obsidian-bases
Create and edit Obsidian Bases (.base files) with views, filters, formulas, and summaries. Use when working with .base files, creating database-like views of notes, or when the user mentions Bases, table views, card views, filters, or formulas in Obsidian.
Documentation
Obsidian Bases Skill
When to Use
- Use when creating or editing
.basefiles in Obsidian. - Use for database-like note views with filters, formulas, summaries, or cards/tables.
- Use when the user asks about Obsidian Bases specifically.
Workflow
- Create the file: Create a
.basefile in the vault with valid YAML content - Define scope: Add
filtersto select which notes appear (by tag, folder, property, or date) - Add formulas (optional): Define computed properties in the
formulassection - Configure views: Add one or more views (
table,cards,list, ormap) withorderspecifying which properties to display - Validate: Verify the file is valid YAML with no syntax errors. Check that all referenced properties and formulas exist. Common issues: unquoted strings containing special YAML characters, mismatched quotes in formula expressions, referencing
formula.Xwithout definingXinformulas - Test in Obsidian: Open the
.basefile in Obsidian to confirm the view renders correctly. If it shows a YAML error, check quoting rules below
Schema
Base files use the .base extension and contain valid YAML.
# Global filters apply to ALL views in the base
filters:
# Can be a single filter string
# OR a recursive filter object with and/or/not
and: []
or: []
not: []
# Define formula properties that can be used across all views
formulas:
formula_name: 'expression'
# Configure display names and settings for properties
properties:
property_name:
displayName: "Display Name"
formula.formula_name:
displayName: "Formula Display Name"
file.ext:
displayName: "Extension"
# Define custom summary formulas
summaries:
custom_summary_name: 'values.mean().round(3)'
# Define one or more views
views:
- type: table | cards | list | map
name: "View Name"
limit: 10 # Optional: limit results
groupBy: # Optional: group results
property: property_name
direction: ASC | DESC
filters: # View-specific filters
and: []
order: # Properties to display in order
- file.name
- property_name
- formula.formula_name
summaries: # Map properties to summary formulas
property_name: Average
Filter Syntax
Filters narrow down results. They can be applied globally or per-view.
Filter Structure
# Single filter
filters: 'status == "done"'
# AND - all conditions must be true
filters:
and:
- 'status == "done"'
- 'priority > 3'
# OR - any condition can be true
filters:
or:
- 'file.hasTag("book")'
- 'file.hasTag("article")'
# NOT - exclude matching items
filters:
not:
- 'file.hasTag("archived")'
# Nested filters
filters:
or:
- file.hasTag("tag")
- and:
- file.hasTag("book")
- file.hasLink("Textbook")
- not:
- file.hasTag("book")
- file.inFolder("Required Reading")
Filter Operators
| Operator | Description |
|---|---|
== | equals |
!= | not equal |
> | greater than |
< | less than |
>= | greater than or equal |
<= | less than or equal |
&& | logical and |
|| | logical or |
| <code>!</code> | logical not |
Properties
Three Types of Properties
- Note properties - From frontmatter:
note.authoror justauthor - File properties - File metadata:
file.name,file.mtime, etc. - Formula properties - Computed values:
formula.my_formula
File Properties Reference
| Property | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
file.name | String | File name |
file.basename | String | File name without extension |
file.path | String | Full path to file |
file.folder | String | Parent folder path |
file.ext | String | File extension |
file.size | Number | File size in bytes |
file.ctime | Date | Created time |
file.mtime | Date | Modified time |
file.tags | List | All tags in file |
file.links | List | Internal links in file |
file.backlinks | List | Files linking to this file |
file.embeds | List | Embeds in the note |
file.properties | Object | All frontmatter properties |
The this Keyword
- In main content area: refers to the base file itself
- When embedded: refers to the embedding file
- In sidebar: refers to the active file in main content
Formula Syntax
Formulas compute values from properties. Defined in the formulas section.
formulas:
# Simple arithmetic
total: "price * quantity"
# Conditional logic
status_icon: 'if(done, "✅", "⏳")'
# String formatting
formatted_price: 'if(price, price.toFixed(2) + " dollars")'
# Date formatting
created: 'file.ctime.format("YYYY-MM-DD")'
# Calculate days since created (use .days for Duration)
days_old: '(now() - file.ctime).days'
# Calculate days until due date
days_unt
Use Cases
- Use when creating or editing `.base` files in Obsidian.
- Use for database-like note views with filters, formulas, summaries, or cards/tables.
- Use when the user asks about Obsidian Bases specifically.
Quick Info
- Source
- antigravity
- Category
- AI & Agents
- Repository
- View Repo
- Scraped At
- Mar 22, 2026
Tags
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