richfrem/obsidian-canvas-architect

Dependencies

This skill requires Python 3.8+ and standard library only. No external packages needed.

To install this skill's dependencies:

pip-compile ./requirements.in
pip install -r ./requirements.txt

See ./requirements.txt for the dependency lockfile (currently empty — standard library only).

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Obsidian Canvas Architect

Status: Active Author: Richard Fremmerlid Domain: Obsidian Integration Depends On: obsidian-vault-crud (WP06)

Purpose

Obsidian Canvas files (.canvas) use the JSON Canvas Spec 1.0 to define visual boards with nodes (text, file references, URLs) connected by directional edges. This skill lets agents programmatically generate visual planning boards, architecture diagrams, and execution flowcharts.

JSON Canvas Spec 1.0 Overview

A .canvas file is JSON with two top-level arrays:

{
  "nodes": [
    {"id": "1", "type": "text", "text": "Hello", "x": 0, "y": 0, "width": 250, "height": 60},
    {"id": "2", "type": "file", "file": "path/to/note.md", "x": 300, "y": 0, "width": 250, "height": 60}
  ],
  "edges": [
    {"id": "e1", "fromNode": "1", "toNode": "2", "fromSide": "right", "toSide": "left"}
  ]
}

Node Types

| Type | Required Fields | Purpose | |:-----|:---------------|:--------| | text | text, x, y, width, height | Inline text content | | file | file, x, y, width, height | Reference to a vault note | | link | url, x, y, width, height | External URL | | group | label, x, y, width, height | Visual grouping container |

Edge Properties

| Field | Required | Description | |:------|:---------|:------------| | fromNode | Yes | Source node ID | | toNode | Yes | Target node ID | | fromSide | No | top, right, bottom, left | | toSide | No | top, right, bottom, left | | label | No | Edge label text |

Available Commands

Create a Canvas

python ./canvas_ops.py create --file <path.canvas>

Add a Node

python ./canvas_ops.py add-node \
  --file <path.canvas> --type text --text "My Node" --x 100 --y 200

Add an Edge

python ./canvas_ops.py add-edge \
  --file <path.canvas> --from-node id1 --to-node id2

Read a Canvas

python ./canvas_ops.py read --file <path.canvas>

Safety Guarantees

• All writes go through obsidian-vault-crud atomic write protocol
• Malformed JSON triggers a clean error report, never a crash
• Node IDs are auto-generated (UUID) to prevent collisions
• Schema validation ensures all required fields are present before write