Talon Obsidian Setup

Vault template with three dashboards: Agenda, Projects, and Repository (DataviewJS + Templater).

Repository: github.com/TalonSoftware-llc/Talon-Obsidian-Setup

Section	Jump to
Full setup (do this first)	Setup guide
How each tool works	Agenda · Projects · Repository
Git & license	Git · License

Setup guide

Follow these steps in order. After this section, you can use the three dashboards.

What you’re installing

Dashboard	Open this file
Agenda	`Tools/Agenda Dashboard.md`
Projects	`Tools/Project Dashboard.md`
Repository	`Tools/Repository.md`

The vault ships empty under Data/ (only placeholder folders). You add your own notes, missions, and projects.

Before you start

You need	Why
Obsidian (desktop)	Runs the app
Internet (first time)	Download community plugins
Git or a ZIP	Get this folder onto your machine

Step 1 — Get the vault onto your computer

Option A — Git clone

cd "C:\path\to\your\vaults"
git clone https://github.com/TalonSoftware-llc/Talon-Obsidian-Setup.git

You can rename the folder to anything (e.g. Work-vault). Vault root means that folder—the one that will contain Tools/, Templates/, Data/, .obsidian/.

Option B — ZIP

On GitHub: Code → Download ZIP → extract → use the extracted folder as the vault root (same as above).

Step 2 — Open it as an Obsidian vault

Open Obsidian.
Choose Open folder as vault (from the vault list, or Add vault → Open folder as vault).
Pick the vault root folder (must contain Tools/, Templates/, Data/, .obsidian/).

You should see Tools, Templates, Data, and z_archive in the sidebar.

Step 3 — Install the two required plugins

Everything in Tools/ expects Dataview and Templater.

Plugin	What it does
Dataview	Runs the dashboard scripts
Templater	Creates missions & projects from templates + runs `project_agenda_push.js`

Do this:

Settings → Community plugins → turn Safe mode off (confirm).
Browse → install Dataview and Templater.
Installed plugins → enable both.

This repo may already include .obsidian/plugins/. If Obsidian warns about versions, update or reinstall from Community plugins.

Other plugins listed in .obsidian/community-plugins.json are optional—you can turn them off for a minimal setup.

Step 4 — Point Templater at this vault’s folders

Settings → Templater
Set Template folder location to: Templates
Set User script folder to: Templates
(same folder as project_agenda_push.js)

Reload Obsidian after changing this (Community plugins → Reload or restart the app).
If Templater can’t load the script, project notes may show a short warning until this is fixed.

Step 5 — Enable the CSS snippets

Settings → Appearance → CSS snippets
Turn on every snippet that appears (files live in .obsidian/snippets/):

File	Role
`agenda-cards.css`	Agenda layout & week strip
`project-cards.css`	Project dashboard cards
`ideas-cards.css`	Repository / boards / modals
`plus-cards.css`	“+” controls
`status-buttons.css`	Status & archive buttons
`work-dashboard.css`	Shared dashboard styling

If something looks plain: toggle snippets off/on or reload Obsidian.

Step 6 — Where files go (quick map)

Path	Purpose
`Tools/*.md`	The three dashboards
`Templates/`	Templates + `project_agenda_push.js`
`Data/Tools/Agenda/Unfinished/`	Quick Agenda to-dos
`Data/Tools/Agenda/<Mission>/`	Mission folders
`Data/Tools/Projects/<Project>/`	Project folders
`Data/Tools/Repository/New/`	Capture inbox
`Data/` (outside `Tools/`)	Your Repository tree & `_board.md` boards
`z_archive/`	Archived agenda / projects / repository

More detail: Data/README.md and Data/Tools/README.md.

Step 7 — Git (optional)

Topic	Behavior
Committed	Vault notes, tools, templates, snippets
Ignored	`.obsidian/workspace.json`, OS junk, `Edit conflict` / `Name clash*` files
Daily use	Normal `git add` / `commit` / `push`

If you mix Git with Obsidian Sync (or similar), watch for duplicate files named with “Edit conflict”.

Setup is done. Open Tools/Agenda Dashboard.md in Reading view, then explore Projects and Repository.
Below is reference-only detail for each tool.

Agenda

Entry: Tools/Agenda Dashboard.md (use Reading view)

Item type	Where it lives
Quick to-dos	`Data/Tools/Agenda/Unfinished/*.md`
Missions	`Data/Tools/Agenda/<MissionName>/<MissionName>.md`
Archived standalones	`z_archive/Tools/Agenda/`

Unfinished notes

Put schedule: YYYY-MM-DD in YAML when you want a due day (legacy due / scheduled still work).
Checking boxes updates completion in frontmatter.
Completed items from past days can move to z_archive/Tools/Agenda when the dashboard loads.

Missions

One folder per mission; main note name = folder name.
New mission: Templater → Templates/Objective Template.md.

Past days

Pick a past date on the week UI to see archived items for that day.

Projects

Entry: Tools/Project Dashboard.md

Item type	Where it lives
Projects	`Data/Tools/Projects/<ProjectName>/`
Completed / scrapped	`z_archive/Tools/Projects/Completed/` or `…/Scrapped/`

Active vs backlog

Controlled by frontmatter status: started or unstarted (not by folder name).

Main note

Example: Data/Tools/Projects/MyThing/MyThing.md
Typical fields: dashboard-include: true, priority, tags (project, etc.)

Tasks

Use - [ ] / - [x] markdown tasks (a ## Tasks section keeps things clear).
Agenda push uses Templater’s project_agenda_push.js to add items under Agenda/Unfinished/.

New project

+ New project on the dashboard → Templates/Project Folder Template.md.

Archive

Use Archive — Completed / Archive — Scrapped on the project note (moves the whole folder).

Repository

Entry: Tools/Repository.md

Slider side	What it does
New	Inbox: `Data/Tools/Repository/New/` (plus Developing when notes use the `developing` tag)
Repository	Browse folders under vault-root `Data/` (the UI hides `Data/Tools/` at the top level)

Boards

Under Data/ (not under Data/Tools/), use three folder layers, then a folder with _board.md plus your notes. Details live in Tools/Repository.md and Data/README.md.

Archive

Retired material can go in z_archive/Repository/.

Git

This matches Step 7 in the Setup guide: commit your vault as usual; .gitignore skips workspace JSON and common conflict-file patterns; if you use Obsidian Sync plus Git, watch for “Edit conflict” duplicates.

License

See LICENSE in this repo.

If you use a parent vault with its own AGENTS.md, that file may describe alternate roots (e.g. Work/Data/...). This template assumes paths like Data/Tools/... from vault root.