# 361 replies to Obsidian's CLI launch on X

https://aicommentexporter.com/samples/obsidian-announcement-x/

Replies to a product launch, sorted. The question asked most and the request made most turned out to be the same thing, which is what a launch team wants to know first.

X post: https://x.com/i/status/2021241384057930224 ("Anything you can do in Obsidian you can do from the command line. Obsidian CLI is now available in 1.12 (early access)."). Read 361 comments on November 14, 2026; 1,000 points. Nothing edited.

Commenters are excited about a new CLI for Obsidian that makes vaults scriptable and useful for AI agents and automation, and many see it as a major release. The biggest recurring concern is that it still requires the Obsidian app running, with strong demand for a headless/standalone version for servers and VPS use, plus requests for CLI sync support and open sourcing. Some also question whether it adds much over plain shell tools or existing MCP setups, and a few dislike the light terminal theme.

## Questions people ask

### Does it work headless / without the Obsidian app running? (14 comments)

> This is awesome! Have to say “Obsidian CLI requires the Obsidian app to be running” is still a bit of a downer. Still very useful, don’t get me wrong. But this would be 200% better if it would work headless as well. Is this in the cards, @kepano? 🙏
> -- @CoenJacobs, 308 likes, https://x.com/CoenJacobs/status/2021252503711461474

> Not headless yet?
> -- @axadrn, 5 likes, https://x.com/axadrn/status/2021248742943256761

> huge! Obsidian CLI finally makes your entire knowledge base scriptable. As a sysops guy, I’m already thinking about CI/CD pipelines that auto-update runbooks, incident reports, or architecture decision records straight from deployment logs. Any plans for fully headless mode (n
> -- @syssignals, 5 likes, https://x.com/syssignals/status/2021272255905530186


### Can it sync, including with Obsidian Sync? (6 comments)

> Does it mean that it supports native headless sync too?
> -- @sbarysiuk, 1 likes, https://x.com/sbarysiuk/status/2021307165407850562

> let paid users sync with this pls.
> -- @peregrine, 1 likes, https://x.com/peregrine/status/2021379799831445907

> Can I use it to sync?
> -- @csells, 0 likes, https://x.com/csells/status/2027449133175607461


### What's the benefit over plain Linux commands, grep, or an MCP integration? (10 comments)

> I don't get it .. what problem it solves? why would use this instead of basic Linux commands?
> -- @gabes_tint, 36 likes, https://x.com/gabes_tint/status/2021283473718194193

> What's the benefit of this vs an MCP integration?
> -- @ZubinTehe, 7 likes, https://x.com/ZubinTehe/status/2021276527971766571

> Why is this better for AI? Claude code reads and edits markdown files just fine
> -- @zkDragon, 6 likes, https://x.com/zkDragon/status/2021493573003452777


### Can it export PDFs or images (e.g., canvases)? (2 comments)

> Can I export PDF from Obsidian CLI?
> -- @fndtnbuilder42, 0 likes, https://x.com/fndtnbuilder42/status/2021529601848324145

> Would it be possible to script something like export to images all canvases modified in the past hour?
> -- @VrcicDaniel, 0 likes, https://x.com/VrcicDaniel/status/2021893090223464500


### When will 1.12 be generally available? (2 comments)

> When will 1.12 be generally available?
> -- @chrisdrit, 0 likes, https://x.com/chrisdrit/status/2021353859344695693

> when GA?
> -- @ardasevinc, 0 likes, https://x.com/ardasevinc/status/2024192733716402390


### Can layouts/workspaces be edited on the fly? (1 comments)

> Hell yeah, love to see it. Is there a way to edit layouts on the fly? I see ways to save, load, and delete workspaces, but not to edit them on the fly. If it’s not currently available that’s my main request, this is all fantastic otherwise! https://t.co/RHeKR4hvUB
> -- @RobertHaisfield, 12 likes, https://x.com/RobertHaisfield/status/2021251966177771554


### Can it be integrated with Xonsh, Nushell, or other shells? (1 comments)

> Is it possible to integrate this with Xonsh or Nushell? 😃😃😃
> -- @LukaJelicicLux, 1 likes, https://x.com/LukaJelicicLux/status/2021495005802807357


### Does it work with DataView/DataViewJS rendered content? (1 comments)

> How about getting the rendered contents of a document that contains DataView / DataViewJS??????
> -- @pedramamini, 0 likes, https://x.com/pedramamini/status/2021460128344703233


## Complaints and problems

### Requires the Obsidian app to be running; not headless (14 comments)

> This is awesome! Have to say “Obsidian CLI requires the Obsidian app to be running” is still a bit of a downer. Still very useful, don’t get me wrong. But this would be 200% better if it would work headless as well. Is this in the cards, @kepano? 🙏
> -- @CoenJacobs, 308 likes, https://x.com/CoenJacobs/status/2021252503711461474

