note-types

Obsidian Note Types Manager

Slash Commands (v1.0.0)

Command	Description
obsidian:types	List all note types
obsidian:types list	List all note types (explicit)
obsidian:types show <name>	Show details for a note type
obsidian:types add <name> --config '{...}'	Add with full JSON config
obsidian:types edit <name> --config '{...}'	Edit with JSON config
obsidian:types remove <name> --yes	Remove a note type
obsidian:types wizard	Interactive wizard

⚠️ MANDATORY: Pass --config DIRECTLY to the Script

When user provides --config '{...}', pass it EXACTLY as-is to the script!

DO NOT:

• ❌ Read settings.yaml first
• ❌ Manually edit settings.yaml
• ❌ Use --show before --edit
• ❌ Use --non-interactive instead of --config
• ❌ Rename folders or modify files manually

Just execute the command with --config. The script handles everything.

ADD Example

User types:

obsidian:types add meeting --config '{"folder": "Meetings/", "required_props": ["date"]}'

Execute:

uv run types_command.py --vault . add meeting --config '{"folder": "Meetings/", "required_props": ["date"]}'

EDIT Example

User types:

obsidian:types edit meeting --config '{"description": "Updated", "icon": "video"}'

Execute:

uv run types_command.py --vault . edit meeting --config '{"description": "Updated", "icon": "video"}'

DO NOT read or manually edit settings.yaml!

Quick Start

Note: This skill reads and writes to .claude/settings.yaml. Run obsidian:init first to initialize your vault.

# List all note types from settings.yaml
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --list

# Show details for a specific type
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --show project

# Add a note type with full config (RECOMMENDED for Claude Code)
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --add blog --config '{"description": "Blog posts", "folder": "Blog/", "required_props": ["status"], "icon": "pen-tool"}'

# Add with minimal defaults only (when no config specified)
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --add blog --non-interactive

# Remove a note type
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --remove blog --yes

# Specify vault path explicitly
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --vault /path/to/vault --list

Features

CRUD Operations

• List: View all defined note types
• Show: Display details for a specific note type
• Add: Create a new note type (interactive or non-interactive)
• Edit: Modify an existing note type
• Remove: Delete a note type

Interactive Wizard

The wizard mode guides you through creating a new note type:

1. Enter note type name
2. Define folder location
3. Specify required properties
4. Optional: assign a template

uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --wizard

Note Types per Methodology

Note types are defined by the methodology you chose during obsidian:init:

PARA (default):

• project, area, resource, archive

LYT-ACE:

• map, dot, source, project, area, daily

Zettelkasten:

• fleeting, literature, permanent, hub

Minimal:

• note (single type)

Configuration

Integration with settings.yaml

Note types are stored in .claude/settings.yaml, which is the single source of truth for all vault configuration. This file is generated by obsidian:init and shared with all other skills (validation, config, etc.).

Config Format

# .claude/settings.yaml
version: '1.0'
methodology: para
core_properties:
  all: [type, up, created, tags]
note_types:
  project:
    description: Active projects with defined outcomes
    folder_hints:
      - Projects/
    properties:
      additional_required: [status]
      optional: [deadline, priority]
    validation:
      allow_empty_up: false
    icon: target

  area:
    description: Areas of responsibility
    folder_hints:
      - Areas/
    properties:
      additional_required: []
      optional: [review_frequency]
    validation:
      allow_empty_up: false
    icon: home

Commands

List All Note Types

uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --list

Output:

📋 Note Types (5):

  daily
    Folder: Calendar/Daily/
    Properties: type, daily

  dot
    Folder: Atlas/Dots/
    Properties: type, up

  ...

