Obsidian Canvas Create

When To Activate

Do NOT trigger for:

Mermaid diagrams in markdown (those go in notes, not canvas)
Editing existing canvas files (read and modify directly)
Simple lists that don't need spatial layout

Instructions

Step 1: Understand the Intent

Intent	Canvas Type	Layout
Organise ideas	Mind map	Radial from centre
Track tasks	Kanban board	Columns left to right
Show a process	Flowchart	Top to bottom
Gather research	Research canvas	Clusters with links
Project overview	Project board	Grouped sections
Compare options	Decision canvas	Side by side

Ask if not obvious: "What kind of layout — mind map, kanban, flowchart, or something else?"

Step 2: Gather Content

Text nodes: Ideas, descriptions, notes to write directly on the canvas
File nodes: Existing vault notes to reference ([[Note Name]])
Link nodes: External URLs
Groups: Categories or clusters to visually group nodes

# If referencing vault notes, verify they exist
find "$VAULT_PATH" -name "note-name.md" 2>/dev/null

Step 3: Generate the Canvas JSON

{
  "nodes": [],
  "edges": []
}

Node types:

Text node (content written directly on canvas):

{
  "id": "a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8",
  "type": "text",
  "x": 0,
  "y": 0,
  "width": 250,
  "height": 120,
  "text": "# Heading\n\nContent here with **markdown**"
}

File node (reference to a vault note):

{
  "id": "b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9",
  "type": "file",
  "x": 300,
  "y": 0,
  "width": 250,
  "height": 120,
  "file": "Notes/note-name.md"
}

Link node (external URL):

{
  "id": "c3d4e5f6a7b8c9d0",
  "type": "link",
  "x": 600,
  "y": 0,
  "width": 250,
  "height": 120,
  "url": "https://example.com"
}

Group node (visual container):

{
  "id": "d4e5f6a7b8c9d0e1",
  "type": "group",
  "x": -20,
  "y": -40,
  "width": 580,
  "height": 200,
  "label": "Group Name"
}

Edges (connections between nodes):

{
  "id": "e5f6a7b8c9d0e1f2",
  "fromNode": "a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8",
  "toNode": "b2c3d4e5f6a7b8c9",
  "fromSide": "right",
  "toSide": "left",
  "label": "leads to"
}

ID generation: 16 lowercase hex characters. Use random generation:

import secrets
node_id = secrets.token_hex(8)  # "a1b2c3d4e5f6a7b8"

Color options:

Preset: "1" (red), "2" (orange), "3" (yellow), "4" (green), "5" (cyan), "6" (purple)
Hex: "#FF0000"

Step 4: Layout the Nodes

Mind map (radial):

         [Topic A]
              |
[Topic B] - [Centre] - [Topic C]
              |
         [Topic D]

Centre node at (0, 0)
Branches radiate: right (400, 0), left (-400, 0), top (0, -250), bottom (0, 250)
Sub-branches offset further (+400/+250 from parent)

Kanban (columns):

| Todo (x:0)   | In Progress (x:300) | Done (x:600) |
| Task 1       | Task 3              | Task 5       |
| Task 2       | Task 4              | Task 6       |

Group columns: width 280, spacing 300
Cards inside: width 240, height 80, y-offset 60 between cards
First card y offset: 40 below group top

Flowchart (vertical):

    [Start]        y: 0
       |
    [Step 1]       y: 200
       |
   /      \
[Yes]    [No]      y: 400

Nodes centred on x: 0, spacing y: 200
Branches: left x: -200, right x: 200
Edges with fromSide: "bottom", toSide: "top"

Research canvas (clusters):

[Source Group]     [Notes Group]     [Synthesis Group]
  [Source 1]         [Note 1]          [Summary]
  [Source 2]         [Note 2]
  [Source 3]

Groups spaced 400 apart horizontally
Nodes inside groups spaced 140 apart vertically

Recommended node sizes:

Standard text/file: 250 x 120
Small card: 200 x 80
Large note: 400 x 250
Group padding: 20px on each side, 40px top (for label)

Step 5: Write the File

Write the JSON with proper formatting (2-space indent).

Verify:

# Validate JSON
python3 -c "import json; json.load(open('$CANVAS_PATH'))" && echo "Valid JSON"

Confirm:

Canvas created: canvas-name.canvas

Nodes: X text, Y file, Z link
Edges: N connections
Layout: [mind map / kanban / flowchart / research]

Open in Obsidian to view.

Output Format

## Canvas Created

**File:** canvas-name.canvas
**Type:** [mind map / kanban / flowchart / research]
**Nodes:** X (Y text, Z file, W link)
**Edges:** N connections
**Groups:** G groups

Open in Obsidian to view and rearrange.

NEVER

Generate invalid JSON (always validate)
Use newline characters literally in text fields (use \n)
Create nodes with overlapping positions
Skip the layout step (random positions look terrible)
Use IDs shorter than 16 hex chars
Reference vault files that don't exist without noting it
Create canvases with a single node (just use a note)

ALWAYS

Generate valid 16-char hex IDs for every node and edge
Use consistent spacing in layout
Validate the JSON before confirming
Use groups to organise related nodes
Add edge labels where the relationship isn't obvious
Tell the user to open in Obsidian to view (canvas is visual)

Example

User: "Create a kanban board for my current project tasks"

{
  "nodes": [
    {
      "id": "g001000000000001",
      "type": "group",
      "x": 0, "y": 0,
      "width": 280, "height": 400,
      "label": "Todo",
      "color": "1"
    },
    {
      "id": "g002000000000002",
      "type": "group",
      "x": 300, "y": 0,
      "width": 280, "height": 400,
      "label": "In Progress",
      "color": "3"
    },
    {
      "id": "g003000000000003",
      "type": "group",
      "x": 600, "y": 0,
      "width": 280, "height": 400,
      "label": "Done",
      "color": "4"
    },
    {
      "id": "n001000000000004",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 20, "y": 50,
      "width": 240, "height": 80,
      "text": "# Set up rate limiting\n\nImplement token bucket on API gateway"
    },
    {
      "id": "n002000000000005",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 20, "y": 150,
      "width": 240, "height": 80,
      "text": "# Write integration tests\n\nCover all payment flows"
    },
    {
      "id": "n003000000000006",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 320, "y": 50,
      "width": 240, "height": 80,
      "text": "# API design doc\n\nDocument endpoint contracts"
    },
    {
      "id": "n004000000000007",
      "type": "text",
      "x": 620, "y": 50,
      "width": 240, "height": 80,
      "text": "# Auth middleware\n\nJWT validation complete"
    }
  ],
  "edges": []
}

Canvas created: project-kanban.canvas

Nodes: 4 task cards in 3 groups
Layout: Kanban (Todo → In Progress → Done)

Open in Obsidian to drag tasks between columns.

obsidian-canvas-create