obsidian-bases

Q: How do I install obsidian-bases?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills --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).

by julianobarbosaProductivity & Automation

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.

Installs: 103
Last 24h: —
Trending rank: —
Security: Not audited

Install

Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.

npx skills add https://github.com/julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills --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

This skill enables Claude Code to create and edit valid Obsidian Bases (.base files) including views, filters, formulas, and all related configurations.

Overview

Obsidian Bases are YAML-based files that define dynamic views of notes in an Obsidian vault. A Base file can contain multiple views, global filters, formulas, property configurations, and custom summaries.

File Format

Base files use the .base extension and contain valid YAML. They can also be embedded in Markdown code blocks.

Complete Schema

# 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.author or just author
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")'
  
  # Complex expressions
  days_old: '((now() - file.ctime) / 86400000).round(0)'

Functions Reference

Global Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`date()`	`date(string): date`	Parse string to date. Format: `YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss`
`duration()`	`duration(string): duration`	Parse duration string
`now()`	`now(): date`	Current date and time
`today()`	`today(): date`	Current date (time = 00:00:00)
`if()`	`if(condition, trueResult, falseResult?)`	Conditional
`min()`	`min(n1, n2, ...): number`	Smallest number
`max()`	`max(n1, n2, ...): number`	Largest number
`number()`	`number(any): number`	Convert to number
`link()`	`link(path, display?): Link`	Create a link
`list()`	`list(element): List`	Wrap in list if not already
`file()`	`file(path): file`	Get file object
`image()`	`image(path): image`	Create image for rendering
`icon()`	`icon(name): icon`	Lucide icon by name
`html()`	`html(string): html`	Render as HTML
`escapeHTML()`	`escapeHTML(string): string`	Escape HTML characters

Any Type Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`isTruthy()`	`any.isTruthy(): boolean`	Coerce to boolean
`isType()`	`any.isType(type): boolean`	Check type
`toString()`	`any.toString(): string`	Convert to string

Date Functions & Fields

Fields: date.year, date.month, date.day, date.hour, date.minute, date.second, date.millisecond

Function	Signature	Description
`date()`	`date.date(): date`	Remove time portion
`format()`	`date.format(string): string`	Format with Moment.js pattern
`time()`	`date.time(): string`	Get time as string
`relative()`	`date.relative(): string`	Human-readable relative time
`isEmpty()`	`date.isEmpty(): boolean`	Always false for dates

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

# Add/subtract durations
"date + \"1M\""           # Add 1 month
"date - \"2h\""           # Subtract 2 hours
"now() + \"1 day\""       # Tomorrow
"today() + \"7d\""        # A week from today

# Subtract dates for millisecond difference
"now() - file.ctime"

# Complex duration arithmetic
"now() + (duration('1d') * 2)"

String Functions

Field: string.length

Function	Signature	Description
`contains()`	`string.contains(value): boolean`	Check substring
`containsAll()`	`string.containsAll(...values): boolean`	All substrings present
`containsAny()`	`string.containsAny(...values): boolean`	Any substring present
`startsWith()`	`string.startsWith(query): boolean`	Starts with query
`endsWith()`	`string.endsWith(query): boolean`	Ends with query
`isEmpty()`	`string.isEmpty(): boolean`	Empty or not present
`lower()`	`string.lower(): string`	To lowercase
`title()`	`string.title(): string`	To Title Case
`trim()`	`string.trim(): string`	Remove whitespace
`replace()`	`string.replace(pattern, replacement): string`	Replace pattern
`repeat()`	`string.repeat(count): string`	Repeat string
`reverse()`	`string.reverse(): string`	Reverse string
`slice()`	`string.slice(start, end?): string`	Substring
`split()`	`string.split(separator, n?): list`	Split to list

Number Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`abs()`	`number.abs(): number`	Absolute value
`ceil()`	`number.ceil(): number`	Round up
`floor()`	`number.floor(): number`	Round down
`round()`	`number.round(digits?): number`	Round to digits
`toFixed()`	`number.toFixed(precision): string`	Fixed-point notation
`isEmpty()`	`number.isEmpty(): boolean`	Not present