> Not headless yet?
> -- @axadrn, 5 likes, https://x.com/axadrn/status/2021248742943256761

> huge! Obsidian CLI finally makes your entire knowledge base scriptable. As a sysops guy, I’m already thinking about CI/CD pipelines that auto-update runbooks, incident reports, or architecture decision records straight from deployment logs. Any plans for fully headless mode (n
> -- @syssignals, 5 likes, https://x.com/syssignals/status/2021272255905530186


### Not open source / wish it were MIT (6 comments)

> nice, this is huge. you should make it opensoruce though
> -- @0xRaduan, 7 likes, https://x.com/0xRaduan/status/2021259922063638947

> this is so cool, But why not MIT 🥲
> -- @prathamqq, 1 likes, https://x.com/prathamqq/status/2021464164095623573

> Genuinely, why aren’t yall open source. My one gripe
> -- @danielBrenot, 1 likes, https://x.com/danielBrenot/status/2021293714497237099


### Seems unnecessary or redundant with GUI/Emacs (8 comments)

> But why? I mean, Obsidian is a great tool itself, primarily because of its local and simplicity.
> -- @RahulGoyalco, 12 likes, https://x.com/RahulGoyalco/status/2021303336062816413

> But why?
> -- @PatelKartavya_, 0 likes, https://x.com/PatelKartavya_/status/2021352109707600011

> just. why.
> -- @yfoycigxufxuxy, 0 likes, https://x.com/yfoycigxufxuxy/status/2021473190179111272


### White/light terminal hurts the eyes; poor contrast (4 comments)

> if everything you do is dark mode why do you white CLI
> -- @sidhant_sarthak, 4 likes, https://x.com/sidhant_sarthak/status/2021264509269090378

> No one can read that bro, Grey text on white background.... Sack your UI guy.
> -- @em00k_, 0 likes, https://x.com/em00k_/status/2021257757605634142

> Fucking light mode. Why the fuck you habe white terminal. My fucking eyes 👀 it burns
> -- @M_0u554m4, 0 likes, https://x.com/M_0u554m4/status/2021351555371499874


### Can't log in to Obsidian account via CLI, so sync-dependent actions fail (1 comments)

> saw this post. bought obsidian sync. installed cli on headless openclaw machine. understood that i can't login to obsidian account via cli. so I CAN'T DO ANYTHING IN CLI THAT I CAN in OBSIDIAN APP.
> -- @krl_grn, 0 likes, https://x.com/krl_grn/status/2026595864689418622


### Requires Catalyst upgrade (2 comments)

> why i dont have it, im years on catalyst
> -- @iDidMyBestTho, 0 likes, https://x.com/iDidMyBestTho/status/2021681530557342071

> You need a Catalyst upgrade? Wow. Bet it is vibe coded too. You should've made it OpenSource.
> -- @Alby_407, 0 likes, https://x.com/Alby_407/status/2021863229228822879


### Electron is bloated; wish for a lighter backend (2 comments)

> Electron apps are just overloaded, low-quality crap. It's great that you were able to ditch this awful framework for at least one of your projects.
> -- @realthefearka, 2 likes, https://x.com/realthefearka/status/2021266307346289109

> Do you plan at some point to change the backend? Typora is a markdown editor and is so much lighter because it doesn't rely on electron bloat.
> -- @logicalduty, 0 likes, https://x.com/logicalduty/status/2021665945182523428


### Emoji in paths cause problems (1 comments)

> * except accessing paths with emoji inside
> -- @CorpsEnThymB, 0 likes, https://x.com/CorpsEnThymB/status/2022111585029030144


## Buying signals

### Switching from Notion / considering Obsidian (4 comments)

> It might be time to switch from notion
> -- @alekturkmen, 2 likes, https://x.com/alekturkmen/status/2021276188090507560

> Oh wow.. you make it very hard for me to stay at @NotionHQ 🫠
> -- @paifgx, 0 likes, https://x.com/paifgx/status/2021536197584290062

> This might be the thing that finally makes me switch to Obsidian
> -- @AlextheYounga, 0 likes, https://x.com/AlextheYounga/status/2021305931191968207


### Motivated to pay for a license or Sync (3 comments)

> The only thing I hate about Obsidian is that they won’t charge me a monthly subscription for it, it’s so good!
> -- @scotups, 2 likes, https://x.com/scotups/status/2022020806415724641

> I finally found a reason to pay for the license
> -- @_amarjay, 0 likes, https://x.com/_amarjay/status/2021656638474834125

> saw this post. bought obsidian sync. installed cli on headless openclaw machine. understood that i can't login to obsidian account via cli. so I CAN'T DO ANYTHING IN CLI THAT I CAN in OBSIDIAN APP.
> -- @krl_grn, 0 likes, https://x.com/krl_grn/status/2026595864689418622


