iainmcl/obsidian-note

Create Obsidian Note

Vault location

Notes live in $VAULTS_PATH (currently /home/iainmclaughlan/notes/hitchhiker/). New notes go in the inbox/ directory.

File naming

Convert the note title to a filename by replacing spaces with underscores and appending .md:

"My Great Note" → My_Great_Note.md

Choose the right template

Read the templates in $VAULTS_PATH/templates/ and pick the best match based on what the user wants to write about:

| Template | When to use | |---|---| | note.md | General notes, default if nothing else fits | | daily.md | Daily journal / reflection | | code_snip.md | Code snippet for personal projects | | code_travelperk.md | Code snippet related to TravelPerk work | | acronyms.md | Definition of an acronym | | project_summary.md | Summary of a project (outcomes, challenges, feedback) | | travelperk.md | General TravelPerk work note | | walk_report.md | Hill walking / munro report |

Fill in the template

Replace all {{placeholder}} values in the chosen template:

• {{title}} — the note title
• {{date}} — today's date in YYYY-MM-DD format
• {{language}} — programming language (code templates)
• {{description}}, {{meaning}}, {{notes}} — generate from context

Required frontmatter: hub and aliases

Every note must have hub and aliases set correctly in the YAML frontmatter. These are how Obsidian organises and cross-links notes.

• hub — determines which section the note is sorted into. Each template has a default hub (e.g. dailies, hills, travelperk, notes). For code templates the hub is the programming language name. Never wrap the hub value in quotes — write hub: ai not hub: "ai".
• aliases — alternative names used for linking to the note with [[...]]. Always include at least the note title as an alias. For daily notes also add the human-readable date and ISO date string.

Example frontmatter:

---
title: "My Great Note"
date: "2026-03-01"
aliases:
  - My Great Note
hub: notes
tags:
  - note
---

Fill in the body sections using the current conversation context. Write in the user's voice — concise, factual, no fluff.

Line width

Wrap prose and comments at 80 characters. This can stretch to 120 when needed for readability (e.g. long inline code, table rows). URLs and code fences may exceed 120 — never break a URL across lines.

Formatting style

Use proper markdown structure — headings, prose, lists, and tables — for explanations. Only put actual code or commands inside fenced code blocks. Do not use code-comment blocks as a substitute for markdown prose.

Obsidian links

Wrap terms that likely have their own notes in the vault with [[...]]. Apply this to:

• Other notes that are clearly related (e.g. [[git]], [[git reset]])
• Key concepts that are hub-level topics (e.g. [[terraform]], [[python]])
• Named tools, commands, or technologies central to the note's subject

Do not link every occurrence — link on first meaningful use in the body. Do not link terms inside code fences.

Create the file

Write the completed note to $VAULTS_PATH/inbox/{filename}.

Tell the user the full path so they can open it.