List Functions

Field: list.length

Function	Signature	Description
`contains()`	`list.contains(value): boolean`	Element exists
`containsAll()`	`list.containsAll(...values): boolean`	All elements exist
`containsAny()`	`list.containsAny(...values): boolean`	Any element exists
`filter()`	`list.filter(expression): list`	Filter by condition (uses `value`, `index`)
`map()`	`list.map(expression): list`	Transform elements (uses `value`, `index`)
`reduce()`	`list.reduce(expression, initial): any`	Reduce to single value (uses `value`, `index`, `acc`)
`flat()`	`list.flat(): list`	Flatten nested lists
`join()`	`list.join(separator): string`	Join to string
`reverse()`	`list.reverse(): list`	Reverse order
`slice()`	`list.slice(start, end?): list`	Sublist
`sort()`	`list.sort(): list`	Sort ascending
`unique()`	`list.unique(): list`	Remove duplicates
`isEmpty()`	`list.isEmpty(): boolean`	No elements

File Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`asLink()`	`file.asLink(display?): Link`	Convert to link
`hasLink()`	`file.hasLink(otherFile): boolean`	Has link to file
`hasTag()`	`file.hasTag(...tags): boolean`	Has any of the tags
`hasProperty()`	`file.hasProperty(name): boolean`	Has property
`inFolder()`	`file.inFolder(folder): boolean`	In folder or subfolder

Link Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`asFile()`	`link.asFile(): file`	Get file object
`linksTo()`	`link.linksTo(file): boolean`	Links to file

Object Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`isEmpty()`	`object.isEmpty(): boolean`	No properties
`keys()`	`object.keys(): list`	List of keys
`values()`	`object.values(): list`	List of values

Regular Expression Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`matches()`	`regexp.matches(string): boolean`	Test if matches

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 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()) / 86400000).round(0), "")'
  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

Project Notes Base

filters:
  and:
    - file.inFolder("Projects")
    - 'file.ext == "md"'

formulas:
  last_updated: 'file.mtime.relative()'
  link_count: 'file.links.length'
  
summaries:
  avgLinks: 'values.filter(value.isType("number")).mean().round(1)'

properties:
  formula.last_updated:
    displayName: "Updated"
  formula.link_count:
    displayName: "Links"

views:
  - type: table
    name: "All Projects"
    order:
      - file.name
      - status
      - formula.last_updated
      - formula.link_count
    summaries:
      formula.link_count: avgLinks
    groupBy:
      property: status
      direction: ASC

  - type: list
    name: "Quick List"
    order:
      - file.name
      - status

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

Common Patterns

Filter by Tag

filters:
  and:
    - file.hasTag("project")

Filter by Folder

filters:
  and:
    - file.inFolder("Notes")

Filter by Date Range

filters:
  and:
    - 'file.mtime > now() - "7d"'

Filter by Property Value

filters:
  and:
    - 'status == "active"'
    - 'priority >= 3'

Combine Multiple Conditions

filters:
  or:
    - and:
        - file.hasTag("important")
        - 'status != "done"'
    - and:
        - 'priority == 1'
        - 'due != ""'

References

Gotchas

Bases formulas use Obsidian's own expression dialect — NOT Dataview's. dateformat() and date() differ in syntax and arguments between the two; mixing kills filters with no error message.
.base files are YAML; tab/space indentation inconsistency silently fails the view — the file loads but the view is empty.
Filter case-sensitivity differs from search — search defaults case-insensitive; Bases filters default case-sensitive. A note discoverable via search may not appear in a Base view.
Formula columns that reference missing properties show empty — no error, no warning. Easy to think a formula is broken when a property is just absent on some notes.
.base file in a non-default location requires the path to be referenced explicitly — moving it after creating a view doesn't auto-update references.

FAQ

What does the obsidian-bases skill do?

How do I install obsidian-bases?

Run npx skills add https://github.com/julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills --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 julianobarbosa in julianobarbosa/claude-code-skills. It has 103 recorded installs.