wiki-setup
Initialize a new Obsidian wiki vault with the correct structure, special files, and configuration. Use this skill when the user wants to set up a new wiki from scratch, initialize the vault structure, create the .env file, or says things like "set up my wiki", "initialize obsidian", "create a new vault", "get started with the wiki". Also use when the user needs to reconfigure their existing vault or fix a broken setup.
npx skills add Ar9av/obsidian-wiki --skill wiki-setup --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Obsidian Setup — Vault Initialization You are setting up a new Obsidian wiki vault (or repairing an existing one). ## Step 1: Create .env If `.env` doesn't exist, create it from `.env.example`. Ask the user for: 1. **Where should the vault live?** → `OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH` - Default: `~/Documents/obsidian-wiki-vault` - Must be an absolute path (after expansion) 2. **Where are your source documents?** → `OBSIDIAN_SOURCES_DIR` - Can be multiple paths, comma-separated - Default: `~/Documents` - Local git repo clones (public or private, any host) can be listed here too — clone the repo locally first, then add its path. See "Ingesting Git Repositories" in `wiki-ingest/SKILL.md` for how repo sources are handled. 3. **Want to import Claude history?** → `CLAUDE_HISTORY_PATH` - Default: auto-discovers from `~/.claude` - Set explicitly if Claude data is elsewhere 4. **Have QMD installed?** → `QMD_WIKI_COLLECTION` / `QMD_PAPERS_COLLECTION` / `QMD_TRANSPORT` - Optional. Enables semantic search in `wiki-query` and source discovery in `wiki-ingest`. - Default to `QMD_TRANSPORT=mcp` unless the user wants the agent to call the local `qmd` CLI directly. - If using CLI mode, set `QMD_CLI_SEARCH_MODE
- Step 1: Create .env
- Step 2: Create Vault Directory Structure
- Step 3: Create Special Files
- index.md
- log.md
- hot.md
- .manifest.json
- Step 4: Create .obsidian Configuration
- .obsidian/app.json
- .obsidian/appearance.json
- Step 5: Recommend Obsidian Plugins
- Step 6: Verify Setup
- Optional: Install the Stop Hook (Auto-Capture)
- Optional: Configure GitHub Sync
mkdir -p "$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH"/{concepts,entities,skills,references,synthesis,journal,projects,_archives,_raw,_staging,.obsidian}
printf '{}\n' > "$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH/.manifest.json"
mkdir -p ~/.obsidian-wiki/hooks
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Ar9av/obsidian-wiki/main/.claude/hooks/wiki-stop-capture.sh \
chmod +x ~/.obsidian-wiki/hooks/wiki-stop-capture.sh
obsidian-wiki sync-setup "<repo-url>" --vault "$OBSIDIAN_VAULT_PATH"What does the wiki-setup skill do?
Initialize a new Obsidian wiki vault with the correct structure, special files, and configuration. Use this skill when the user wants to set up a new wiki from scratch, initialize the vault structure, create the .env file, or says things like "set up my wiki", "initialize obsidian", "create a new vault", "get started with the wiki". Also use when the user needs to reconfigure their existing vault or fix a broken setup.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add Ar9av/obsidian-wiki --skill wiki-setup --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From Ar9av/obsidian-wiki, a repository with 3,115 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.