Quick Actions

Configurable quick actions for common vault operations. Build custom commands from composable steps.

Features

• Composable step pipelines - chain steps into a single command
• Visible data flow - every step shows what it can use from the steps above it and what it hands down; variables are pills, not text you have to remember
• Test runs - run an action up to any step with real prompts and models, see every captured value, and write nothing
• LLM integration - call Anthropic or OpenAI models as steps, with the reply available to later steps
• Multiple named models - configure several models and choose per step which to use
• File creation and editing - create new files or insert text under a heading in an existing file
• Interactive inputs - ask for text, pick a file from a folder, present a list of options, or type a task into the Quick Tasks box
• Auto-registered commands - every action becomes an Obsidian command, reachable from the command palette, a hotkey, or its URI
• Mobile support - works on desktop and mobile (the pill editor falls back to a plain text field on mobile)

Step types

Steps are grouped by what they do. Steps that produce a value name their output; later steps use it as {{name}}.

Group	Step	What it does	Output
Ask	Ask me	A question with a text box (single or multi-line)	text
Ask	Choice	Pick one option from a list	text
Ask	Pick a file	Choose a note from a folder	file
Ask	Quick task	Type a task into the Quick Tasks quick-add box (dates, !priority, #tags, @project, repeat phrases) and create its note. Optional project link and prefilled text. Requires Quick Tasks	file
Generate	Ask a model	Send a system and user prompt to a configured model, keep the reply	text
Do	Create file	Write a new note from a templated path and content	file
Do	Insert in section	Add text under a heading in a note, at the start or end of the section	nothing
Do	Open file	Open a note, optionally scrolled to a heading	nothing

A file output is a vault path. Insert in section and Open file take a file as their target, so a Create file step followed by Open file with target {{note}} opens the note that was just created.

Quick task produces the new task note, so Insert in section with the text ![[{{task}}]] embeds it in another note as Quick Tasks' live widget, and Open file with target {{task}} opens it. Its Project field (a note from an earlier step, or a path) becomes the task's project link; Prefill is typed into the box before you start. Without the Quick Tasks plugin the step fails with a notice and the editor shows a warning on the step. A test run opens the box and reports what it would create without writing the note.

Variables

Every templated field (paths, content, prompts, targets, sections) accepts {{name}}. In the editor these render as pills. Type {{ to pick from what is available at that step, click a pill in the In band to insert it at the caret, or press the { } button. Pills that nothing above produces render red.

Built-in variables (available in every step):

Variable	Value
{{date}}	Current date as YYYY-MM-DD
{{time}}	Current time as HH:mm
{{timestamp}}	Current timestamp as YYYYMMDDHHmmss

Step outputs - each producing step names its output in the Out band. Click the name to rename it; every later use is rewritten. Names must be a single word (letters, digits, underscores) that no other step produces.

The action editor

The editor is a two-pane modal: the steps on the left, the selected step on the right.

• In band - every value this step could use. Tinted pills are used by this step, outlined ones are available, blue ones are files.
• Fields - what the step needs. Templated fields hold pills.
• Out band - what this step produces, and which later steps use it.
• Add step - a grouped picker (Ask, Generate, Do). Steps reorder by drag or from the ⋯ menu.
• Test run / Run to here - runs the steps up to the selected one. Prompts and models are real, nothing is written to the vault. The rail shows each captured value, and the Last run view of a step shows the prompt that was sent with every substituted value marked, what it produced, and what the next step would create. Run step N too continues the same run without asking again. Discard run returns to editing.
• Save (or Cmd-Enter) writes the action; Cancel discards every change.

LLM integration

Setting up models

1. Store the API key in Settings > Keychain.
2. Go to Settings > Quick Actions > Models and click Add model.
3. Give it a name (this is what steps show), choose a provider, enter the model ID, and pick the Keychain secret.
4. Press Test to confirm the key and model ID; the reply time and model ID appear inline, or the provider's error.

Several models can be configured (a fast one for classification, a capable one for drafting) and each Ask a model step picks one. A step with no model set uses the first one.

Supported providers

Provider	API	Auth header
Anthropic	Messages API (/v1/messages)	x-api-key
OpenAI	Chat Completions API (/v1/chat/completions)	Authorization: Bearer

Starters

An empty settings page offers three starters that open a prefilled editor: Capture a note (ask, create a note, open it), Append to a log (pick a log, ask for an entry, insert it under a heading), and Draft with a model (ask for an idea, have a model draft it, save and open the draft). Nothing is stored until you save.

Examples

Capture Fleeting Note

Step	Type	Details
1	Ask me	"Fleeting thought:", multi-line, output thought
2	Create file	Path Inbox/F-{{timestamp}}, content includes {{thought}}, output note
3	Open file	Target {{note}}

Draft Slipbox Note

Step	Type	Details
1	Ask me	"Rough idea or observation:", multi-line, output idea
2	Ask a model (Opus)	Drafts the note body from {{idea}}, output draft
3	Ask a model (Haiku)	Generates a short title from {{draft}} and {{idea}}, output title
4	Create file	Path Slipbox/{{timestamp}} - {{title}}, content uses {{title}}, {{draft}}, {{idea}}, output note
5	Open file	Target {{note}}, scrolled to ## Description

Development

npm install
npm run build   # bundle to main.js
npm run deploy  # build, copy into $OBSIDIAN_VAULT (default ~/Obsidian) and reload the plugin
npm run lint    # eslint with the obsidianmd rules
npm test        # unit tests for the pure modules (variables, step table)

Installation

Manual

git clone https://github.com/matiasvc/obsidian-quick-actions.git
cd obsidian-quick-actions
npm install
npm run build

Then copy main.js, manifest.json, and styles.css to your vault's .obsidian/plugins/obsidian-quick-actions/ directory and enable the plugin in Settings > Community plugins.

License

MIT