Obsidian Bases

Build dynamic database views of your Obsidian notes with filters & formulas

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Create and edit Obsidian Bases (.base files) with views, filters, formulas, and summaries. Use when working with .base files, creating database-like views of notes, or when the user mentions Bases, table views, card views, filters, or formulas in Obsidian.

obsidian knowledge-management database yaml note-organization productivity filtering formulas

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User Prompt

Create an Obsidian Base for tracking my project tasks with high/medium/low priority filters and overdue indicators

Skill Processing

Analyzing request...

Agent Response

A .base file with table and card views showing active tasks, grouped by status, with calculated priority labels and days-until-due formulas

Quick Start (3 Steps)

Get up and running in minutes

Install

claude-code skill install obsidian-bases

claude-code skill install obsidian-bases

Config

First Trigger

@obsidian-bases help

Commands

Command	Description	Required Args
@obsidian-bases task-management-dashboard	Create a dynamic view of all task notes with priority filtering, due date calculations, and status grouping	None
@obsidian-bases reading-list-database	Build a comprehensive reading tracker with reading time estimates, author filtering, and completion status	None
@obsidian-bases project-knowledge-base	Create filtered views of project documentation with link analysis and recent activity tracking	None

Typical Use Cases

Task Management Dashboard

Create a dynamic view of all task notes with priority filtering, due date calculations, and status grouping

Reading List Database

Build a comprehensive reading tracker with reading time estimates, author filtering, and completion status

Project Knowledge Base

Create filtered views of project documentation with link analysis and recent activity tracking

Overview

Obsidian Bases Skill

This skill enables Claude Code to create and edit valid Obsidian Bases (.base files) including views, filters, formulas, and all related configurations.

Overview

Obsidian Bases are YAML-based files that define dynamic views of notes in an Obsidian vault. A Base file can contain multiple views, global filters, formulas, property configurations, and custom summaries.

File Format

Base files use the .base extension and contain valid YAML. They can also be embedded in Markdown code blocks.

Complete Schema

 1# Global filters apply to ALL views in the base
 2filters:
 3  # Can be a single filter string
 4  # OR a recursive filter object with and/or/not
 5  and: []
 6  or: []
 7  not: []
 8
 9# Define formula properties that can be used across all views
10formulas:
11  formula_name: 'expression'
12
13# Configure display names and settings for properties
14properties:
15  property_name:
16    displayName: "Display Name"
17  formula.formula_name:
18    displayName: "Formula Display Name"
19  file.ext:
20    displayName: "Extension"
21
22# Define custom summary formulas
23summaries:
24  custom_summary_name: 'values.mean().round(3)'
25
26# Define one or more views
27views:
28  - type: table | cards | list | map
29    name: "View Name"
30    limit: 10                    # Optional: limit results
31    groupBy:                     # Optional: group results
32      property: property_name
33      direction: ASC | DESC
34    filters:                     # View-specific filters
35      and: []
36    order:                       # Properties to display in order
37      - file.name
38      - property_name
39      - formula.formula_name
40    summaries:                   # Map properties to summary formulas
41      property_name: Average

Filter Syntax

Filters narrow down results. They can be applied globally or per-view.

Filter Structure

 1# Single filter
 2filters: 'status == "done"'
 3
 4# AND - all conditions must be true
 5filters:
 6  and:
 7    - 'status == "done"'
 8    - 'priority > 3'
 9
10# OR - any condition can be true
11filters:
12  or:
13    - 'file.hasTag("book")'
14    - 'file.hasTag("article")'
15
16# NOT - exclude matching items
17filters:
18  not:
19    - 'file.hasTag("archived")'
20
21# Nested filters
22filters:
23  or:
24    - file.hasTag("tag")
25    - and:
26        - file.hasTag("book")
27        - file.hasLink("Textbook")
28    - not:
29        - file.hasTag("book")
30        - file.inFolder("Required Reading")

Filter Operators

Operator	Description
`==`	equals
`!=`	not equal
`>`	greater than
`<`	less than
`>=`	greater than or equal
`<=`	less than or equal
`&&`	logical and
`\|\|`	logical or
`!`	logical not

Properties

Three Types of Properties

Note properties - From frontmatter: note.author or just author
File properties - File metadata: file.name, file.mtime, etc.
Formula properties - Computed values: formula.my_formula

File Properties Reference

Property	Type	Description
`file.name`	String	File name
`file.basename`	String	File name without extension
`file.path`	String	Full path to file
`file.folder`	String	Parent folder path
`file.ext`	String	File extension
`file.size`	Number	File size in bytes
`file.ctime`	Date	Created time
`file.mtime`	Date	Modified time
`file.tags`	List	All tags in file
`file.links`	List	Internal links in file
`file.backlinks`	List	Files linking to this file
`file.embeds`	List	Embeds in the note
`file.properties`	Object	All frontmatter properties

The `this` Keyword

In main content area: refers to the base file itself
When embedded: refers to the embedding file
In sidebar: refers to the active file in main content

Formula Syntax

Formulas compute values from properties. Defined in the formulas section.