Show Note Type Details

uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --show map

Output:

📄 Note Type: map

  Folder: Atlas/Maps/
  Properties: type, up, related

Add Note Type (Interactive)

uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --add blog

Prompts:

Define note type: blog
(Press Enter to keep current value or use default)

  Folder [Blog/]:
  Properties (comma-separated) [type, up]: type, up, author, published
  Template [none]: templates/blog-post.md

Add Note Type (Non-Interactive)

uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --add blog --non-interactive

Creates a note type with minimal defaults:

• Folder: Blog/
• Properties: type, up

Add Note Type with Full Config (Wizard Alternative)

Use --config with JSON for full wizard-like setup in a single command:

# Full wizard-like setup
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --add meeting --config '{
  "description": "Meeting notes and action items",
  "folder": "Meetings/",
  "required_props": ["attendees", "date"],
  "optional_props": ["action_items", "next_meeting"],
  "icon": "calendar"
}'

# Shorter syntax (all on one line)
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --add blog --config '{"description": "Blog posts and drafts", "folder": "Blog/", "required_props": ["status", "published"], "icon": "pen-tool"}'

Config JSON fields:

Field	Type	Description
description	string	Note type description
folder	string	Folder path (e.g., "Meetings/")
required_props	array/string	Required properties (comma-separated or array)
optional_props	array/string	Optional properties (comma-separated or array)
icon	string	Lucide icon name
allow_empty_up	boolean	Allow empty up links (default: false)

This is the recommended approach for Claude Code as it provides full wizard functionality without interactive prompts.

Edit Note Type

With JSON config (RECOMMENDED for Claude Code):

# Update multiple fields at once
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --edit meeting --config '{
  "description": "Updated meeting notes",
  "required_props": ["attendees", "date", "location"],
  "optional_props": ["action_items", "recording_link"],
  "icon": "video"
}'

# Single line
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --edit project --config '{"description": "New description", "icon": "rocket"}'

With individual parameters:

# Update description
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --edit project --non-interactive --description "New description"

# Update properties
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --edit project --non-interactive --required-props "status,priority"

# Combine multiple updates
uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --edit project --non-interactive \
  --description "Updated" --folder "Projects/" --icon "rocket"

Interactive (terminal only):

uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --edit project

Shows current values and prompts for changes:

📝 Editing note type: project

📄 Note Type: project
  Folder: Efforts/Projects/
  Properties: type, status, due

Define note type: project
(Press Enter to keep current value or use default)

  Folder [Efforts/Projects/]:
  Properties (comma-separated) [type, status, due]: type, status, due, priority
  Template [none]: templates/project.md

Remove Note Type

uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --remove custom

Prompts for confirmation:

⚠️  Delete note type 'custom'? (y/N): y
✅ Removed note type 'custom'

Wizard Mode

uv run skills/note-types/scripts/note_types.py --wizard

Interactive wizard:

🧙 Note Type Wizard

Let's create a new note type for your Obsidian vault.

Note type name: meeting
  Folder [Meeting/]: Efforts/Meetings/
  Properties (comma-separated) [type, up]: type, up, date, attendees
  Template [none]: templates/meeting-notes.md

📋 Summary:
  Name: meeting
  Folder: Efforts/Meetings/
  Properties: type, up, date, attendees
  Template: templates/meeting-notes.md

✅ Create this note type? (Y/n): y

✅ Created note type 'meeting'

Integration with Vault Validator

Note types defined here can be used by the vault validator for type inference:

# In .claude/config/validator.yaml
type_rules:
  'Atlas/Maps/': map
  'Efforts/Projects/': project
  'Efforts/Meetings/': meeting  # Custom type

Use Cases

Define Custom Content Types

Create note types for your specific workflow:

• Blog posts
• Meeting notes
• Book summaries
• Research papers
• Client projects

Enforce Consistent Structure

Define required properties for each note type to maintain consistency:

book:
  folder: Atlas/Books/
  properties:
    - type
    - author
    - isbn
    - rating
    - read_date

Template Integration

Link note types to templates for quick note creation:

client:
  folder: Efforts/Clients/
  properties:
    - type
    - up
    - status
    - contact
  template: templates/client-intake.md

Execution Paths

There are two ways to manage note types:

1. Wizard Mode (interactive terminal): --wizard guides through all options step by step
2. Direct Mode (Claude Code / CI): Use --config '{...}' with JSON for non-interactive operation

For Claude Code, always prefer Direct Mode with --config.

Interactive Mode

Terminal

In terminal mode, the interactive wizard guides you through note type creation and editing.

Claude Code / Non-Interactive

When called without a terminal (e.g., in Claude Code), JSON is returned:

{
  "interactive_required": true,
  "action": "add",
  "config_schema": {...}
}

Use --config='...' or --yes to pass values directly.

Exit Codes

• 0: Success
• 1: Error (note type not found, validation failed, etc.)