## Requests and ideas

### Make it headless / standalone for VPS and Linux servers (13 comments)

> This is awesome! Have to say “Obsidian CLI requires the Obsidian app to be running” is still a bit of a downer. Still very useful, don’t get me wrong. But this would be 200% better if it would work headless as well. Is this in the cards, @kepano? 🙏
> -- @CoenJacobs, 308 likes, https://x.com/CoenJacobs/status/2021252503711461474

> huge! Obsidian CLI finally makes your entire knowledge base scriptable. As a sysops guy, I’m already thinking about CI/CD pipelines that auto-update runbooks, incident reports, or architecture decision records straight from deployment logs. Any plans for fully headless mode (n
> -- @syssignals, 5 likes, https://x.com/syssignals/status/2021272255905530186

> This is huge one! It'll be even better if it's headless. I hacked together a basic one for now if anyone is interested https://t.co/h8dRpF8e42
> -- @logancyang, 3 likes, https://x.com/logancyang/status/2021434379587944850


### Support Obsidian Sync from the CLI (4 comments)

> let paid users sync with this pls.
> -- @peregrine, 1 likes, https://x.com/peregrine/status/2021379799831445907

> Can I use it to sync?
> -- @csells, 0 likes, https://x.com/csells/status/2027449133175607461

> with CLI can we sync our vaults through the Obsidian Sync subscription?
> -- @leonnardo, 0 likes, https://x.com/leonnardo/status/2021361310366376292


### Open source it (5 comments)

> nice, this is huge. you should make it opensoruce though
> -- @0xRaduan, 7 likes, https://x.com/0xRaduan/status/2021259922063638947

> this is so cool, But why not MIT 🥲
> -- @prathamqq, 1 likes, https://x.com/prathamqq/status/2021464164095623573

> Genuinely, why aren’t yall open source. My one gripe
> -- @danielBrenot, 1 likes, https://x.com/danielBrenot/status/2021293714497237099


### Provide an official MCP or skill/wrapper for agents (5 comments)

> Create an MCP with the documentation that I can connect Cursor to and I'll use it
> -- @kyledotai, 0 likes, https://x.com/kyledotai/status/2021768933154471978

> Any official Obsidian MCP coming soon?
> -- @jaiamin_, 0 likes, https://x.com/jaiamin_/status/2021349355693933048

> I need the official team to provide a best-practice wrapper for calling the CLI and package it as a skill
> -- @otto_bulk, 0 likes, https://x.com/otto_bulk/status/2021354801666338859


### Add a vault setting to block CLI access for safety (1 comments)

> Awesome! I think it would be useful to have a vault setting block the CLI from operating on it. That way if you mainly use CLI with a test vault, you can be sure you won't accidentally use it on your main vault, or especially, that an AI agent won't.
> -- @yoav_ravid, 0 likes, https://x.com/yoav_ravid/status/2021270891712147465


### Add sync/export so only the CLI needs iCloud access (1 comments)

> Getting files out of iCloud folder without giving the agent access to all iCloud files is a headache. Any chance you could include a sync/export functionality so only obsidian CLI needs iCloud file access?
> -- @manuelmaly, 0 likes, https://x.com/manuelmaly/status/2021354418239832579


### Add dry-run mode for mutations (1 comments)

> Obsidian CLI is a big deal for agent workflows. It turns “notes” into an API surface: capture → transform → publish. Key is auditability: every write should be diffable + reversible. Are you planning a “dry-run mode” for mutations?
> -- @nodefounder, 0 likes, https://x.com/nodefounder/status/2021554312141230302


### Show checkboxes as ✓/☐ in CLI (1 comments)

> When you render Markdown in GUI app, you show "- [x]" and "- [ ]" as done / not done marks I think in the CLI it's also better to show them as ✓ and ☐ , instead of "- [ ]" as shown in the video (it's taken you so long I had to implement this myself years ago)
> -- @phillennium, 1 likes, https://x.com/phillennium/status/2021321794456527281


## What people like

### Great for AI agents and automation workflows (12 comments)

> Hook that baby up to Codex/Claude Code and let her rip!
> -- @daniel_mac8, 33 likes, https://x.com/daniel_mac8/status/2021254834838511749

> okay I'll say it: CLIs seem to be the easiest interface for agents to understand, can't wait to plug this into OpenClaw.
> -- @octalmage, 3 likes, https://x.com/octalmage/status/2021273290573005227

> this is the move that makes Obsidian an AI-native tool overnight. CLI access means any agent can read, write, and search your vault programmatically. your second brain just became accessible to your first AI.
> -- @Prateek9jain8, 1 likes, https://x.com/Prateek9jain8/status/2021460909764616484