 1formulas:
 2  # Simple arithmetic
 3  total: "price * quantity"
 4  
 5  # Conditional logic
 6  status_icon: 'if(done, "✅", "⏳")'
 7  
 8  # String formatting
 9  formatted_price: 'if(price, price.toFixed(2) + " dollars")'
10  
11  # Date formatting
12  created: 'file.ctime.format("YYYY-MM-DD")'
13  
14  # Complex expressions
15  days_old: '((now() - file.ctime) / 86400000).round(0)'

Functions Reference

Global Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`date()`	`date(string): date`	Parse string to date. Format: `YYYY-MM-DD HH:mm:ss`
`duration()`	`duration(string): duration`	Parse duration string
`now()`	`now(): date`	Current date and time
`today()`	`today(): date`	Current date (time = 00:00:00)
`if()`	`if(condition, trueResult, falseResult?)`	Conditional
`min()`	`min(n1, n2, ...): number`	Smallest number
`max()`	`max(n1, n2, ...): number`	Largest number
`number()`	`number(any): number`	Convert to number
`link()`	`link(path, display?): Link`	Create a link
`list()`	`list(element): List`	Wrap in list if not already
`file()`	`file(path): file`	Get file object
`image()`	`image(path): image`	Create image for rendering
`icon()`	`icon(name): icon`	Lucide icon by name
`html()`	`html(string): html`	Render as HTML
`escapeHTML()`	`escapeHTML(string): string`	Escape HTML characters

Any Type Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`isTruthy()`	`any.isTruthy(): boolean`	Coerce to boolean
`isType()`	`any.isType(type): boolean`	Check type
`toString()`	`any.toString(): string`	Convert to string

Date Functions & Fields

Fields: date.year, date.month, date.day, date.hour, date.minute, date.second, date.millisecond

Function	Signature	Description
`date()`	`date.date(): date`	Remove time portion
`format()`	`date.format(string): string`	Format with Moment.js pattern
`time()`	`date.time(): string`	Get time as string
`relative()`	`date.relative(): string`	Human-readable relative time
`isEmpty()`	`date.isEmpty(): boolean`	Always false for dates

Date Arithmetic

 1# Duration units: y/year/years, M/month/months, d/day/days, 
 2#                 w/week/weeks, h/hour/hours, m/minute/minutes, s/second/seconds
 3
 4# Add/subtract durations
 5"date + \"1M\""           # Add 1 month
 6"date - \"2h\""           # Subtract 2 hours
 7"now() + \"1 day\""       # Tomorrow
 8"today() + \"7d\""        # A week from today
 9
10# Subtract dates for millisecond difference
11"now() - file.ctime"
12
13# Complex duration arithmetic
14"now() + (duration('1d') * 2)"

String Functions

Field: string.length

Function	Signature	Description
`contains()`	`string.contains(value): boolean`	Check substring
`containsAll()`	`string.containsAll(...values): boolean`	All substrings present
`containsAny()`	`string.containsAny(...values): boolean`	Any substring present
`startsWith()`	`string.startsWith(query): boolean`	Starts with query
`endsWith()`	`string.endsWith(query): boolean`	Ends with query
`isEmpty()`	`string.isEmpty(): boolean`	Empty or not present
`lower()`	`string.lower(): string`	To lowercase
`title()`	`string.title(): string`	To Title Case
`trim()`	`string.trim(): string`	Remove whitespace
`replace()`	`string.replace(pattern, replacement): string`	Replace pattern
`repeat()`	`string.repeat(count): string`	Repeat string
`reverse()`	`string.reverse(): string`	Reverse string
`slice()`	`string.slice(start, end?): string`	Substring
`split()`	`string.split(separator, n?): list`	Split to list

Number Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`abs()`	`number.abs(): number`	Absolute value
`ceil()`	`number.ceil(): number`	Round up
`floor()`	`number.floor(): number`	Round down
`round()`	`number.round(digits?): number`	Round to digits
`toFixed()`	`number.toFixed(precision): string`	Fixed-point notation
`isEmpty()`	`number.isEmpty(): boolean`	Not present

