Starter Vault

🔮 Opinionated, pre-configured Obsidian starter vault—a compilation of extensions and settings to help you learn and start exploring Obsidian.

🔮 Obsidian Starter Vault

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An opinionated, pre-configured Obsidian starter vault. For anyone new to Obsidian or markdown who wants a working setup without spending hours configuring plugins.

Avoid the temptation of over-customizing. Start simple and add features as you need them.

🌟 Quick Start

  1. Download this repo or get the latest release
  2. Open the folder in Obsidian
  3. Read the Welcome.md note

That's it.

📦 What's Included

For Beginners

  • No configuration needed - everything works out of the box
  • Start simple - basic notes now, advanced features later
  • Clear guidance - Welcome note and examples show what to do

For Getting Things Done

  • Clean interface - Minimal theme keeps you focused on writing
  • Auto-formatting - Notes format when you save (Ctrl + S)
  • Good search - Find notes quickly (Shift + Shift)

For Making It Yours

  • Flexible - Start simple, change it over time
  • Customizable - Add plugins, modify templates, tweak appearance
  • Portable - Works on all devices, syncs with cloud storage

🦋 Appearance & Experience

Uses the Minimal Theme with CSS snippets for readability:

  • Better tables and cleaner links
  • Dark PDF export for sharing notes
  • Compact UI elements for more screen space
  • Plugin-specific styling

🔌 Plugins Included

PluginPurposeWhy It's Here
HomepageOpens Welcome.md on launchAlways start somewhere familiar
OmnisearchSearch everythingFind notes even when you misspell
LinterAuto-format notesClean formatting when you save (Ctrl + S)
Advanced TablesBetter table editingTables don't fight back
Natural Language DatesType @today for today's noteFaster than typing dates
Tag WranglerManage tagsKeep tags organized
Editor ShortcutsCode-style shortcutsNavigate like VS Code

See Plugins Installed in the vault for the complete list.

📝 Templates Included

  • Daily Journal: Structured journaling and task tracking
  • Meeting Notes: Organized meetings with action items
  • Project Tracker: Project management with tasks and progress
  • Quick Note: Capture ideas without overthinking

📂 Vault Structure

obsidian-starter-vault/
├── .obsidian/          # Configuration (don't touch unless customizing)
├── assets/             # Images and files you add
├── journals/           # Your daily notes (auto-created)
├── projects/           # Project notes
├── templates/          # Note templates
├── Welcome.md          # Getting started guide
├── README.md           # This file
└── CHANGELOG.md        # Version history

🔁 Common Workflows

Daily Journaling

  1. Press Ctrl twice, type daily, hit Enter
  2. Write your thoughts
  3. Press Ctrl + S to format and save

Finding Notes

  • Quick search: Shift + Shift
  • Command palette: Ctrl + Ctrl
  • Link to notes: Type [[Note Name]]

Staying Organized

  • Tags: Use #tag-name for categorization
  • Folders: Create folders for broad topics
  • Links: Connect related ideas with [[links]]

🎨 Customization

When you're ready:

  • Themes: Settings → Appearance
  • Plugins: Settings → Community plugins
  • Templates: Edit files in templates/
  • CSS: Edit snippets in .obsidian/snippets/

🛠️ Need Help?

New to Obsidian?

Having Issues?

  • Try restarting Obsidian
  • Check that community plugins are enabled
  • Visit the Obsidian forum

Found a Bug?

Enjoying this?

  • Found this vault helpful? Buy me a coffee to support continued development

© License

Source code in this repository is available under the MIT License.


That's it. Go and take some notes!

Related

How to Install

  1. Download the ZIP or clone the repository
  2. Open the folder as a vault in Obsidian (File → Open Vault)
  3. Obsidian will prompt you to install required plugins

Stats

Stars

9

Forks

1

License

MIT

Last updated 3mo ago

Tags

opinionatedpersonal-knowledge-managementpkm