### Makes the whole vault scriptable / like an API (5 comments)

> huge! Obsidian CLI finally makes your entire knowledge base scriptable. As a sysops guy, I’m already thinking about CI/CD pipelines that auto-update runbooks, incident reports, or architecture decision records straight from deployment logs. Any plans for fully headless mode (n
> -- @syssignals, 5 likes, https://x.com/syssignals/status/2021272255905530186

> CLI for Obsidian is the exact kind of feature that makes “second brain” finally automation‑friendly. Also: the moment it works, I will over‑script my life.
> -- @syc0ms, 1 likes, https://x.com/syc0ms/status/2021278432328327325

> Woah cool. Now one can write programs to treat it as a generalized database without strict structural constraints.
> -- @wavefuncle, 0 likes, https://x.com/wavefuncle/status/2021372859256291568


### Replaces hacky workarounds (AppleScript, VNC, vim notes) (4 comments)

> finally can ditch my hacky AppleScript workarounds, this is exactly what I needed
> -- @chloevdl014, 6 likes, https://x.com/chloevdl014/status/2021257970995044594

> Oh my god, I can finally stop doing vim notes Thank you
> -- @developerhubc, 2 likes, https://x.com/developerhubc/status/2021269479343206605

> Amazing work!! I was running a docker with obsidian only for the sync 😅
> -- @dobleio, 2 likes, https://x.com/dobleio/status/2021251027865878915


### Big/huge release, game-changer (6 comments)

> nice, this is huge. you should make it opensoruce though
> -- @0xRaduan, 7 likes, https://x.com/0xRaduan/status/2021259922063638947

> amazing feature!
> -- @danedisonsiegel, 1 likes, https://x.com/danedisonsiegel/status/2021263627999703319

> one of the biggest releases in 2026
> -- @lucasoeth, 0 likes, https://x.com/lucasoeth/status/2021370416913318034


### Likes the ASCII logo and terminal look (3 comments)

> wow, that ASCII obsidian logo is really cool
> -- @Abdiraimov_, 0 likes, https://x.com/Abdiraimov_/status/2021251262310731826

> I love the logo
> -- @teodorwalterv, 0 likes, https://x.com/teodorwalterv/status/2021890773172584531

> Beautiful ui
> -- @an0n_ent1ty, 0 likes, https://x.com/an0n_ent1ty/status/2021638905238630861


### Love for Obsidian overall (5 comments)

> The only thing I hate about Obsidian is that they won’t charge me a monthly subscription for it, it’s so good!
> -- @scotups, 2 likes, https://x.com/scotups/status/2022020806415724641

> So cool. I'll never be disappointed by the Obsidian.
> -- @sodawhite_dev, 0 likes, https://x.com/sodawhite_dev/status/2021365363066425495

> So appreciated! Love Obsidian!
> -- @dorian_escplan, 0 likes, https://x.com/dorian_escplan/status/2021459006641013221


## Worth quoting

> This is awesome! Have to say “Obsidian CLI requires the Obsidian app to be running” is still a bit of a downer. Still very useful, don’t get me wrong. But this would be 200% better if it would work headless as well. Is this in the cards, @kepano? 🙏
> -- @CoenJacobs, 308 likes, https://x.com/CoenJacobs/status/2021252503711461474

> I don't get it .. what problem it solves? why would use this instead of basic Linux commands?
> -- @gabes_tint, 36 likes, https://x.com/gabes_tint/status/2021283473718194193

> The only thing I hate about Obsidian is that they won’t charge me a monthly subscription for it, it’s so good!
> -- @scotups, 2 likes, https://x.com/scotups/status/2022020806415724641

> huge! Obsidian CLI finally makes your entire knowledge base scriptable. As a sysops guy, I’m already thinking about CI/CD pipelines that auto-update runbooks, incident reports, or architecture decision records straight from deployment logs. Any plans for fully headless mode (n
> -- @syssignals, 5 likes, https://x.com/syssignals/status/2021272255905530186

> finally can ditch my hacky AppleScript workarounds, this is exactly what I needed
> -- @chloevdl014, 6 likes, https://x.com/chloevdl014/status/2021257970995044594

> this is the move that makes Obsidian an AI-native tool overnight. CLI access means any agent can read, write, and search your vault programmatically. your second brain just became accessible to your first AI.
> -- @Prateek9jain8, 1 likes, https://x.com/Prateek9jain8/status/2021460909764616484

> saw this post. bought obsidian sync. installed cli on headless openclaw machine. understood that i can't login to obsidian account via cli. so I CAN'T DO ANYTHING IN CLI THAT I CAN in OBSIDIAN APP.
> -- @krl_grn, 0 likes, https://x.com/krl_grn/status/2026595864689418622

> I can finally kill my vnc server for headless obsidian, insanely based
> -- @DagonOracle, 0 likes, https://x.com/DagonOracle/status/2021270132417265912


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