README

Obsidian Vault Template

A clean, durable Obsidian Vault setup, focussing on simplicity, bottom-up approaches, using as little as possible plugins or similar adjustments. It's what I use for daily for writing, research, projects and collections for books or games.

Companion post: Obsidian vault setup tour - goes deeper into the setup and ideas behind this template.

README
Obsidian Vault Template

Why this template?

Stable, future-proof: Sticks to plain Markdown and Obsidian core features.
Lightweight: Minimal folder count, minimal plugins, zero CSS snippets.
Bottom-up: Notes grow into Maps of Content (MOCs) organically.
Multi-purpose: Works for writing, research, personal projects, and collections.

Built to help your other work, instead of becoming the work.

Quick start

Download my vault or clone it from the Github repo.
Unzip the .zip file to a folder of your choosing.
In Obsidian open the folder as a vault.

Folder tour

Each top-level item is a folder:

01 - Note Box/           → Zettels, projects, blog posts, scripts, locations, and MoCs
02 - Collections/        → Subfolders: Books, Clippings, Games
03 - Tasks & Reminders/  → Monthly task notes
04 - Temporary/          → Short-lived scratch notes
05 - Meta/               → Archive, Attachments, Bases, Templates

Rules of thumb

Knowledge notes, projects & writing → Note Box
Media & external content → Collections
Things to get done this month → Tasks & Reminders
Remove soon → Temporary
Vault config & templates → Meta

Core conventions

Keep it simple.
Prefer one vault over many.
Minimize folders; use links, tags, and MOCs for structure.
Stick to standard Markdown (future-proof).
Pluralize tags / links (e.g., [[books]], [[games]]).
Dates in YYYY-MM-DD.

Theme: Obsidian basic dark.

Smart notes (bottom-up)

The 01 - Note Box folder is the most important folder in the vault. It contains:

Zettel notes - long-lasting knowledge notes that explain one concept (atomic) and link to related topics with [[Wiki Links]].
Project notes - notes belonging to a project or problem that can end.
Blog posts, scripts, locations - other note types that also live here alongside everything else.

Topics naturally attract clusters; those clusters become MoCs (Map of Content). The pattern: Individual notes → Topic pages → MOCs. Project notes show up in project overviews (using Bases) when they are of type Project.

If you're new to this style, see the blog's section on smart notes / Zettelkasten.

Navigation & Bases

Obsidian Bases let you display notes in table, list, or card views with filtering and sorting.

This vault uses Bases in combination with the FolderNotes plugin to create overview pages. Clicking on 01 - Note Box or 02 - Collections opens a folder note that includes Bases listing all relevant MOCs, active projects, and other content — ending with a complete list of all notes in that folder.

Between in-note links, MOCs with Bases, and Obsidian's built-in search, relevant information doesn't get lost.

Templates

Enable Templates (core plugin) and set the template folder to 05 - Meta/Templates. Choose a hotkey with which to insert a template (I use Ctrl + R).

Templates used in Note Box: Zettel, Project, Blog Post, MoC, Script Templates used in Collections: Book, Game Templates used in Tasks & Reminders: Tasks & Reminders

Additional utility templates: Location, Incoming Links Base Template, iFrame Snippet.

Each template pre-fills sensible properties and sections so you can start typing immediately.

Recommended plugins

I keep the list short to reduce load time and breakage risk.

FolderNotes — Open a folder's "home note" when clicking the folder. https://github.com/LostPaul/obsidian-folder-notes
Filename Heading Sync — Keeps the file name in sync with your first # Heading. https://github.com/dvcrn/obsidian-filename-heading-sync
LanguageTool Integration — Spell/grammar checking. https://github.com/Clemens-E/obsidian-languagetool-plugin
Periodic Notes — For monthly Tasks & Reminders notes. https://github.com/liamcain/obsidian-periodic-notes

Common workflows

Capture a new insight (Zettel)

Ctrl/Cmd + O type name → create if it's a new note → Insert Zettel Template.
Link related topics with [[Topic]].
When a cluster forms, create a MoC with MoC Template.

Start a project

Create a note in 01 - Note Box/ from Project Template.
Track scope, decisions, links to related notes.
If the project grows, add a MoC to tie its notes together.

Log a book or game

Use the relevant template in 02 - Collections/ subfolders (Books, Games).

Draft a blog post

Use Blog Post Template in 01 - Note Box/.

Syncing between desktop & mobile

This vault is plain Markdown, so you can use any sync (Obsidian Sync, iCloud/Drive, Dropbox, Git, etc.). My setup:

Backup: personal GitHub private repo.
Sync: Google Drive (Drive for Desktop on Windows + DriveSync on Android).

For pros/cons and alternatives, see my blog's how to sync Obsidian guide.

FAQ

Why one vault instead of many? Cross-linking is the superpower. Multiple vaults fragment knowledge and slow you down.

Why so few folders? Folders are "hard" structure. Links, tag links, and MoCs stay flexible as ideas evolve.

Do I need all the plugins? No. Start with none. Add only what solves a real problem.

How do I keep titles and file names in sync without showing file names as H1? Disable "Show file name as title" and use Filename Heading Sync.

Contributing & customization

Fork the repo and adjust:
- Rename top-level folders to your taste.
- Edit templates in 05 - Meta/Templates/.
- Tweak folder overview notes and Bases.
PRs welcome for:
- Additional lightweight templates,
- Better folder overviews using Bases,
- Further small quality-of-life improvements.

If you publish your own variation, link it in a PR and I'll add a "Community Variants" list.

Recent changes

Version 2.0:

Updated folder structure: Went from 4 top-level folders to 5. Added 03 - Tasks & Reminders for monthly task notes. Temporary and Meta renumbered to 04 and 05.
Heavier use of Bases: Replaced Dataview with Obsidian's built-in Bases for creating overviews and structure throughout the vault.
Updated plugins: Removed Dataview, added Periodic Notes for monthly task notes.
Updated templates and properties: All templates updated with streamlined properties. Added Tasks & Reminders template.

Previous:

Simplified folder structure: Went from 6 top-level folders to 4. Zettelkasten → Note Box, Miscellaneous → Meta, and Projects was removed as a dedicated folder.
Streamlined templates: Dropped the numbered prefix naming (e.g., 01A - Zettel.md → Zettel Template.md). Added new templates: Location and Script.
Fewer plugins: Cut the recommended list from 7 to 4 — removed Book Search, Home Tab, and Lazy Plugin Loader.

Credits & further reading

Companion post: Obsidian vault setup tour
On smart notes / Zettelkasten, MOCs, and bottom-up knowledge building (see the blog post).

P.S. If you find this helpful, let me know!

Vault Template