Trigger QuickAdd from outside Obsidian

You can run a QuickAdd choice from a launcher, a script, a scheduled job, or a link in a note - without opening Obsidian and clicking around, and without any extra plugins. There are two built-in ways in:

• The obsidian://quickadd link, for anything that can open a URL.
• The Obsidian CLI, for anything that runs a shell command, like a scheduled job.

You do not need the Advanced URI plugin for this. QuickAdd has its own handler.

Get the choice ready

Before you automate a choice:

1. Give it a unique name. Triggers select by choice name, and if two choices share a name, QuickAdd runs the first match it finds.
2. Use named values for anything you want to pass in from outside, for example {{VALUE:entry}} or {{VALUE:project}}.
3. Keep prompts out of scheduled jobs where you can. A scheduled job works best when every required value is passed up front.

You can list your choices from the CLI to confirm names and ids:

obsidian vault="My Vault" quickadd:list

Build the link

The shortcut and in-note recipes below all open the same link shape - the vault to run in, the choice to run, plus a value-<name> parameter for each named value you want to pass (everything URL-encoded). Scheduled jobs use the CLI instead of a link.

obsidian://quickadd?vault=My%20Vault&choice=Daily%20log&value-entry=Finished%20review

The full link reference - the parameter breakdown, passing values, |trim, which placeholders can’t be filled from a link, and the opt-in callback links like x-success - is on Open QuickAdd from a URI.

Trigger from a desktop shortcut

Any desktop shortcut or launcher that can open a URL can open obsidian://quickadd.

macOS

Use Shortcuts with an Open URLs action, or run:

/usr/bin/open 'obsidian://quickadd?vault=My%20Vault&choice=Daily%20log'

If you use a shell command, quote the whole link. The & character has special meaning in shells unless it is quoted.

Windows

For a desktop shortcut target or launcher command, use:

cmd.exe /c start "" "obsidian://quickadd?vault=My%20Vault&choice=Daily%20log"

The empty "" is intentional. In cmd.exe start, the first quoted string is the window title, not the command to run.

Linux

Use xdg-open from a desktop session:

xdg-open 'obsidian://quickadd?vault=My%20Vault&choice=Daily%20log'

For a .desktop launcher, put the command in a small shell script and point Exec at that script. This avoids desktop-file escaping problems with the percent signs in URL-encoded values:

#!/usr/bin/env sh
xdg-open 'obsidian://quickadd?vault=My%20Vault&choice=Daily%20log'

[Desktop Entry]
Type=Application
Name=Daily log
Exec=/home/alice/bin/quickadd-daily-log
Terminal=false

Run QuickAdd on a schedule

QuickAdd has no built-in background scheduler. Use your operating system’s scheduler to run Obsidian’s native CLI command:

obsidian vault="My Vault" quickadd:run choice="Daily log" value-entry="Scheduled check"

quickadd:run is non-interactive by default - a choice that still needs input returns JSON with missingFlags instead of opening prompts, and quickadd:check tells you up front what to pass. Those semantics, the ui flag for runs that may prompt, and the rest of the commands are covered in the QuickAdd CLI reference; this section is about wiring the command into each platform’s scheduler.

Caution

Use full paths in schedulers. They usually do not load the same PATH as your terminal.

macOS launchd

Use the full path from command -v obsidian. In a launchd plist, pass each argument as its own string:

<key>ProgramArguments</key>
<array>
  <string>/opt/homebrew/bin/obsidian</string>
  <string>vault=My Vault</string>
  <string>quickadd:run</string>
  <string>choice=Daily log</string>
  <string>value-entry=Scheduled check</string>
</array>

Depending on your install, the Obsidian CLI path may be /usr/local/bin/obsidian instead.

Windows Task Scheduler

Use Obsidian.com, not Obsidian.exe, for CLI commands:

Program/script:
C:\Users\alice\AppData\Local\Obsidian\Obsidian.com

Arguments:
vault="My Vault" quickadd:run choice="Daily log" value-entry="Scheduled check"

For a scheduled URI action instead, run:

Program/script:
cmd.exe

Arguments:
/c start "" "obsidian://quickadd?vault=My%20Vault&choice=Daily%20log"

URI actions need a logged-in desktop session. In Task Scheduler, use “Run only when user is logged on” for URL-opening tasks.

Linux cron or systemd user timers

Use the full CLI path:

0 9 * * * /home/alice/.local/bin/obsidian vault="My Vault" quickadd:run choice="Daily log" value-entry="Scheduled check"

Run GUI-related jobs only from your user desktop session. If a cron job cannot reach your desktop session, prefer a systemd user timer or run the command from your desktop environment’s scheduler.

Add links and buttons to a note

Plain Markdown links work well for dashboard notes:

[New idea](obsidian://quickadd?vault=My%20Vault&choice=New%20idea)
[Log work](obsidian://quickadd?vault=My%20Vault&choice=Work%20log&value-project=QuickAdd)

Clicking the link runs the choice.

If you use a button plugin for styling, point it at the same obsidian://quickadd link. Another QuickAdd-native option is to enable the command toggle on the choice, then configure the button to run the generated Obsidian command for that choice.

Troubleshooting

• Nothing happens: make sure QuickAdd is enabled in the selected vault and that the choice name is encoded and spelled exactly.
• The wrong choice runs: rename choices so the externally triggered choice name is unique.
• A scheduled run returns JSON instead of capturing: the choice still needs input. Copy each entry from the returned missingFlags into your command and replace <value> with the value you want to pass.
• The command works in a terminal but not from a scheduler: use the full path to the Obsidian CLI, and make sure the job runs in your user desktop session.
• An older thread suggests obsidian://advanced-uri?...: replace it with obsidian://quickadd?.... QuickAdd has its own URI handler.