Keep going
You searched, audited, and organised your Obsidian vault by talking to Gemini CLI. Let's look at what you achieved and where to go next.
What you built
- Searched your entire vault instantly by asking in plain language
- Audited tags and spotted inconsistencies without memorising commands
- Found orphan notes, broken links, and dead ends by describing what you wanted
- Renamed and moved files by telling AI what to do
- Built a cleaner, more connected vault — all for free
What you learned
The key insight: vault maintenance is not a one-time event — it is a habit. Just like tidying your desk or clearing your inbox, a quick monthly review keeps your vault useful and findable. With Gemini CLI, that review is as easy as having a conversation.
- How to search your vault by describing what you are looking for
- How to audit tags, orphan notes, and broken links in plain language
- How to move and rename files by telling AI what to do
- How to check backlinks and understand your vault's connections
- How to use voice input with Wispr Flow for a hands-free experience
- How to use Gemini CLI as a vault maintenance tool
Monthly vault review
Build a habit of reviewing your vault once a month. Open Gemini CLI and work through these prompts:
-
Find orphan notes — connect or archive forgotten notes
Say this or copy this promptShow me all orphan notes in my vault -
Fix broken links — repair links that point to notes that no longer exist
Say this or copy this promptAre there any broken links in my vault? -
Clean up tags — spot and fix tag inconsistencies
Say this or copy this promptList all my tags with counts — are there any that look like duplicates? -
Track your vault growth — see how your vault is evolving
Say this or copy this promptHow many files are in my vault now? -
Archive old notes — move notes you no longer need to an Archive folder
Say this or copy this promptMove the note called Old Meeting Notes to my Archive folder
This takes about 10 minutes and keeps your vault clean and useful.
Try these prompts
Discover notes that might need better organisation.
Find all notes in my vault that have no tags
See which notes are the longest and shortest.
Show me a word count comparison of all my notes
Get an overview of everything you have written about a subject.
Search my vault for anything about productivity and summarise it
See what you have been working on lately.
Show me all notes I created or modified this month
Find your most-connected notes
Discover the hubs of your vault — notes with the most backlinks:
Which notes in my vault have the most backlinks? Show me the top 10
Notes with many backlinks are often your most important or most referenced notes. Consider giving them clear names and keeping them well-structured.
Bulk organise by topic
Ask Gemini CLI to help you sort a whole category of notes at once:
Find all notes in my vault related to recipes and move them into a folder called Recipes
Gemini CLI will identify the relevant notes and move them one by one, updating links as it goes.
Create a note with metadata
Ask Gemini CLI to create a structured note with properties already attached:
Create a new note called Weekly Review with headings for What Went Well, What Could Improve, and Next Week's Goals. Add tags for review and reflection.
Properties and tags help you filter and organise notes later.
Try another tutorial
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Reflect
What did you discover about your vault that surprised you?
Many people are surprised by how many orphan notes they have, or by tag inconsistencies they never noticed. Asking AI to audit your vault gives you a bird's-eye view that is hard to get just by browsing folders in the app.
How did using natural language change the experience?
Instead of memorising commands and flags, you described what you wanted and AI figured out how to do it. This is a different way of working with tools — one where the barrier to entry is just being able to explain what you need.
What other tools or workflows would benefit from this approach?
Think about your email inbox, your file system, your bookmarks, your project management tool. The same principles apply — regular review, consistent naming, and cleaning up what you no longer need. The natural language approach you practised here transfers to any system where information accumulates.
Resources
| Resource | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|
| Gemini CLI | Google's free AI assistant for the terminal | github.com/google-gemini/gemini-cli |
| Wispr Flow | Voice-to-text tool for hands-free input | wisprflow.ai |
| Obsidian | Free note-taking app with local storage | obsidian.md |
| Obsidian CLI docs | Documentation for the Obsidian CLI plugin | obsidian.md/cli |
| Obsidian Forum | Community forum for questions and tips | forum.obsidian.md |
Thank you for completing this tutorial! You went from a messy vault to a cleaner, more connected one — and you did it all by talking to AI. Take this skill with you and enjoy a vault that actually works for you.