Install everything with one command¶

This guide installs Bob from a source checkout, deploys the Obsidian plugins when a vault is present, and on macOS installs Mac Capture from a sibling checkout.

Before you start¶

You need a bob-cli Git checkout, a current stable Rust toolchain that supports edition 2024, just, and git. Keep sibling checkouts next to it when you want plugins or Mac Capture:

/home/alex/src/bobs-org/
├── bob-cli/
├── bob-plugins/
└── bob-mac-capture/

A vault at BOB_DIR or ~/bob is required before the plugin step runs. See Requirements and compatibility for platforms and floors. To install only the CLI, use Install Bob instead.

1. Run the installer from bob-cli¶

cd /home/alex/src/bobs-org/bob-cli
just install-all

The recipe pulls this checkout with --ff-only, installs bob, then pulls and deploys ../bob-plugins with bob plugins sync --no-pull --repo. On macOS it also pulls and installs ../bob-mac-capture. Confirm each named row in the summary: bob-cli, bob-plugins, bob-mac-capture, and obsidian.

Output

  ✓  bob-cli           installed
  ✓  bob-plugins       synced
  -  bob-mac-capture   skipped (not macOS)
  -  obsidian          skipped (not running)

Glyphs mark ok, warn, fail, skip, or a restart. A failed row makes the command exit 1.

2. Read skips and warnings¶

Missing siblings are skipped unless the run is interactive and you accept a clone into that sibling path. bob-plugins is offered only when the Obsidian vault exists; bob-mac-capture only on macOS. A non-interactive run, a declined clone, and a missing vault skip those steps. Pull failures warn and keep the local checkout.

On macOS, just install-all passes no signing identity. Mac Capture then uses the stable local identity when the login keychain has it. Signing details live in README › Signing and Install › Signing.

3. Confirm the CLI answers¶

bob --version

Output

bob 0.2.0

The printed version changes over time. The check passes when the command prints a version and exits 0.

Restart Obsidian¶

After a clean run, just install-all restarts a running Obsidian only when bob plugins sync copied at least one file. It previews the sync with bob plugins sync --dry-run --format json. On macOS it quits and relaunches Obsidian; the first run may ask for Automation permission. Before the quit, it posts a Notification Center banner titled Restarting Obsidian with subtitle bob install-all. The banner titled Obsidian needs a restart posts instead when a failed step or a failed quit/relaunch leaves the new plugins unloaded. macOS files the banner under Script Editor. A denied banner does not change the restart. On Linux it uses the Obsidian CLI restart when that CLI is registered at ~/.local/bin/obsidian. A stopped Obsidian is never launched. The pending marker lives under ~/.local/state/bob-cli/install-all/.

If it goes wrong¶

A failed clone, a failed just install, or a failed plugin sync exits 1 and leaves earlier successful rows in place. Rerun just install-all after fixing the reported step. If plugins copied into the vault but Obsidian did not reload, the next run retries that restart. Do not pass --force to the Cargo install.