mdbase-cli

mdbase-cli

Command-line tool for working with mdbase collections. Validates, queries, and performs CRUD operations on markdown document collections. Can also execute Obsidian .base files.

Install

Requires Node.js 22+ and the mdbase library.

git clone https://github.com/callumalpass/mdbase.git
git clone https://github.com/callumalpass/mdbase-cli.git
cd mdbase && npm ci && cd ..
cd mdbase-cli && npm ci && npm run build

The CLI is available as mdbase via the bin entry, or run directly with:

node dist/cli.js

Usage

mdbase <command> [options]

Global option:

• -C, --collection <alias> Run a command against a registered collection alias (from mdbase collections add).

Core commands

Command	Description
validate	Validate documents against their type schemas
query	Query documents with filters and sorting
read	Read a single document by path or ID
create	Create a new document
update	Update an existing document
delete	Delete a document
rename	Rename a document
types	List or inspect registered types

Obsidian Bases

Command	Description
base run	Execute an Obsidian .base file

Additional commands

Command	Description
init	Initialize a new mdbase collection
lint	Lint documents for common issues
fmt	Format document frontmatter
export	Export documents to CSV or JSON
import	Import documents from CSV or JSON
graph	Show link graph between documents
stats	Print collection statistics
watch	Watch for file changes and re-validate
diff	Show differences between document versions
schema	Generate or inspect type schemas
collections	Manage named collection registry entries

Fuzzy picker

mdbase-fzf provides an interactive two-step picker powered by fzf:

• Choose a type (includes untype for files without a type).
• Browse matching files with key fields (display/title-style fields are prioritized), preview, then open in your editor.

Requirements: fzf and jq on PATH.

mdbase-fzf

Examples

Validate all documents in the current directory:

mdbase validate .

Query documents of a given type:

mdbase query "status = published" --types note --sort created --limit 10

Execute an Obsidian .base file:

mdbase base run my-view.base

Export to CSV:

mdbase export . --type note --format csv -o notes.csv

Initialize and register a collection alias:

mdbase init --register work

List markdown files from all registered collections:

mdbase collections files --format paths

Example applications

Project	Description
mdbase-workouts	Workout tracker with chat interface, built on mdbase

Spec

mdbase-cli implements the mdbase specification.

License

MIT