3.4 KiB
Obsidian Setup
Install Obsidian
Linux (Flatpak: recommended)
Check if installed:
flatpak list 2>/dev/null | grep -i obsidian && echo "FOUND via flatpak" || \
which obsidian 2>/dev/null && echo "FOUND in PATH" || echo "NOT FOUND"
Install if not found:
flatpak install flathub md.obsidian.Obsidian
macOS
ls /Applications/Obsidian.app 2>/dev/null && echo "FOUND" || brew install --cask obsidian
Windows
Test-Path "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Obsidian" && echo "FOUND" || winget install Obsidian.Obsidian
All platforms: direct download
Open the Vault
After installing: Obsidian > Manage Vaults > Open Folder as Vault > select your vault directory.
Core Plugins (Built-in: No Install Required)
These ship with Obsidian. Enable them in Settings > Core Plugins:
| Plugin | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Bases | Native database-like views for .base files. Powers wiki/meta/dashboard.base. Available since Obsidian v1.9.10 (August 2025). Replaces Dataview for most wiki use cases. |
| Properties | Visual frontmatter editor. Always enabled. |
| Backlinks | Outgoing/incoming links pane. |
| Outline | Document heading navigation. |
Recommended Community Plugins
Install via Settings > Community Plugins > Turn off Restricted Mode > Browse.
| Plugin | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Templater | Auto-populate frontmatter on note creation from _templates/. |
| Obsidian Git | Auto-commit every 15 minutes. Protects against bad writes. |
| Calendar | Right-sidebar calendar with word count, task, and link indicators. Pre-installed in this vault via .obsidian/plugins/calendar/. |
| Thino | Quick memo capture panel in right sidebar. Pre-installed via .obsidian/plugins/thino/. |
| Iconize | Visual folder icons for navigation. |
| Minimal Theme | Best dark theme for dense information display. |
| Dataview (optional/legacy) | Only needed if you're on Obsidian < 1.9.10 or want to use the legacy dashboard.md queries. The primary dashboard now uses Bases. |
Calendar and Thino are pre-installed. They ship with this vault. Enable them in Settings → Community Plugins → toggle on. No download needed.
If installing in a different vault: download main.js + manifest.json from their GitHub releases into .obsidian/plugins/calendar/ and .obsidian/plugins/thino/ respectively.
Optional additions:
- Smart Connections: semantic search across all notes
- QuickAdd: macros for fast note creation
- Folder Notes: click a folder to open an overview note
Web Clipper
The Obsidian Web Clipper browser extension converts web articles to markdown and sends them to .raw/ in one click.
Install for Chrome, Firefox, or Safari from the Obsidian website.
Set the default folder to .raw/ in the extension settings.
After Installing Plugins
- Enable Bases: Settings > Core Plugins > toggle on (already on by default in Obsidian v1.9.10+)
- Enable Templater: Settings > Templater > set template folder to
_templates - Enable Obsidian Git: Settings > Obsidian Git > Auto backup interval: 15 minutes
- Enable the CSS snippet: Settings > Appearance > CSS Snippets > toggle on
vault-colors - (Optional) Enable Dataview only if you want the legacy
wiki/meta/dashboard.mdqueries to work alongside the primarydashboard.base