Drawing A-001 · Vault floor plan · Issued 2026-04-30
Vault
Floor Plan 2026
A working drawing for a technical Obsidian vault: PARA-shaped skeleton, Zettelkasten-atomic notes inside Areas, Properties-first metadata, daily-note inbox, MOCs over deep folders, and a small high-value plugin set. Scale 1:1, dimensioned in citations.
Redline · Decision
Run a PARA-shaped skeleton with Zettelkasten-atomic notes inside Areas. Put typed Properties (not inline Dataview fields) at the centre with a mandatory type discriminator. Capture into a daily-note inbox, navigate by MOCs & backlinks, and let Bases replace Dataview tables now that it ships in core.
⚠ Pure Zettelkasten misfits technical material — split by content type[10].
⚠ Pure Zettelkasten misfits technical material — split by content type[10].
9Folder rooms
7Property types
~2kNotes before MOC upkeep breaks
1.9Obsidian ver. that shipped Bases (May 2025)
§A · DRAWING A-101
Plan view — vault rooms
3×3 hybrid PARA + Zettelkasten layout used in 6,000+ note technical vaults[1]. North-up, capture flow east-to-west.— PROPOSED VAULT FLOOR PLAN, 1:1 SCALE — DIM. IN # OF NOTES · NORTH ↑
00
MOCs
Maps of content. Hub notes that gather links + commentary; promoted only after content density earns it[52].
~ 30 notes · navigation hub
VARIES · churn high
02
Areas
Long-running responsibilities; atomic notes live here. The home of the Zettelkasten layer[2].
LARGEST · concept-oriented
read-mostly · low churn
slow growth · highest density
05
Fleeting / Inbox
Capture-first landing zone. Web Clipper, mobile, voice, screenshots — triage in weekly review[41].
capture-first · daily nag
1/day · timestamped
cold storage
~10 files · stable
N ↑ · max nesting depth: 2 levels[9]
Capture / inbox zone
Daily-note system
Cold storage
Active rooms
§B · DRAWING A-201
Options compared
Six named systems. None survives intact; consensus heuristic — structure must be earned[3].
⚠
SCALING CAVEAT — The native graph view becomes unusable at ~6k notes even on an M4 Mac mini, forcing external tools like Cosmograph for actual network exploration[13]. Plan for graph-view rot, not perpetual usefulness.
§C · DRAWING A-301
Property schedule
Properties first, Dataview-inline last. Bases (Obs. 1.9, May 2025[16]) reads only formal Properties — inlinekey:: value is ignored[17].
Why Bases changed the calculus
Bases turned Properties into a database surface — visual editor, three-component filters, formulas, table views, in-line cell editing that writes back to YAML, and a new.base file format[17][54]. Power users in 2026 report replacing every Dataview query with a Bases table[55]. Meta Bind keeps YAML values editable inline[19].
Hard schema constraint
A property name carries one type across the whole vault[15]. Decide once whetherstatus is text or list, then live with it. Define everything in a master-schema note[20]; let Obsidian autocomplete prevent drift like status vs progress[22]. Plural tags/aliases/cssclasses are mandatory as of 1.9[21].
# 99 Meta / master-schema.md — declare every key + type, vault-wide
type: text # MANDATORY discriminator — snippet | howto | reference | project | runbook | daily
status: text # seed | growing | evergreen | archived
tags: list # PLURAL only; singular `tag` deprecated 1.9
aliases: list # PLURAL only
cssclasses: list # PLURAL only
language: text # python | rust | bash · autocomplete prevents drift
source: text|list # URL of capture origin
created: date # ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) for reliable sort
updated: datetime # ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM)
type: text # MANDATORY discriminator — snippet | howto | reference | project | runbook | daily
status: text # seed | growing | evergreen | archived
tags: list # PLURAL only; singular `tag` deprecated 1.9
aliases: list # PLURAL only
cssclasses: list # PLURAL only
language: text # python | rust | bash · autocomplete prevents drift
source: text|list # URL of capture origin
created: date # ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DD) for reliable sort
updated: datetime # ISO 8601 (YYYY-MM-DDTHH:MM)
FIXTURE SCHEDULE — TYPED PROPERTIES
SHEET A-301 · NTS
| P/N | Property | Type | Value space (technical-vault example) |
|---|---|---|---|
| F-01 | typediscriminator | TEXT · req | snippet · howto · reference · project · runbook · daily[20] |
| F-02 | status | TEXT | seed · growing · evergreen · archived (one type per name vault-wide[15]) |
| F-03 | tags | LIST | plural only; singular tag deprecated 1.9[21] |
| F-04 | aliases · cssclasses | LIST | plural only[21] |
| F-05 | language | TEXT | python · rust · bash (free-text + autocomplete prevents drift[22]) |
| F-06 | source | TEXT/LIST | URL of capture origin |
| F-07 | created · updated | DATE/DATETIME | ISO 8601 for reliable sort[21] |
Bases · core 1.9DETAIL B-1
Steph Ango · folderlessDETAIL B-2
Imhoff · 6k vaultDETAIL B-3
§D · DRAWING A-401
Capture flow detail
Daily note as universal inbox[41]. Capture first, organise later — categorising at capture time kills creativity.
