# Obsidian config — shared global config via git submodule

A single, shared Obsidian configuration used by **every** vault.

Each vault's `.obsidian/` directory is a **git submodule** pointing at one repo —
the global config:

```
ssh://git@gitea.bchen.dev:2222/brendan/obsidian-global-config.git   (remote: origin)
```

```
vault-A/.obsidian ─┐
vault-B/.obsidian ─┼──submodule──► obsidian-global-config   (one source of truth)
vault-C/.obsidian ─┘
```

Change a setting once, push it, and pull it down in every other vault. There is no
per-vault tier and no vault-specific fork — everything tracked here is shared
everywhere. Anything that should *not* be shared is machine-local and gitignored.

> **History:** this config used to be two-tier (a per-vault fork with the global repo as
> `upstream`). That has been collapsed — the per-vault repo and its remote are gone, and
> the global repo is now the single `origin`. If you ever need the old vault-specific
> data (e.g. the former `bookmarks.json`), it still lives in the retired
> `obsidian-config` repo's history.

## Tiers

| Tier | Examples | Tracked? |
|---|---|---|
| **Shared** (everywhere) | `app.json`, `appearance.json`, `hotkeys.json`, `templates.json`, `daily-notes.json`, `core-plugins.json`, `community-plugins.json`, `types.json`, `themes/**`, plugin code, plugin `data.json` | ✅ tracked in this repo → flows to every vault |
| **Machine-local** (not synced) | `workspace.json`, `workspace-mobile.json`, `workspaces.json`, `.DS_Store` | ❌ gitignored (see `.gitignore`) — stays on the one machine |

If a setting starts diverging per-machine, add it to `.gitignore`. There is no longer a
per-vault tier — keep everything tracked truly shareable.

## Daily workflow

Run these from a **vault root** (the directory that contains `.obsidian` as a submodule).
All `git -C .obsidian …` commands operate inside the submodule.

### Change a setting and publish it to all vaults

```bash
# 1. Make the change (edit in Obsidian, or edit the JSON directly)
git -C .obsidian add -A
git -C .obsidian commit -m "Describe the config change"
git -C .obsidian push                       # publish to the global repo (origin)

# 2. Record the new submodule pointer in this vault's repo
git add .obsidian && git commit -m "Bump obsidian config" && git push
```

### Pull the latest global config into a vault

```bash
git -C .obsidian pull                        # fast-forward to the latest global config
# or, equivalently, from the vault root:
git submodule update --remote .obsidian

git add .obsidian && git commit -m "Bump obsidian config" && git push   # record the pointer
```

> Restart Obsidian (or reload the vault) after pulling config so it re-reads the JSON.

---

# Working with git submodules — comprehensive how-to

`.obsidian` being a submodule means the **vault repo** stores only a *pointer* (a commit
SHA) to the config repo, not its files. The two repos have independent histories. This
section covers everything you'll need.

## Mental model

- The **vault repo** tracks your notes **plus** a pointer entry for `.obsidian`.
- The **config repo** (`obsidian-global-config`) holds the actual `.obsidian` files.
- `git status` in the vault shows `.obsidian` as a single line:
  - `modified: .obsidian (new commits)` → the submodule is checked out at a different
    commit than the pointer recorded in the vault repo. Fix by committing the pointer
    (`git add .obsidian && git commit`) or by resetting the submodule.
  - `modified: .obsidian (modified content)` → there are uncommitted edits *inside* the
    submodule.
- `.gitmodules` (in the vault root) maps the submodule path → its URL. `git submodule
  sync` copies that URL into the vault's `.git/config` for local use.

## Cloning a vault that uses this submodule

```bash
# Clone the vault and its submodule in one step:
git clone --recurse-submodules <vault-repo-url>

# Already cloned without --recurse-submodules? Initialize after the fact:
git submodule update --init --recursive
```

## Adding the config to a brand-new vault

Do this **before opening the vault in Obsidian** — Obsidian auto-creates a default
`.obsidian/` on first open, which blocks `submodule add`. Delete any auto-created one first.

```bash
cd /path/to/new-vault
rm -rf .obsidian        # only if Obsidian already created a default one
git submodule add ssh://git@gitea.bchen.dev:2222/brendan/obsidian-global-config.git .obsidian
git commit -m "Add shared obsidian config submodule"
```

On first open the vault starts in **Restricted Mode** — click **Trust author and enable
plugins** to load the configured community plugins.

## Pulling submodule updates

```bash
# Update this one submodule to the latest commit on its tracked branch:
git submodule update --remote .obsidian

# Update every submodule in the repo:
git submodule update --remote --merge

# Plain `git pull` in the vault updates the *pointer* but NOT the submodule contents.
# Follow it with this to actually check out the recorded commit:
git submodule update --init --recursive
```

> Tip: `git config --global submodule.recurse true` makes `git pull` / `git checkout`
> update submodules automatically.

## Making and pushing changes from inside the submodule

```bash
cd .obsidian
git checkout main                 # submodules often land in DETACHED HEAD — see gotchas
# … make changes …
git add -A && git commit -m "…"
git push                          # to origin (the global config repo)
cd ..
git add .obsidian && git commit -m "Bump obsidian config"   # record the new pointer
git push
```

## Changing the submodule's remote URL

```bash
# Edit the URL in .gitmodules (vault root), then sync it into .git/config:
git submodule sync .obsidian
# Verify the submodule's own remotes:
git -C .obsidian remote -v
```

## Inspecting submodule state

```bash
git submodule status              # shows SHA + path for each submodule
git -C .obsidian remote -v        # the submodule's remotes
git -C .obsidian branch -vv       # branch + upstream tracking
git -C .obsidian log --oneline -5
```

## Removing a submodule (de-init)

```bash
git submodule deinit -f .obsidian          # unregister + clear working tree
git rm -f .obsidian                        # remove from index + .gitmodules
rm -rf .git/modules/.obsidian              # delete the cached git dir
git commit -m "Remove obsidian config submodule"
```

## Gotchas

- **Detached HEAD:** `git submodule update` checks out a specific commit, leaving the
  submodule in detached-HEAD state. Run `git checkout main` inside `.obsidian` before
  committing, or your commit won't be on a branch.
- **Pointer vs contents:** committing in the submodule is only half the job — you must
  also `git add .obsidian` in the vault to record the new pointer, or other clones won't
  get the change.
- **Two pushes:** changes need a push from inside `.obsidian` (to the config repo) **and**
  a push of the vault repo (to record the pointer).
- **Restart Obsidian** after pulling config changes so it reloads the JSON.
- **Don't track machine-local files** — keep `workspace*.json` and `.DS_Store` in
  `.gitignore` so per-machine state never syncs.