Run bob from Obsidian¶

Bob Command Mode lets you find and run bob commands without leaving the Obsidian desktop app. It uses the same versioned command catalog as the CLI, saves open Markdown editors before writes, and keeps output and run history in the command sheet.

Before you start¶

Use Obsidian on desktop with the Bob Command Mode plugin enabled.
Install a current bob release and make sure the plugin can find it on PATH. If it cannot, set Bob Command Mode → bob path to the executable.
For the : shortcut, enable Vim mode in Obsidian. The command is also available from the command palette as Bob: Command mode in any view.

Open the command sheet¶

In Vim normal mode, press :. Type a few letters such as sync, pdf, or keep to filter and rank matching commands. Use ↑ / ↓ or Ctrl+P / Ctrl+N to move through the rows. The sheet also shows recent runs, commands for the active note, and matching clipboard links when the query is empty.

Press Enter to run the selected row. Use ? after a query to show help for the selected bob command. Reports open in the output pager; other commands finish in an outcome card. The status-bar chip shows long-running work.

Preview and confirm¶

Use Shift+Enter to preview a row that supports preview. When the preview finishes, press Ctrl+Enter to apply it. A writer without a preview shows a confirmation card; press Ctrl+Enter or choose Run to confirm. Escape backs out of a preview or confirmation. Before a write, the plugin saves open Markdown editors and refuses to run if a save fails. It runs one writer at a time.

Pomodoro session rows are available for starting, stopping, extending, and shortening a session. Free-text bob capture TEXT is not part of command mode; use the dedicated capture workflow for free-text capture.

Run a command with arguments¶

Select a command and press Tab to enter argument mode. Type the arguments; Tab accepts the highlighted completion, ↑ / ↓ (or Ctrl+P / Ctrl+N) changes the selection, and Enter accepts it. Shift+Enter previews when supported, while Ctrl+Enter runs now. Escape returns to the command list.

You can also type a complete bob command line into the sheet. Arguments are parsed as words with shell-style quoting, but are passed directly to bob; no shell is started. Commands excluded from the catalog are refused. To run a Vim ex command instead, prefix it with : in the sheet (for example, :%s/foo/bar/) or use the Vim routing described below.

Read output and history¶

The pager streams standard output and errors, and saved output remains available after the command finishes. Use j / k to scroll, d / u for half-page movement, g / G for the top and bottom, / to search, and w to toggle wrapping. Press y to copy output, Y to copy the command, r to rerun, and [ / ] to step through run history. : returns to the list, Escape goes back, and q closes the sheet. Bob: Show last output opens the newest run; Bob: Rerun last command repeats its original arguments and preview setting.

Run records and output files live under ${XDG_STATE_HOME:-~/.local/state}/bob-cli/command-mode/runs/. This history is local to the host, not stored in the vault. The plugin keeps up to 50 runs for 14 days by default; change Keep runs or Keep days in plugin settings to adjust retention.

Keep Vim's ex line available¶

The vault Vim configuration binds : only in normal mode and keeps g: as the direct route to Vim's ex line:

exmap bob_command obcommand bob-command-mode:open
nnoremap : :bob_command<CR>
nnoremap g: :

Visual-mode : remains Vim's native range command. In the command sheet, :: switches to Vim's ex line. Vim-shaped input such as :%s/foo/bar/ or :42 is routed to Vim, and matching exmap commands appear as suggestions. The plugin warns about recursive mappings that replay :; change those maps to nnoremap so they do not reopen the command sheet recursively. If : does nothing, check that the exmap and nnoremap lines are present, then confirm the plugin itself is deployed: plugin folders are host-local and gitignored, so each desktop host needs its own bob plugins sync. bob plugins list should show bob-command-mode as synced and enabled; after enabling or deploying it, reload Obsidian so the new enabled list takes effect. Meanwhile g: still opens Vim's ex line.

If bob is not found¶

Set the bob path setting to the full path of the executable, then reopen the command sheet. In a terminal, command -v bob shows the path available to a shell. Obsidian launched from the Dock may have a different PATH; an explicit path avoids that difference. Update bob if its command catalog is older than the plugin expects.