obsidian-bases
Create and edit Obsidian Bases (.base files) with views, filters, formulas, and summaries. Use when working with .base files, creating database-like views of notes, or when the user mentions Bases, table views, card views, filters, or formulas in Obsidian.
76
71%
Does it follow best practices?
Impact
82%
2.56xAverage score across 3 eval scenarios
Passed
No known issues
Optimize this skill with Tessl
npx tessl skill review --optimize ./plugins/all-skills/skills/obsidian-bases/SKILL.mdQuality
Discovery
100%Based on the skill's description, can an agent find and select it at the right time? Clear, specific descriptions lead to better discovery.
This is an excellent skill description that follows best practices closely. It uses third person voice, lists specific capabilities, includes a clear 'Use when...' clause with multiple natural trigger terms, and targets a distinct niche (Obsidian Bases) that is unlikely to conflict with other skills.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Specificity | Lists multiple specific concrete actions: 'Create and edit Obsidian Bases', '.base files', 'views, filters, formulas, and summaries'. These are concrete, actionable capabilities. | 3 / 3 |
Completeness | Clearly answers both 'what' (create and edit Obsidian Bases with views, filters, formulas, and summaries) and 'when' (explicit 'Use when...' clause covering .base files, database-like views, and multiple trigger terms). | 3 / 3 |
Trigger Term Quality | Excellent coverage of natural terms users would say: '.base files', 'Bases', 'table views', 'card views', 'filters', 'formulas', 'Obsidian', 'database-like views of notes'. These are terms users would naturally use when requesting this functionality. | 3 / 3 |
Distinctiveness Conflict Risk | Highly distinctive with a clear niche: Obsidian Bases and .base files are a very specific feature. The mention of the file extension, 'Obsidian', and specific view types (table views, card views) make it unlikely to conflict with other skills. | 3 / 3 |
Total | 12 / 12 Passed |
Implementation
42%Reviews the quality of instructions and guidance provided to agents. Good implementation is clear, handles edge cases, and produces reliable results.
The skill is highly actionable with excellent concrete examples and complete YAML configurations, but it suffers significantly from being a monolithic reference document that tries to include everything in one file. At 400+ lines, it wastes token budget on exhaustive function/property reference tables that should be in separate files, and it lacks a clear workflow with validation steps for creating and editing .base files.
Suggestions
Extract the function reference tables (Global, Date, String, Number, List, File functions) into a separate FUNCTIONS_REFERENCE.md file and reference it from the main skill.
Add an explicit step-by-step workflow section: 1) Determine view requirements, 2) Write the YAML, 3) Validate YAML syntax, 4) Test in Obsidian, with guidance on common errors.
Remove the 'When to Use This Skill' and 'Overview' sections — these duplicate the frontmatter description and explain things Claude can infer from context.
Move the complete examples (Task Tracker, Reading List, Project Notes, Daily Notes) into an EXAMPLES.md file, keeping only one concise example inline.
| Dimension | Reasoning | Score |
|---|---|---|
Conciseness | The skill is extremely verbose at ~400+ lines, functioning as a comprehensive reference manual rather than a targeted skill. It includes exhaustive function reference tables (string, number, list, date functions), operator tables, and property listings that Claude already knows or could infer. The 'When to Use This Skill' section and 'Overview' are unnecessary padding. Much of this content (especially the full function reference) should be in separate reference files. | 1 / 3 |
Actionability | The skill provides fully executable YAML examples throughout, including complete base files for task trackers, reading lists, project notes, and daily notes. Filter syntax, formula syntax, and view configurations are all copy-paste ready with concrete, working examples. | 3 / 3 |
Workflow Clarity | The skill provides clear schema and examples but lacks an explicit workflow for creating or editing .base files. There are no validation steps (e.g., how to verify YAML is valid, how to check the base renders correctly in Obsidian), no error recovery guidance, and no step-by-step process for creating a new base from scratch. For a file-editing skill, missing validation is a notable gap. | 2 / 3 |
Progressive Disclosure | The entire content is a monolithic wall of reference material in a single file with no bundle files. The exhaustive function reference tables, operator tables, property listings, and multiple complete examples should be split into separate reference files. External links to Obsidian docs are listed but don't substitute for proper internal content organization. | 1 / 3 |
Total | 7 / 12 Passed |
Validation
81%Checks the skill against the spec for correct structure and formatting. All validation checks must pass before discovery and implementation can be scored.
Validation — 9 / 11 Passed
Validation for skill structure
| Criteria | Description | Result |
|---|---|---|
skill_md_line_count | SKILL.md is long (603 lines); consider splitting into references/ and linking | Warning |
frontmatter_unknown_keys | Unknown frontmatter key(s) found; consider removing or moving to metadata | Warning |
Total | 9 / 11 Passed | |
- Repository
- davepoon/buildwithclaude
- Commit
d065ead
- Reviewed
Table of Contents
Is this your skill?
If you maintain this skill, you can claim it as your own. Once claimed, you can manage eval scenarios, bundle related skills, attach documentation or rules, and ensure cross-agent compatibility.