How to Install Obsidian Skills via the Marketplace: A Complete Guide

To install Obsidian Skills via the marketplace, run /plugin marketplace add kepano/obsidian-skills followed by /plugin install obsidian@obsidian-skills, which registers the plugin and auto-discovers all bundled skills from the repository structure.

The obsidian-skills repository by kepano provides a suite of AI-ready tools for working with Obsidian-flavored markdown, JSON Canvas files, and the Obsidian CLI. Because the repository follows the Agent Skills specification, each skill is packaged as a self-contained plugin that agents like Claude Code, Codex CLI, or OpenCode can discover automatically. This eliminates manual file copying and configuration files.

Understanding the Agent Skills Specification

The repository implements the Agent Skills specification, which standardizes how AI agents discover and load capabilities. Each skill resides in its own directory under skills/<skill-name>/ with a mandatory SKILL.md file defining the interface.

When you install via the marketplace, the agent reads .claude-plugin/marketplace.json to register the plugin under the obsidian namespace. This JSON file declares the plugin name, source path, description, and version, enabling seamless integration.

Prerequisites for Marketplace Installation

Before installing, ensure your AI agent supports the Agent Skills specification and marketplace commands. Compatible agents include:

• Claude Code (Anthropic)
• Codex CLI (OpenAI)
• OpenCode

You must have internet access to fetch the repository from GitHub.

Step-by-Step Installation via Marketplace

The installation flow requires two distinct commands: first adding the repository to your local marketplace index, then installing the specific plugin.

Step 1: Add the Repository to the Marketplace

Run the marketplace add command to record kepano/obsidian-skills in the agent's marketplace index:

/plugin marketplace add kepano/obsidian-skills

This command parses the repository's .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file and makes the plugin available for installation under the obsidian namespace.

Step 2: Install the Plugin

Execute the install command to pull the repository and register the skills:

/plugin install obsidian@obsidian-skills

According to the source code in README.md, this command fetches the repository, reads the marketplace.json metadata, and registers the obsidian plugin with source path ./. The agent automatically walks the skills/ directory to discover available capabilities.

Step 3: Verify Auto-Discovery

After installation completes, the agent exposes five distinct skills without additional configuration:

• obsidian-markdown – Obsidian-flavored markdown handling
• obsidian-bases – Base file creation and editing
• json-canvas – JSON Canvas file manipulation
• obsidian-cli – Direct interaction with the Obsidian CLI
• defuddle – Web-page markdown extraction

The auto-discovery mechanism works because the repository follows the expected layout: each skill contains a SKILL.md file in its respective skills/<skill-name>/ directory.

Available Skills After Installation

Once installed via the marketplace, the following skills become available in your agent's toolbox:

obsidian-markdown Handles Obsidian-specific syntax including wikilinks ([[...]]), callouts, and frontmatter. Located at skills/obsidian-markdown/SKILL.md.

obsidian-bases Manages base files and templates for Obsidian vaults. Located at skills/obsidian-bases/SKILL.md.

json-canvas Creates and edits JSON Canvas files (Obsidian's infinite canvas format). Located at skills/json-canvas/SKILL.md.

obsidian-cli Interfaces directly with the Obsidian command line interface for vault operations. Located at skills/obsidian-cli/SKILL.md.

defuddle Extracts and converts web pages to clean Obsidian-flavored markdown. Located at skills/defuddle/SKILL.md.

Key Configuration Files

Understanding the metadata files helps troubleshoot installation issues or customize behavior.

.claude-plugin/marketplace.json

This file, located at .claude-plugin/marketplace.json, contains the marketplace metadata:

{
  "name": "obsidian",
  "version": "1.0.0",
  "description": "Obsidian skills for working with markdown and canvas files",
  "source": "./",
  "skills": ["obsidian-markdown", "obsidian-bases", "json-canvas", "obsidian-cli", "defuddle"]
}

The agent uses this file during /plugin marketplace add to understand the plugin structure and available capabilities.

Repository Structure

The repository layout follows strict conventions:

kepano/obsidian-skills/
├── .claude-plugin/
│   ├── marketplace.json    # Metadata for marketplace registration

│   └── plugin.json         # General plugin descriptor

├── skills/
│   ├── obsidian-markdown/
│   │   └── SKILL.md        # Skill specification

│   ├── obsidian-bases/
│   │   └── SKILL.md
│   ├── json-canvas/
│   │   └── SKILL.md
│   ├── obsidian-cli/
│   │   └── SKILL.md
│   └── defuddle/
│       └── SKILL.md
└── README.md               # Installation documentation

Because the paths follow the SKILL.md convention exactly, no extra configuration is required after installation.

Usage Examples

After completing the marketplace installation, invoke skills using their registered names:

# Create a new markdown note with a wikilink

obsidian-markdown create-note "Project Overview" --content "See [[Research]] for background."

# Generate a JSON Canvas with two nodes

json-canvas create-canvas "Roadmap.canvas" --nodes "Milestone1,Milestone2"

# Extract markdown from a web page

defuddle extract "https://example.com/article"

The exact syntax and available flags for each command are defined in the respective SKILL.md files located in skills/<skill-name>/ directories.

Summary

• Install Obsidian Skills via the marketplace using two commands: /plugin marketplace add kepano/obsidian-skills and /plugin install obsidian@obsidian-skills.
• Auto-discovery works immediately because the repository follows Agent Skills conventions with SKILL.md files in skills/<skill-name>/ directories.
• Five skills become available: obsidian-markdown, obsidian-bases, json-canvas, obsidian-cli, and defuddle.
• Configuration relies on .claude-plugin/marketplace.json for metadata and requires no manual file copying.
• Compatible agents include Claude Code, Codex CLI, and OpenCode.

Frequently Asked Questions

What agents support installing Obsidian Skills via the marketplace?

Claude Code, Codex CLI, and OpenCode support the Agent Skills specification required for marketplace installation. These agents automatically parse the .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file and discover skills in the skills/ directory structure. Other AI assistants may require manual installation methods.

Can I install individual skills instead of the entire plugin?

No, the marketplace installation registers the entire obsidian-skills plugin under the obsidian namespace. However, you can choose which skills to invoke after installation. The plugin bundles obsidian-markdown, obsidian-bases, json-canvas, obsidian-cli, and defuddle together, but you only use the specific skill commands you need for each task.

Where does the marketplace command store the installed files?

The agent pulls the repository to its internal plugins directory and reads the metadata from .claude-plugin/marketplace.json. The exact storage location depends on your agent's configuration, but the skills are registered under the obsidian namespace, making them available for immediate use without requiring you to manually copy files to your Obsidian vault.

What if the /plugin marketplace add command fails?

Ensure your agent supports the Agent Skills specification and that you have internet connectivity to reach GitHub. Verify the repository path is exactly kepano/obsidian-skills. If the command still fails, check that the .claude-plugin/marketplace.json file exists in the repository (as defined in the source), as this file is mandatory for marketplace registration.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}