Status: Active"
Mismatched quotes in formulas: When a formula contains double quotes, wrap the entire formula in single quotes.
# WRONG - double quotes inside double quotes
formulas:
label: "if(done, "Yes", "No")"
# CORRECT - single quotes wrapping double quotes
formulas:
label: 'if(done, "Yes", "No")'
Common Formula Errors
Duration math without field access: Subtracting dates returns a Duration, not a number. Always access .days, .hours, etc.
# WRONG - Duration is not a number
"(now() - file.ctime).round(0)"
# CORRECT - access .days first, then round
"(now() - file.ctime).days.round(0)"
Missing null checks: Properties may not exist on all notes. Use if() to guard.
# WRONG - crashes if due_date is empty
"(date(due_date) - today()).days"
# CORRECT - guard with if()
'if(due_date, (date(due_date) - today()).days, "")'
Referencing undefined formulas: Ensure every formula.X in order or properties has a matching entry in formulas.
# This will fail silently if 'total' is not defined in formulas
order:
- formula.total
# Fix: define it
formulas:
total: "price * quantity"
References
- Bases Syntax
- Functions
- Views
- Formulas
- Complete Functions Reference
FAQ
What does the obsidian-bases skill do?
Create and edit Obsidian Bases (.base files) with views, filters, formulas, and summaries. Use when working with .base files, creating database-like views of notes, or when the user mentions Bases, table views, card views, filters, or formulas in Obsidian.
How do I install obsidian-bases?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/galaxy-dawn/claude-scholar --skill obsidian-bases in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/obsidian-bases/ (personal) or .claude/skills/obsidian-bases/ (project).
Which AI agents can use obsidian-bases?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is obsidian-bases safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains obsidian-bases?
It is published by galaxy-dawn in galaxy-dawn/claude-scholar. It has 47 recorded installs.
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