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Troubleshooting — Vault & Obsidian

Vault folders missing (00-CORE, 10-ME, etc.)

You opened the wrong folder. Obsidian must be pointed at the vault root — the folder that contains CLAUDE.md.

  1. File → Open vault → Open folder as vault
  2. Navigate to the folder containing CLAUDE.md, getting_started.md, 00-CORE/, etc.
  3. Select that folder (not a subfolder inside it)

"Trust author and enable plugins" prompt skipped

If you clicked "No" or dismissed the prompt, plugins are disabled:

  1. Settings → Community plugins
  2. Toggle Enable community plugins ON
  3. Restart Obsidian if plugins still don't appear

Dataview queries show no results

  • Dataview plugin must be installed and enabled
  • Queries depend on frontmatter type: fields — check the note has correct frontmatter
  • Run BRAT's Check for updates if Dataview is missing

Excalidraw / Canvas files won't open

  • These require specific plugins (Excalidraw, JSON Canvas support)
  • Run Settings → BRAT → Check for updates to install missing plugins
  • Canvas is built into Obsidian 1.1+ — update if needed (Help → Check for updates)

Obsidian opens a second window instead of the existing vault

The vault name in Advanced URI or CLI commands must match exactly (case-sensitive) what Obsidian has registered.

Check registered name: Settings → About → Vault name

  • getting_started — Opening the vault for the first time
  • ts_install — Plugin installation issues
  • MOC-troubleshoot — All troubleshooting areas