List Functions

Field: list.length

Function	Signature	Description
`contains()`	`list.contains(value): boolean`	Element exists
`containsAll()`	`list.containsAll(...values): boolean`	All elements exist
`containsAny()`	`list.containsAny(...values): boolean`	Any element exists
`filter()`	`list.filter(expression): list`	Filter by condition (uses `value`, `index`)
`map()`	`list.map(expression): list`	Transform elements (uses `value`, `index`)
`reduce()`	`list.reduce(expression, initial): any`	Reduce to single value (uses `value`, `index`, `acc`)
`flat()`	`list.flat(): list`	Flatten nested lists
`join()`	`list.join(separator): string`	Join to string
`reverse()`	`list.reverse(): list`	Reverse order
`slice()`	`list.slice(start, end?): list`	Sublist
`sort()`	`list.sort(): list`	Sort ascending
`unique()`	`list.unique(): list`	Remove duplicates
`isEmpty()`	`list.isEmpty(): boolean`	No elements

File Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`asLink()`	`file.asLink(display?): Link`	Convert to link
`hasLink()`	`file.hasLink(otherFile): boolean`	Has link to file
`hasTag()`	`file.hasTag(...tags): boolean`	Has any of the tags
`hasProperty()`	`file.hasProperty(name): boolean`	Has property
`inFolder()`	`file.inFolder(folder): boolean`	In folder or subfolder

Link Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`asFile()`	`link.asFile(): file`	Get file object
`linksTo()`	`link.linksTo(file): boolean`	Links to file

Object Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`isEmpty()`	`object.isEmpty(): boolean`	No properties
`keys()`	`object.keys(): list`	List of keys
`values()`	`object.values(): list`	List of values

Regular Expression Functions

Function	Signature	Description
`matches()`	`regexp.matches(string): boolean`	Test if matches

View Types

Table View

 1views:
 2  - type: table
 3    name: "My Table"
 4    order:
 5      - file.name
 6      - status
 7      - due_date
 8    summaries:
 9      price: Sum
10      count: Average

Cards View

1views:
2  - type: cards
3    name: "Gallery"
4    order:
5      - file.name
6      - cover_image
7      - description

List View

1views:
2  - type: list
3    name: "Simple List"
4    order:
5      - file.name
6      - status

Map View

Requires latitude/longitude properties and the Maps plugin.

1views:
2  - type: map
3    name: "Locations"
4    # Map-specific settings for lat/lng properties

Default Summary Formulas

Name	Input Type	Description
`Average`	Number	Mathematical mean
`Min`	Number	Smallest number
`Max`	Number	Largest number
`Sum`	Number	Sum of all numbers
`Range`	Number	Max - Min
`Median`	Number	Mathematical median
`Stddev`	Number	Standard deviation
`Earliest`	Date	Earliest date
`Latest`	Date	Latest date
`Range`	Date	Latest - Earliest
`Checked`	Boolean	Count of true values
`Unchecked`	Boolean	Count of false values
`Empty`	Any	Count of empty values
`Filled`	Any	Count of non-empty values
`Unique`	Any	Count of unique values

Complete Examples

Task Tracker Base

 1filters:
 2  and:
 3    - file.hasTag("task")
 4    - 'file.ext == "md"'
 5
 6formulas:
 7  days_until_due: 'if(due, ((date(due) - today()) / 86400000).round(0), "")'
 8  is_overdue: 'if(due, date(due) < today() && status != "done", false)'
 9  priority_label: 'if(priority == 1, "🔴 High", if(priority == 2, "🟡 Medium", "🟢 Low"))'
10
11properties:
12  status:
13    displayName: Status
14  formula.days_until_due:
15    displayName: "Days Until Due"
16  formula.priority_label:
17    displayName: Priority
18
19views:
20  - type: table
21    name: "Active Tasks"
22    filters:
23      and:
24        - 'status != "done"'
25    order:
26      - file.name
27      - status
28      - formula.priority_label
29      - due
30      - formula.days_until_due
31    groupBy:
32      property: status
33      direction: ASC
34    summaries:
35      formula.days_until_due: Average
36
37  - type: table
38    name: "Completed"
39    filters:
40      and:
41        - 'status == "done"'
42    order:
43      - file.name
44      - completed_date

