Tips and troubleshooting

Common use cases

Capture ideas from the terminal

Add a quick note to your daily journal without opening Obsidian:

curl -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer KEY" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"params": {"content": "- Idea: build a CLI dashboard"}}' \
  http://127.0.0.1:27124/api/v1/cli/daily/append

Build a shell alias

Add to your .bashrc or .zshrc:

export OBSIDIAN_API_KEY="your-key-here"

# Quick note to daily
qn() {
  curl -s -X POST \
    -H "Authorization: Bearer $OBSIDIAN_API_KEY" \
    -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
    -d "{\"params\": {\"content\": \"- $*\"}}" \
    http://127.0.0.1:27124/api/v1/cli/daily/append > /dev/null
  echo "Added to daily note"
}

# Search vault
vs() {
  curl -s -H "Authorization: Bearer $OBSIDIAN_API_KEY" \
    "http://127.0.0.1:27124/api/v1/cli/search?query=$1"
}

Then use: qn Remember to review the PR or vs meeting notes.

Automate with cron

Append a daily reminder at 9 AM:

0 9 * * * curl -s -X POST -H "Authorization: Bearer KEY" -H "Content-Type: application/json" -d '{"params":{"content":"- [ ] Review inbox"}}' http://127.0.0.1:27124/api/v1/cli/daily/append

Use with Python

import requests

API_KEY = "your-key-here"
BASE = "http://127.0.0.1:27124/api/v1/cli"
HEADERS = {"Authorization": f"Bearer {API_KEY}"}

# List files
r = requests.get(f"{BASE}/files", headers=HEADERS)
print(r.json()["stdout"])

# Create a note
r = requests.post(
    f"{BASE}/create",
    headers={**HEADERS, "Content-Type": "application/json"},
    json={"params": {"name": "Report", "content": "# Report\n\nGenerated by script"}}
)
print(r.json())

Use with JavaScript/TypeScript

const API_KEY = 'your-key-here'
const BASE = 'http://127.0.0.1:27124/api/v1/cli'

// List files
const files = await fetch(`${BASE}/files`, {
    headers: { Authorization: `Bearer ${API_KEY}` }
}).then((r) => r.json())

// Create a note
const result = await fetch(`${BASE}/create`, {
    method: 'POST',
    headers: {
        'Authorization': `Bearer ${API_KEY}`,
        'Content-Type': 'application/json'
    },
    body: JSON.stringify({
        params: { name: 'Report', content: '# Report\n\nGenerated by script' }
    })
}).then((r) => r.json())

Troubleshooting

Server won’t start

Check the Obsidian CLI is installed:

obsidian --version

If this doesn’t work, install the CLI from Obsidian’s documentation.

The server will still start even without the CLI, but all command endpoints will return 503.

Check if the port is in use:

Another application may be using port 27124. Change the port in Settings > Obsidian CLI REST > Server.

Connection refused

Make sure the server is running (check the status bar for “CLI REST: 127.0.0.1:27124”)
If you see “CLI REST: off”, open the command palette and run Toggle REST/MCP server
Check that you’re connecting to the correct address and port

401 Unauthorized

Verify your API key matches the one in plugin settings
Make sure you’re using the Authorization: Bearer <key> format
If you regenerated the key, update it in your scripts/clients

403 Forbidden

The command may be blocked. Check Settings > Command filtering
The command may be dangerous. Enable Allow dangerous commands in settings if needed

404 Not found

Check the URL path — remember that CLI colons become slashes (property:set becomes property/set)
The REST API or MCP server may be disabled. Check Settings > Interfaces

405 Method not allowed

You’re using the wrong HTTP method. Check the command reference for the correct method
As a workaround, POST is accepted for all commands

503 Service unavailable

The Obsidian CLI binary is not found
Install it and make sure it’s in your PATH
The plugin checks these paths: system PATH, /usr/local/bin, /usr/bin

Commands return empty stdout

Some commands require parameters. Check the Obsidian CLI documentation for required arguments
The CLI defaults to the active file for many commands. If no file is open, results may be empty

MCP tools not appearing

Ensure the MCP server is enabled in settings
Verify the URL: http://127.0.0.1:27124/mcp
Restart your MCP client after changing the server configuration

Plugin doesn’t load

Verify main.js and manifest.json exist in <vault>/.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-cli-rest/
Try disabling and re-enabling the plugin
Check the Obsidian developer console for errors (Ctrl+Shift+I)