What Obsidian Flavored Markdown Syntax Is Supported by obsidian-skills

The obsidian-skills repository implements the complete Obsidian-flavored Markdown specification, extending CommonMark with YAML front-matter, wikilinks, block IDs, embeds, callouts, tags, comments, highlights, LaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, and footnotes.

The kepano/obsidian-skills repository provides a comprehensive reference implementation for Obsidian flavored Markdown syntax, extending standard CommonMark and GitHub Flavored Markdown (GFM) with Obsidian-specific constructs. This skill, documented in skills/obsidian-markdown/SKILL.md, enables parsing and generation of all proprietary Obsidian extensions. Understanding these syntax elements is essential for developing tools that interact with Obsidian vaults programmatically.

Front-matter Properties and YAML Metadata

According to skills/obsidian-markdown/references/PROPERTIES.md, the repository supports full YAML front-matter parsing for note metadata. The front-matter block appears at the very beginning of a note delimited by triple dashes and supports multiple property types including strings, dates, numbers, booleans, lists, and nested objects.

---
title: Project Alpha
date: 2024-01-15
tags:
  - project
  - active
aliases:
  - Alpha Project
cssclasses:
  - custom-note
rating: 4.5
completed: false
due: 2024-02-01T14:30:00
---

This metadata drives Obsidian's graph view, search filters, and CSS styling through the cssclasses property.

Wikilinks and Block IDs

The repository supports wikilinks (internal links) as implemented in skills/obsidian-markdown/SKILL.md. These use double square brackets to link to other notes within the vault, with several variation syntaxes for precision navigation.

[[Meeting Notes]]                     <!-- link to another note -->
[[Meeting Notes|Notes from Jan]]      <!-- custom display text -->
[[Meeting Notes#Agenda]]              <!-- link to specific heading -->
[[Meeting Notes#^agenda-id]]          <!-- link to specific block -->

This paragraph can be referenced later. ^my-block-id

Block IDs allow linking to specific paragraphs or list items by appending ^block-id to the end of any block, enabling granular references beyond heading-level navigation.

Rich Media Embeds

As documented in skills/obsidian-markdown/references/EMBEDS.md, the repository supports transclusion (embedding) of notes, media, and external content using the exclamation mark prefix before wikilinks.

![[Architecture Diagram.png|600]]          <!-- embed image with width -->
![[Project Plan#Overview]]                 <!-- embed specific heading section -->
![[audio.mp3]]                             <!-- embed audio player -->
![[document.pdf#page=3]]                    <!-- embed PDF at specific page -->
![[search result|query]]                   <!-- embed dynamic search results -->

This syntax supports images, PDFs, audio files, video files, external images via URL, and even search result queries, with optional parameters for dimensions or page numbers.

Callouts for Visual Organization

The callout syntax documented in skills/obsidian-markdown/references/CALLOUTS.md creates visually distinct content blocks for warnings, notes, questions, and other semantic categories.

> [!note]
> This is a simple note callout.

> [!warning] Important Notice
> Please back up your data.

> [!faq]- Frequently Asked Question (collapsed)
> The answer is hidden until you click.

> [!faq]+ Expanded FAQ (expanded by default)
> This answer is visible immediately.

Callouts support custom titles, multiple type aliases (like info, tip, or danger), and foldable states using + (expanded) or - (collapsed) modifiers after the type declaration.

Tags, Comments, and Highlights

Tags

Tags in Obsidian use the hash symbol for inline categorization, supporting nested hierarchies via forward slashes.

#tag
#project/phase1

Tags can also be defined within front-matter YAML lists for cleaner metadata management.

Comments

Comments allow hidden annotations that render only in editing view, not in reading view or exports.

Visible text %%This is a hidden comment%% continues visible.

%%
This whole block is hidden in reading view.
%%

Highlights

Highlight syntax uses double equals signs to mark text for visual emphasis.

==Important phrase== will appear highlighted.

Math, Diagrams, and Footnotes

LaTeX Math

The repository supports LaTeX math rendering for both inline and block equations, as specified in skills/obsidian-markdown/SKILL.md.

Inline math: $e^{i\pi} + 1 = 0$

Block math:
$$
\int_{-\infty}^{\infty} e^{-x^2} dx = \sqrt{\pi}
$$

Mermaid Diagrams

Mermaid syntax enables creation of flowcharts, sequence diagrams, and other visualizations within code fences.

graph TD
    A[Start] --> B{Decision}
    B -->|Yes| C[Do this]
    B -->|No| D[Do that]

Footnotes

Standard and inline footnote syntax provide reference capabilities without cluttering the main text.

Text with a footnote[^1].

[^1]: This is the footnote content.

Inline footnote.^[This appears right after the sentence.]

Summary

• The obsidian-skills repository at kepano/obsidian-skills provides a complete reference for Obsidian-specific Markdown extensions.
• Front-matter properties are documented in references/PROPERTIES.md with full YAML type support.
• Wikilinks and block IDs enable sophisticated internal linking beyond standard Markdown hyperlinks.
• Embeds (references/EMBEDS.md) support transclusion of notes, media, PDFs, and search results.
• Callouts (references/CALLOUTS.md) provide collapsible, semantic content containers with multiple type variants.
• Additional syntax includes tags, comments, highlights, LaTeX math, Mermaid diagrams, and footnotes.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the difference between Obsidian Flavored Markdown and standard Markdown?

Obsidian Flavored Markdown extends CommonMark and GFM with vault-specific features like wikilinks ([[Note]]), block IDs for paragraph-level linking, callouts for visual alerts, and embeds for transcluding content, none of which exist in standard Markdown syntax.

How do you create collapsible callouts in Obsidian Markdown?

Append + for expanded or - for collapsed states to the callout type declaration, such as > [!warning]- for a collapsed warning or > [!faq]+ for an expanded FAQ, as documented in skills/obsidian-markdown/references/CALLOUTS.md.

Can you embed external content like PDFs and audio in Obsidian notes?

Yes, using the exclamation mark prefix with wikilinks: ![[document.pdf]] for PDFs, ![[audio.mp3]] for audio files, and ![[video.mp4]] for video, with optional page parameters like #page=3 for PDFs, according to skills/obsidian-markdown/references/EMBEDS.md.

How do you link to a specific paragraph or block in Obsidian?

Add a block ID (e.g., ^my-id) to the end of any paragraph or list item, then reference it using [[Note Title#^my-id]] or [[#^my-id]] for same-note references, enabling precision linking beyond headings.

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