Reading List Base

 1filters:
 2  or:
 3    - file.hasTag("book")
 4    - file.hasTag("article")
 5
 6formulas:
 7  reading_time: 'if(pages, (pages * 2).toString() + " min", "")'
 8  status_icon: 'if(status == "reading", "📖", if(status == "done", "✅", "📚"))'
 9  year_read: 'if(finished_date, date(finished_date).year, "")'
10
11properties:
12  author:
13    displayName: Author
14  formula.status_icon:
15    displayName: ""
16  formula.reading_time:
17    displayName: "Est. Time"
18
19views:
20  - type: cards
21    name: "Library"
22    order:
23      - cover
24      - file.name
25      - author
26      - formula.status_icon
27    filters:
28      not:
29        - 'status == "dropped"'
30
31  - type: table
32    name: "Reading List"
33    filters:
34      and:
35        - 'status == "to-read"'
36    order:
37      - file.name
38      - author
39      - pages
40      - formula.reading_time

Project Notes Base

 1filters:
 2  and:
 3    - file.inFolder("Projects")
 4    - 'file.ext == "md"'
 5
 6formulas:
 7  last_updated: 'file.mtime.relative()'
 8  link_count: 'file.links.length'
 9  
10summaries:
11  avgLinks: 'values.filter(value.isType("number")).mean().round(1)'
12
13properties:
14  formula.last_updated:
15    displayName: "Updated"
16  formula.link_count:
17    displayName: "Links"
18
19views:
20  - type: table
21    name: "All Projects"
22    order:
23      - file.name
24      - status
25      - formula.last_updated
26      - formula.link_count
27    summaries:
28      formula.link_count: avgLinks
29    groupBy:
30      property: status
31      direction: ASC
32
33  - type: list
34    name: "Quick List"
35    order:
36      - file.name
37      - status

Daily Notes Index

 1filters:
 2  and:
 3    - file.inFolder("Daily Notes")
 4    - '/^\d{4}-\d{2}-\d{2}$/.matches(file.basename)'
 5
 6formulas:
 7  word_estimate: '(file.size / 5).round(0)'
 8  day_of_week: 'date(file.basename).format("dddd")'
 9
10properties:
11  formula.day_of_week:
12    displayName: "Day"
13  formula.word_estimate:
14    displayName: "~Words"
15
16views:
17  - type: table
18    name: "Recent Notes"
19    limit: 30
20    order:
21      - file.name
22      - formula.day_of_week
23      - formula.word_estimate
24      - file.mtime

Embedding Bases

Embed in Markdown files:

1![[MyBase.base]]
2
3<!-- Specific view -->
4![[MyBase.base#View Name]]

YAML Quoting Rules

Use single quotes for formulas containing double quotes: 'if(done, "Yes", "No")'
Use double quotes for simple strings: "My View Name"
Escape nested quotes properly in complex expressions

Common Patterns

Filter by Tag

1filters:
2  and:
3    - file.hasTag("project")

Filter by Folder

1filters:
2  and:
3    - file.inFolder("Notes")

Filter by Date Range

1filters:
2  and:
3    - 'file.mtime > now() - "7d"'

Filter by Property Value

1filters:
2  and:
3    - 'status == "active"'
4    - 'priority >= 3'

Combine Multiple Conditions

1filters:
2  or:
3    - and:
4        - file.hasTag("important")
5        - 'status != "done"'
6    - and:
7        - 'priority == 1'
8        - 'due != ""'

References

What Users Are Saying

Real feedback from the community

Environment Matrix

Dependencies

Obsidian app

Obsidian Bases plugin (if not built-in)

Framework Support

Obsidian vault structure ✓ (recommended) YAML formatting ✓ Markdown embedding ✓

Obsidian Bases

See It In Action

AI Conversation Simulator

Quick Start (3 Steps)

Install

Config

First Trigger

Commands

Typical Use Cases

Task Management Dashboard

Reading List Database

Project Knowledge Base

Overview

Obsidian Bases Skill

Overview

File Format

Complete Schema

Filter Syntax

Filter Structure

Filter Operators

Properties

Three Types of Properties

File Properties Reference

The this Keyword

Formula Syntax

Functions Reference

Global Functions

Any Type Functions

Date Functions & Fields

Date Arithmetic

String Functions

Number Functions

List Functions

File Functions

Link Functions

Object Functions

Regular Expression Functions

View Types

Table View

Cards View

List View

Map View

Default Summary Formulas

Complete Examples

Task Tracker Base

Reading List Base

Project Notes Base

Daily Notes Index

Embedding Bases

YAML Quoting Rules

Common Patterns

Filter by Tag

Filter by Folder

Filter by Date Range

Filter by Property Value

Combine Multiple Conditions

References

What Users Are Saying

Environment Matrix

Dependencies

Framework Support

Context Window

Security & Privacy

Information

Related Skills

Obsidian Bases

Command Development

Command Development

The `this` Keyword