docs: surface macOS Obsidian CLI flicker caveat; refresh defuddle skill#93
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The macOS Electron-app flicker reported in #83 has a known mitigation: once Obsidian is open, the `obsidian` command forwards args to the running instance silently — subsequent calls don't flicker. Only the first call launches the app when no instance is running. PR #87 removed this from the SessionStart hook path entirely, but user-triggered slash commands (#89) still invoke the CLI. Investigation pivoted from "rewrite every slash command to filesystem- first" (which would have degraded CLI quality on the common Obsidian-open path — losing graph queries, plugin-managed state, and user-configured daily-notes layout) to a doc-only approach: explain the open-once behaviour where it matters and trust the agent + user to apply the context. Changes: - `.claude/skills/obsidian-cli/SKILL.md` — new `[!IMPORTANT]` callout explaining macOS flicker + "open Obsidian once" workflow and the silent-forwarding behaviour of subsequent calls. - `CLAUDE.md` — the two CLI-guidance lines (the "## Obsidian CLI" section heading and the rules bullet at the bottom) carry the same caveat so the agent sees it during normal session context-loading. - `.claude/skills/defuddle/SKILL.md` — refresh from upstream kepano/obsidian-skills (description now excludes `.md` URLs; install command changed from `defuddle-cli` to `defuddle` since the binary ships in the newer parent package). Audit found wider potential surface (slash command files, vault-librarian subagent) but those are intentionally not edited: the user-workflow is "open Obsidian first" and the docs now make that explicit at the call sites readers actually consult. Closes #89 Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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Pull request overview
Updates repository guidance to clarify a macOS-specific Obsidian CLI behavior (first invocation can launch/flicker the Electron app when no instance is running) and aligns the defuddle skill documentation with upstream changes.
Changes:
- Document “open Obsidian once” workflow on macOS for
obsidianCLI usage (in both global guidance and the Obsidian CLI skill). - Sync
defuddleskill guidance: avoid using it for.mdURLs and update the global install command todefuddle.
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 3 out of 3 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.
| File | Description |
|---|---|
CLAUDE.md |
Adds macOS caveat + “open once” workflow guidance for Obsidian CLI usage in both the Obsidian CLI section and rules. |
.claude/skills/obsidian-cli/SKILL.md |
Adds an [!IMPORTANT] callout describing the macOS first-launch flicker and recommended workflow/fallbacks. |
.claude/skills/defuddle/SKILL.md |
Updates description to exclude .md URLs and changes install command from defuddle-cli to defuddle. |
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Summary
vault-librariansubagent still invoke theobsidianCLI. The original plan was to rewrite each invocation site to filesystem-first, but a key clarification from the original session-start hook launches Obsidian app twice, causing window flicker #83 fix changes the calculus: on macOS theobsidiancommand launches the app only on the first call when no instance is running — subsequent calls forward args silently to the running instance. So "open Obsidian once at session start" eliminates the flicker entirely while preserving the CLI's quality advantages (graph queries viaobsidian orphans/obsidian backlinks, plugin-managed task aggregation, user-configured daily-notes layout, vault-aware search).[!IMPORTANT]callout explaining the open-once workflow; CLAUDE.md's two CLI-guidance lines carry the same caveat so the agent sees it during normal session context-loading.defuddleskill from upstreamkepano/obsidian-skills. Two real changes: the description now excludes.mdURLs (already markdown — agent should use WebFetch instead), and the install command moves fromdefuddle-cli(npm v0.7.0) todefuddle(npm v0.18.1, same binary). The other four Obsidian skills (obsidian-cli,obsidian-markdown,obsidian-bases,json-canvas) had no upstream changes since the initial scaffold and remain current.Why doc-only instead of rewriting slash commands
Considered rewriting
/om-standup,/om-prep-1on1,/om-weekly,vault-librarian,review-prep,om-dump, andom-vault-auditto use filesystem reads first. Rejected because:orphans,backlinks,unresolved) that filesystem grep can only approximate.daily/,journals/2026-W20/, custom date formats). Hardcoded filesystem paths get this wrong.Files changed
.claude/skills/obsidian-cli/SKILL.md[!IMPORTANT]callout after the intro explaining macOS launch + open-once + silent-forwarding.CLAUDE.md.claude/skills/defuddle/SKILL.md.mdURLs; install command isdefuddlenotdefuddle-cli.Audit-incomplete findings (deferred deliberately)
The audit also found
om-weekly.md:22,vault-librarian.md:17, 19,om-dump.md:8,om-vault-audit.md:96,review-prep.md:22mention the CLI. They're intentionally not edited:vault-librarianruns in an isolated context without CLAUDE.md auto-loaded, so a user who invokes/om-vault-auditbefore opening Obsidian would still hit the flicker. Acceptable: the user-facing docs (CLAUDE.md + SKILL.md) cover the workflow.Test plan
npm testin.claude/scripts/: no change expected (markdown-only)./om-standup, confirm no second flicker on the CLI calls within that session.[!IMPORTANT]callout inobsidian-cli/SKILL.mdand confirms the open-once workflow is unambiguous.🤖 Generated with Claude Code