DET. D-01CAPTURE → TRIAGE → ROUTE
SOURCE
Inputs
→timestamped
bullet
bullet
→weekly
review
review
Web ClipperDETAIL D-2
⌘+A
QUICKADD MACRO
▢
FLEETING + SCREENSHOT
⚠
MOBILE CAPTURE — the loudest pain point on r/ObsidianMD[32]. Official quick capture is on the roadmap; bridge with Quick Draft, Fleeting Notes, or an Android home-screen widget that writes to daily notes.
§E · DRAWING A-501
Linking strategy
Atomic notes[44], MOC navigation, tags as state. Folders for output workflows, links for PKM, tags treated skeptically[49].▭ ⟶ ▭
Folder
- A note in many places
- Annotated commentary
- Appears as graph node
- Restructure: rename + move
"Cross-tool / automation backwards-compat"[50]
⌘ → ◯ ← ⌘
MOC
- A note in many places
- Annotated commentary
- Appears as graph node
- Restructure: edit wikilinks
"Bottom-up emergent hubs — earn the map"[48]
#tag
Tag
- A note in many places
- Annotated commentary
- Appears as graph node (filter only)
- Restructure: rename globally
"Verbs & status — #FollowUp #🌱seed #🌲evergreen"[51]
⚠
~2k NOTE FAILURE — manual MOC upkeep breaks past two thousand notes. AutoMOC auto-imports backlinks, tagged mentions, and aliases into the open MOC; Backlink Cache materially speeds the Backlinks pane[53].
§F · DRAWING A-601
Plugin fixture schedule
Bases shipped → DB Folder & the original Projects plugin are dead → AI-plugin field has two viable contenders. Stars current Apr 2026.
SCHED. F-1 — CORE QUERY / DATA LAYER
SHEET A-601 · 1 OF 4
| P/N | Plugin | Status | Stars | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F1-01 | Basesobsidian core | CORE 1.9 | — | No-code visual database; replaces Dataview tables for most users[16][55] |
| F1-02 | Dataviewblacksmithgu | LEGACY | — | Inline-field queries; DQL/JS — keep for legacy[19] |
| F1-03 | Datacoreblacksmithgu | BETA | — | React-based heir for interactive components[54] |
| F1-04 | DB FolderRafaelGB | ARCHIVED JUL 2025 | ⭐ 1.4k | Migrate to Bases or Datacore[59] |
| F1-05 | Projectsmarcusolsson | ARCHIVED JUL 2025 | — | Community fork obsmd-projects carries it forward[60] |
SCHED. F-2 — CAPTURE / AUTOMATION
SHEET A-601 · 2 OF 4
| P/N | Plugin | Status | Stars | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F2-01 | QuickAddchhoumann | ACTIVE | ⭐ 2.2k | Capture macros; daily-note bullet primitive[29] |
| F2-02 | TemplaterSilentVoid13 | ACTIVE | ⭐ 4.9k | JS-capable templating engine; v2.20.0 (Apr 29 2026)[56] |
| F2-03 | Web Clipperobsidianmd / official | OFFICIAL | ⭐ 4.1k | Cross-browser; YouTube transcripts in 2026[63][42] |
| F2-04 | Linterplaters | ACTIVE | ⭐ 1.9k | 80+ rules over YAML, headings, footnotes, spacing[58] |
| F2-05 | Excalidrawzsviczian | ACTIVE | ⭐ 6.8k | Embedded sketches, LaTeX, OCR, script API[57] |
| F2-06 | PDF++RyotaUshio | ACTIVE | ⭐ 2.2k | PDF highlights as Markdown backlinks (not embedded)[33] |
SCHED. F-3 — AI / SEMANTIC LAYER
SHEET A-601 · 3 OF 4
| P/N | Plugin | Status | Stars | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F3-01 | Smart Connectionsbrianpetro | ACTIVE | ⭐ 4.9k | Local-first by default (no API key); optional 100+ models[61] |
| F3-02 | Copilotlogancyang | ACTIVE | ⭐ 6.8k | Vault chat + agent mode; PDF/EPUB ingestion; Plus-tier diff edits[62] |
SCHED. F-4 — MAINTENANCE / HYGIENE
SHEET A-601 · 4 OF 4
| P/N | Plugin | Status | Stars | Purpose |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| F4-01 | Find Orphaned Files+ Broken Links report | ACTIVE | — | MD report of unbacklinked notes & dangling wikilinks[72] |
| F4-02 | Broken Links | ACTIVE | — | Folder/file/consolidated views of dangling links[73] |
| F4-03 | Nuke Orphanssandorex | ACTIVE | ⭐ 53 | Trash orphaned attachments behind a confirmation prompt[74] |
| F4-04 | AutoMOC + Backlink Cache | ACTIVE | — | Keep MOCs and the Backlinks pane fast at 2k+ notes[53] |
| F4-05 | Periodic Notes | ACTIVE | — | Daily/weekly/monthly/quarterly/yearly review templates[70] |
§G · DRAWING A-701
Cross-section A-A'
Capture → Triage → Atomic → Map → Publish, top-down. Each layer answers a different question; each one rolls up the layer below[70].
