siyuan-note/siyuan · error

Obsidian Vault config directory is missing

Error message

Obsidian Vault config directory is missing

What it means

A sentinel error returned when the .obsidian configuration subdirectory is missing or malformed inside the selected Vault root. validateObsidianVaultRoot stats `<vault>/.obsidian`: if it does not exist (os.IsNotExist), or if it exists but is not a directory or is itself a symlink/reparse point, this error is returned. It is also the error that distinguishes a genuine Obsidian Vault from an arbitrary Markdown folder. The obsidianVaultErrorLanguage helper maps it to i18n key 339.

Source

Thrown at kernel/model/import_obsidian.go:233

	return err.Cause.Error()
}

func (err *obsidianUserError) Unwrap() error {
	return err.Cause
}

func newObsidianUserError(detailLanguage int, relPath string, cause error) error {
	return &obsidianUserError{DetailLanguage: detailLanguage, RelPath: relPath, Cause: cause}
}

var (
	obsidianTasksMu                 sync.Mutex
	obsidianTasks                   = map[string]*obsidianTask{}
	obsidianActive                  string
	errObsidianVaultUnreadable      = errors.New("Obsidian Vault is unreadable")
	errObsidianVaultNotDirectory    = errors.New("Obsidian Vault path is not a directory")
	errObsidianVaultUnsafePath      = errors.New("Obsidian Vault path is unsafe")
	errObsidianVaultConfigMissing   = errors.New("Obsidian Vault config directory is missing")
	errObsidianVaultMarkdownMissing = errors.New("Obsidian Vault has no readable Markdown")
	errObsidianSourceChanged        = errors.New("Obsidian source file changed")

	obsidianBlockIDPattern  = regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)(?:^|[ \t])\^([A-Za-z0-9-]+)[ \t]*$`)
	obsidianQuotePattern    = regexp.MustCompile(`^((?:[ \t]*>[ \t]?)+)(.*)$`)
	obsidianListItemPattern = regexp.MustCompile(`^([ \t]*(?:[-+*]|\d+[.)])[ \t]+)(.*)$`)
	obsidianFootnotePattern = regexp.MustCompile(`(?m)\[\^[^\]\r\n]+\]`)
)

func StartObsidianVaultAnalysis(localPath string) (*ObsidianVaultTask, error) {
	var replacedTaskID string
	obsidianTasksMu.Lock()
	if obsidianActive != "" {
		if active := obsidianTasks[obsidianActive]; active != nil && !isObsidianTerminalState(active.State) {
			if !isObsidianPreImportState(active.State) {
				obsidianTasksMu.Unlock()
				return nil, errors.New(Conf.Language(329))
			}

View on GitHub (pinned to 251596fc0d)

Solutions

1. Confirm the selected directory was opened in Obsidian at least once, which creates the .obsidian folder.
2. If migrating/copying the Vault, ensure hidden directories are included (.obsidian is hidden by default on Unix).
3. Select the immediate parent of the .obsidian folder as the Vault root — not a level above or below.
4. If .obsidian is a symlink, replace it with the actual directory or point at the real Vault location.

Example fix

// before: plain md folder with no .obsidian
localPath := "/home/user/just-markdown"
// -> errObsidianVaultConfigMissing

// after: use a real Obsidian Vault root
localPath := "/home/user/MyVault" // contains /home/user/MyVault/.obsidian/

// Confirm the .obsidian config directory exists and is a real directory
func ensureObsidianConfig(vaultDir string) error {
    cfg := filepath.Join(vaultDir, ".obsidian")
    info, err := os.Lstat(cfg)
    if err != nil { return fmt.Errorf(".obsidian config missing: %w", err) }
    if !info.IsDir() { return errors.New(".obsidian is not a directory") }
    if info.Mode()&os.ModeSymlink != 0 { return errors.New(".obsidian is a symlink") }
    return nil
}

if _, err := model.StartObsidianVaultAnalysis(localPath); err != nil {
    if errors.Is(err, errObsidianVaultConfigMissing) {
        return errors.New("this folder is not an Obsidian Vault (no .obsidian config found); open it in Obsidian first")
    }
}

When it happens

Trigger: POST /api/import/startObsidianVaultAnalysis with a directory that has no .obsidian subfolder (i.e. it is not actually an Obsidian Vault), or where .obsidian is a file/symlink rather than a real directory.

Common situations: Selecting a plain folder of Markdown files that was never opened in Obsidian; selecting a folder that was an Obsidian Vault but the .obsidian dir was deleted or not copied; .obsidian is a symlink (some sync setups symlink it); the user is confused about which folder is the Vault root and picked a parent or child.

Related errors

• Obsidian Vault is unreadable
• Obsidian Vault path is not a directory
• Obsidian Vault path is unsafe
• Obsidian Vault has no readable Markdown
• Obsidian source file changed

AI-assisted analysis of siyuan-note/siyuan@251596fc0d (2026-08-12). Data as JSON: /api/errors/0aae26a4799f5bfa. Report an issue: GitHub.