obsidian-markdown: Obsidian Flavored Markdown
Reference this skill when writing any wiki page. Obsidian extends standard Markdown with wikilinks, embeds, callouts, and properties. Getting syntax wrong causes broken links, invisible callouts, or malformed frontmatter.
Cross-reference: If the kepano/obsidian-skills plugin is installed, prefer its canonical obsidian-markdown skill for authoritative Obsidian syntax reference. Otherwise, use the reference below. See also
github.com/kepano/obsidian-skills.
Wikilinks
Internal links use double brackets. The filename without extension.
| Syntax | What it does |
|---|
| Basic link |
[[Note Name|Display Text]]
| Aliased link (shows "Display Text") |
| Link to a specific heading |
| Link to a specific block |
Rules:
- Case-sensitive on some systems. Match the exact filename.
- No path needed: Obsidian resolves by filename uniqueness.
- If two files have the same name, use to disambiguate.
Embeds
Embeds use
before the wikilink. They display the content inline.
| Syntax | What it does |
|---|
| Embed a full note |
| Embed a section |
| Embed an image |
| Embed image with width 300px |
| Embed a PDF (Obsidian renders natively) |
| Embed audio |
Callouts
Callouts are blockquotes with a type keyword. They render as styled alert boxes.
markdown
> [!note]
> Default informational callout.
> [!note] Custom Title
> Callout with a custom title.
> [!note]- Collapsible (closed by default)
> Click to expand.
> [!note]+ Collapsible (open by default)
> Click to collapse.
All callout types
| Type | Aliases | Use for |
|---|
| : | General notes |
| , | Summaries |
| : | Information |
| : | Action items |
| , | Tips and highlights |
| , | Positive outcomes |
| , | Open questions |
| , | Warnings |
| , | Errors or failures |
| | Critical issues |
| : | Known bugs |
| : | Examples |
| | Quotations |
| : | Conflicting information (wiki convention) |
Properties (Frontmatter)
Obsidian renders YAML frontmatter as a Properties panel. Rules:
yaml
---
type: concept # plain string
title: "Note Title" # quoted if it contains special chars
created: 2026-04-08 # date as YYYY-MM-DD (not ISO datetime)
updated: 2026-04-08
tags:
- tag-one # list items use - format
- tag-two
status: developing
related:
- "[[Other Note]]" # wikilinks must be quoted in YAML
sources:
- "[[source-page]]"
---
Rules:
- Flat YAML only. Never nest objects.
- Dates as , not .
- Lists as , not inline .
- Wikilinks in YAML must be quoted: .
- field: Obsidian reads this as the tag list, searchable in vault.
Tags
Two valid forms:
markdown
#tag-name : inline tag anywhere in the body
#parent/child-tag : nested tag (shows hierarchy in tag pane)
In frontmatter:
yaml
tags:
- research
- ai/obsidian
Do not use
inside frontmatter tag lists. Just the tag name.
Text Formatting
Standard Markdown plus Obsidian extensions:
| Syntax | Result |
|---|
| Bold |
| Italic |
| Strikethrough |
| Highlighted text (yellow in Obsidian) |
| Inline code |
Math
Obsidian uses MathJax/KaTeX:
Inline math:
Block math:
markdown
$$
\int_0^\infty e^{-x} dx = 1
$$
Code Blocks
Standard fenced code blocks. Obsidian highlights all common languages:
markdown
```python
def hello():
return "world"
```
Tables
Standard Markdown tables:
markdown
|----------|----------|----------|
| Value | Value | Value |
| Value | Value | Value |
Obsidian renders tables natively. No plugin needed.
Mermaid Diagrams
Obsidian renders Mermaid natively:
markdown
```mermaid
graph TD
A[Start] --> B{Decision}
B -->|Yes| C[End]
B -->|No| D[Loop]
D --> A
```
Footnotes
markdown
This sentence has a footnote.[^1]
[^1]: The footnote text goes here.
What NOT to Do
- Do not use
[link text](path/to/note.md)
- Do not use HTML inside callouts: stick to Markdown.
- Do not use inside a callout body: headings don't render inside callouts.
- Do not write inline in frontmatter: Obsidian prefers the list format.
- Do not write ISO datetimes in frontmatter (): use .