SECTION A-A' · ELEVATION
LVL 5 / TOP
Publish
Publish gated by
publish: true via Quartz ExplicitPublish; vault stays source of truth; public- prefix for attachments[79].Quartz v4 / MkDocs / Publish
LVL 4
Map / MOC
AutoMOC · Backlink Cache
LVL 3
Atomic / evergreen
One concept per note; capture entirety; rewritten over time[44]. Progressive summarisation: re-read → bold → split → re-link[76].
04 Permanent / 02 Areas
LVL 2
Triage
Weekly review with Dataview/Bases queries surfaces fleeting notes, unfinished tasks, untouched material[71].
Periodic Notes · Bases
§H · DRAWING A-801
Publish & exit
Quartz v4 is the closest free analogue to Obsidian Publish[77]. Defer publishing until the vault is dense enough to prune.
SCHED. H-1 — PUBLISH PIPELINE
SHEET A-801
| P/N | Tool | Cost | Strength | When to pick |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H1-01 | Quartz v4 | FREE | Obsidian compat, search, graph, wikilinks, transclusions, backlinks, LaTeX, popovers, i18n[77] | Default for free public garden; ~30–60 min setup[78] |
| H1-02 | Obsidian Publish | $8–10/MO | Zero-config from inside the app[78] | When you'll pay to skip ops |
| H1-03 | Material for MkDocs | FREE | Polished docs theme[80] | Vault is more documentation than garden |
| H1-04 | Astro Starlight | FREE | Fast docs theme on Astro[81] | JS-leaning gardeners migrating from MkDocs |
SCHED. H-2 — IF YOU'RE THINKING OF LEAVING
EXIT ROUTES
| P/N | Tool | Stars | Best for | Trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| H2-01 | FoamVS Code | ⭐ 17k | Devs who already live in VS Code; notes alongside source[64] | Leans on extensions for what Obsidian gives natively |
| H2-02 | SilverBulletPWA / self-hosted | ⭐ 5.2k | Self-hosters; Lua scripting, Objects/Queries, offline-first[66] | Web-first UX, smaller plugin pool |
| H2-03 | Logseq | — | Rapid block-outline capture[65] | Flat structure feels chaotic for technical reference |
| H2-04 | Tana | — | Structure-first PKM; supertags impose typed schemas[67] | Proprietary, no file portability |
| H2-05 | Reflect | $10/mo | Calendar-bound meeting notes; GPT-4o / Claude Sonnet selectable[68] | Paid-only, narrower than Tana |
For developers wanting CLI integration, large-vault performance and Git-friendly Markdown, Obsidian still wins — the 2026 release of an official Obsidian CLI widened the gap with Logseq for technical workflows[69].
Quartz v4DETAIL H-1
Appleton gardenDETAIL H-2
publish: true
EXPLICITPUBLISH GATE
§I · DRAWING A-901
Punch list
What to do in the next hour. Seed-or-migrate; install the small high-value plugin set; turn on Bases; defer publishing.- Pick PARA + Zettel as skeleton; create
00 MOCs / 01 Projects / 02 Areas / 03 Resources / 04 Permanent / 05 Fleeting / 06 Daily / 07 Archives / 99 Metaif starting fresh[1], or migrate gradually if you have an existing tree. - Write a master-schema note declaring every Property name + type[20]; migrate a handful of inline
key:: valuefields to YAML to feed Bases[17]. - Install QuickAdd · Web Clipper · Templater · Linter · Periodic Notes · Find Orphaned Files[29][24][56][58][70][72]; turn on Bases (core)[16].
