docs(obsidian-cli): vault default is cwd→active vault; `dev:console` requires `dev:debug on` first

Author: guojunyuan2004Created Aug 31, 2026Updated Aug 31, 2026

These two are independent of #129/#131, and I didn't find either covered in the open issues/PRs.

1. Vault default rule is stale

Current skill: "Commands target the most recently focused vault by default."

Official docs (https://help.obsidian.md/cli, "Target a vault"):

If your terminal's current working directory is a vault folder, that vault is used by default. Otherwise, the currently active vault is used.

Use vault=<name> or vault=<id> to target a specific vault. This must be the first parameter before your command.

Suggested rewrite:

If the terminal's current working directory is inside a vault, commands target that vault. Otherwise they target the active vault. Use vault=<name> (or vault=<id>) as the first parameter, before the command, to target a specific vault.

The current wording doesn't yet reflect this rule; #103 and #119 both build on the older sentence, so correcting it first should make those PRs easier to review.

2. dev:console requires dev:debug on first

The plugin-development workflow shows obsidian dev:console level=error as a standalone step. On Obsidian 1.13.7 it fails:

$ obsidian dev:console level=error
Error: Debugger not attached. Use "dev:debug on" to start capturing console messages.

Suggested fix in step 4:

obsidian dev:debug on
obsidian dev:console level=error

Two other small wording suggestions in the same file

  • Intro: "Requires Obsidian to be open" → "Requires the Obsidian app to be running; if it isn't, the first command you run launches it." (matches https://help.obsidian.md/cli)
  • "Use total on list commands" is an overgeneralization; several list commands have no total flag (e.g. bases, commands, plugins, snippets, tabs, history:list, themes). Suggest "Many list commands support total … check obsidian help <command> if unsure."