Update Properties
vault_update_propertiesUpdate an Obsidian note's frontmatter properties via shallow merge—add new keys, overwrite matching ones, delete with null—while preserving the note body.
Instructions
Update a note's frontmatter properties via shallow merge — new keys added, matching keys overwritten, null deletes a key, unmentioned keys preserved. Body is never modified.
Example: vault_update_properties({ path: "Projects/todo.md", properties: { status: "active", draft: null } })
When to use: Changing tags, status, type, or any property without reading/rewriting the full note body. Prefer vault_write_note when creating a new note, or replacing the body (with overwrite: true). Read current properties first with vault_read_note({ properties_only: true }) — arrays are replaced entirely, not appended to.
Errors:
"note not found" — path does not exist; create the note first with vault_write_note
"path traversal blocked" — path escapes vault root
"concurrent write in progress" — another write to this note is in flight; re-read the note and retry
Obsidian syntax: Use arrays for multi-value fields (tags: [a, b]), quote wikilinks ("[[Note]]"), keep types consistent (mismatches cause silent query failures).
Returns: Confirmation message.
Input Schema
| Name | Required | Description | Default |
|---|---|---|---|
| path | Yes | Vault-relative path to the note, including the ".md" extension | |
| properties | Yes | Properties to merge. New keys are added; existing keys are overwritten; a null value deletes that key; unmentioned keys are preserved. |