- Make the daily note your inbox; schedule a weekly-review note from a Periodic Notes template[41][71].
- Defer publishing until the vault is dense enough to prune — then Quartz v4[77].
Adjacent sheets · this expedition
PARENT EXPEDITION
Upgrading a personal Obsidian workflow in 2026
Six-angle expedition — capture, frontmatter, KB, media, publishing, AI.
SHEET 02 · EXPEDITION
Low-friction capture & AI-assisted backfill
Capture friction across desktop, mobile, web, voice; AI tag/metadata backfill.
SHEET 03 · EXPEDITION
Frontmatter & tagging schemas for extraction
YAML frontmatter and tag taxonomies external tools can extract.
SHEET 04 · SURVEY
Automated media tracking
Hardcover for books, Simkl for film/TV; Readwise + CrossWatch automation.
SHEET 05 · SURVEY
Selective publishing to GitHub Pages
Opt-in (whitelist) frontmatter pattern over draft-style opt-out.
SHEET 06 · SURVEY
AI plugins for in-vault retrieval & summarization
Smart Connections + Copilot + Smart Composer + Khoj.
SOURCE STAMPS — 84 CITATIONS
SHEET A-001 · ALL SOURCES
[1] Imhoff — agentic note-taking ·
[2] PARA + Zettelkasten fusion ·
[3] LYT — ACE ·
[4] Milo — ACCESS not the gospel ·
[5] Johnny Decimal + Bases ·
[6] JD scaling ·
[7] Steph Ango — vault ·
[8] Jellyfish vault ·
[9] Three-layer hybrid ·
[10] Forum — tech notes ·
[11] 3-yr opinionated ·
[12] XDA 5-bucket reset ·
[13] 6k-note graph rot ·
[14] Obsidian — Properties ·
[15] DeepWiki — Properties ·
[16] Obs. 1.9.0 changelog ·
[17] Practical PKM — Bases ·
[18] Dataview docs ·
[19] Dataview→YAML migration ·
[20] Guide — Obsidian Bases ·
[21] Tags in YAML era ·
[22] obsidian.rocks — Properties ·
[23] Obs. 1.9.1 changelog ·
[24] Web Clipper ·
[25] Best clipper 2026 ·
[26] Readwise → Obsidian ·
[27] Hypothesis plugin ·
[28] Quick capture Mac/iOS ·
[29] QuickAdd ·
[30] Inbox Organiser ·
[31] Inbox folder workflow ·
[32] Mobile quick capture ·
[33] PDF++ ·
[34] Paper Clipper ·
[35] Obsidian Terminal ·
[36] Console plugin ·
[37] SnippetBase ·
[38] Logstravaganza ·
[39] Fleeting Notes screenshots ·
[40] Copy Image ·
[41] Capture workflows ·
[42] Clipper YouTube transcripts 2026 ·
[43] Web-clipping workflow 2026 ·
[44] Matuschak — atomic ·
[45] Matuschak — concept-oriented ·
[46] Ideaverse Pro ·
[47] ACE folder system ·
[48] Map of Content ·
[49] Folders vs links vs tags ·
[50] Konik — folders vs tags ·
[51] Tags-as-status ·
[52] Tags + topic notes ·
[53] AutoMOC + Backlink Cache ·
[54] Dataview vs Datacore vs Bases ·
[55] Dataview is dead ·
[56] Templater ·
[57] Excalidraw ·
[58] Linter ·
[59] DB Folder (archived) ·
[60] Projects (archived) ·
[61] Smart Connections ·
[62] Copilot ·
[63] Web Clipper repo ·
[64] Foam ·
[65] Stack for devs ·
[66] SilverBullet ·
[67] Tana supertags ·
[68] Best AI note-taking ·
[69] PKM compared 2026 ·
[70] Periodic reviews ·
[71] Daily/weekly + Dataview ·
[72] Find Orphaned Files ·
[73] Broken Links ·
[74] Nuke Orphans ·
[75] Evergreen notes ·
[76] Appleton — Evergreens ·
[77] Quartz v4 ·
[78] Publish alternatives ·
[79] Falvai — Quartz setup ·
[80] MkDocs Material ·
[81] Astro Starlight ·
[82] Appleton's garden ·
[83] Joel Hooks — garden ·
[84] best-of-digital-gardens