Obsidian Workspaces, Tabs & Recents
When to Use This Skill
| Use this skill when... | Use the alternative instead when... |
|---|---|
| Inspecting the current workspace tree, tabs, or recently opened files | Reading or writing note content — use vault-files |
| Saving / loading layouts via the Workspaces core plugin | Switching between vaults — use vault-management |
| Opening a file into a specific tab group | Triggering a generic UI command — use command-palette |
The Workspaces core plugin must be enabled for workspace:save / :load /
:delete and the workspaces list to return data. tabs, tab:open,
recents, and the bare workspace tree command work without it.
Prerequisites
- Obsidian desktop 1.12.7+ installer with CLI enabled
- Obsidian must be running
- For saved-layout commands: enable the Workspaces core plugin
Inspect the Current Workspace
# Tree of the active workspace (groups, splits, leaves)
obsidian workspace
# Include item IDs (needed for tab:open group=)
obsidian workspace ids
Tabs
# Open tabs in the active window
obsidian tabs
# Include tab IDs
obsidian tabs ids
# Open a file into a new tab (defaults to active group)
obsidian tab:open file="Notes/Recipe"
# Open into a specific group (use ids from `obsidian workspace ids` or `obsidian tabs ids`)
obsidian tab:open group=<group-id> file="Notes/Recipe"
# Open a non-file view (graph, file explorer, etc.)
obsidian tab:open view=graph
obsidian tab:open view=file-explorer
Recent Files
# Recently opened files (tab history)
obsidian recents
# Just the count
obsidian recents total
Saved Workspaces (core plugin)
# All saved layouts
obsidian workspaces
obsidian workspaces total
# Save the current layout
obsidian workspace:save name="Writing"
# Switch to a saved layout
obsidian workspace:load name="Writing"
# Delete a saved layout
obsidian workspace:delete name="Writing"
Common Patterns
"What is the user looking at right now?"
obsidian workspace
obsidian tabs
obsidian recents
"Open these three notes side-by-side, then save the layout"
obsidian open file="Brief"
obsidian command id=workspace:split-vertical
obsidian tab:open file="Spec"
obsidian command id=workspace:split-vertical
obsidian tab:open file="Notes"
obsidian workspace:save name="Triage"
"Restore the writing layout for a focused session"
obsidian workspace:load name="Writing"
"Open the graph view in a new tab"
obsidian tab:open view=graph
Agentic Optimizations
| Context | Command |
|---|---|
| Workspace tree | obsidian workspace |
| Workspace with IDs | obsidian workspace ids |
| Open tabs | obsidian tabs |
| Recently opened | obsidian recents |
| Open file in new tab | obsidian tab:open file=X |
| Open view (graph, etc.) | obsidian tab:open view=Y |
| List saved layouts | obsidian workspaces |
| Switch layout | obsidian workspace:load name=X |
| Save layout | obsidian workspace:save name=X |
Related Skills
- vault-files — Read or write the file you just opened
- command-palette —
workspace:split-vertical,workspace:split-horizontal, etc. - vault-management — Switch vaults before inspecting their workspace