Agentfiles
Agentfiles is a free, open-source Obsidian plugin for browsing, creating, and editing AI coding agent skills, commands, and agents in one
Running two or more coding agents means remembering which tool hides its skills where, and Agentfiles kills that chore for free. Inline YAML linting, real-time file watching, and one-click skills.sh installs would justify a paid plugin. The catch is structural: you're adopting an entire notes app to manage markdown files, so Obsidian holdouts should stick with symlinks and a git repo.
Verified 5d ago · liveness 77/100 · cite: rightaichoice.com/tools/agentfiles
- Developers running two or more AI coding agents who keep losing track of which tool stores skills where
- Obsidian users who already keep notes and config in one vault and want skills there too
- Teams standardizing skill, command, and agent files across several coding tools
- Technical writers maintaining reusable skills that multiple agents share
- Anyone running exactly one AI coding agent — your editor already handles one skill folder
- Developers who don't use Obsidian and won't adopt a notes app just to manage markdown files
- Obsidian mobile users — the plugin is desktop-only
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Skip Agentfiles if you don't use Obsidian and don't intend to — the whole plugin lives inside that app, and a dotfiles repo with symlinks covers the same ground without adopting a notes app.
Dashboard analytics need the separate skillkit CLI installed and at least one scan run — without that snapshot, burn rate and context tax simply don't appear.
Agentfiles is MIT licensed and free, so the money comparison isn't against paid skill managers — it's against your time. A dotfiles repo with symlinks costs nothing and stays portable; Agentfiles costs nothing and adds a GUI, live YAML linting, a filesystem watcher, and pinned community-skill installs. It also implies the cost of Obsidian itself if you aren't already a user.
In short
Agentfiles — Agentfiles is a free, open-source Obsidian plugin for browsing, creating, and editing AI coding agent skills, commands, and agents in one. Best for Developers running two or more AI coding agents who keep losing track of which tool stores skills where, Obsidian users who already keep notes and config in one vault and want skills there too, Teams standardizing skill, command, and agent files across several coding tools. Free to use.
What's new in Agentfiles
Checked 4 days agoAcross the latest 5 updates: 3 feature updates, 1 launch and 1 changelog entry.
v0.9.0 — shell execution removed, marketplace installs pinned to commit SHAs
Drops shell execution from the Obsidian plugin and VS Code extension, resolves exact skill directories on marketplace installs, pins downloads to a commit SHA, and loads Dashboard analytics through the native Skillkit snapshot API.
v0.7.4 — GitHub Actions release workflow with build provenance attestation
Adds a release workflow with build provenance attestation and fixes Obsidian guideline issues around timer functions, electron shell helpers, and CSS selector rules.
v0.7.3 — now listed on the Obsidian Community directory
Agentfiles becomes installable in one click from the Obsidian Community directory, with minAppVersion bumped to 1.7.2 and popout window compatibility fixes.
v0.7.0 — CodeMirror 6 editor with YAML linter
Introduces a CodeMirror 6 editor with full syntax highlighting, a YAML linter with inline error markers, foldable frontmatter blocks, and Cmd+S/Ctrl+S save to disk.
v0.6.0 — Conversations view for Claude Code session transcripts
Adds a Conversations view that browses Claude Code session transcripts with search across history, session tagging, and export to the vault as a permanent note.
What people actually say about Agentfiles — is it worth it?
We ran a structured research pass across product reviews, community discussions, and post-purchase forum threads to surface the patterns vendors won't publish themselves. Below: the recurring strengths, the hidden costs people mention most, and the cohort that consistently regrets adopting this tool.
16 mentions across 1 source (YouTube) · researched Aug 27, 2026.
Average across the 1 source that answered — each source counts once, not each post.
- +Free and open-source with no paid tiers or hidden costs.
- +Centralizes config management across 17+ AI coding tools.
- +Auto-discovers agent files from default directories, saving setup time.
- +CodeMirror 6 editor offers syntax highlighting and YAML linting.
- +Real-time file watcher instantly syncs external changes.
- −Almost no community feedback exists to validate the tool.
- −Requires Obsidian, limiting its reach to non-Obsidian users.
- −No clear support channels or documentation mentioned in feedback.
- −Potential performance hit with large numbers of files watched.
- −Advanced features like analytics require separate CLI setup.
- • No direct costs, but users may need to self-host or set up skillkit CLI for analytics, requiring technical effort.
Viability Score
How well maintained and how widely used is Agentfiles? Built from what the vendor actually publishes (docs, changelog, tutorials, integrations, pricing), whether the site is live, and how much real users discuss it. How we calculate this
Last calculated: October 2026
How we score →Key Features
- Skill Scanner auto-discovers skills, commands, and agents across 17 AI coding tools
- Unified searchable skill list inside Obsidian with tool, type, and name filters
- Deep Search toggle that scans inside skill file content, not just filenames
- CodeMirror 6 editor with Markdown and YAML syntax highlighting
- YAML linter with inline error markers for invalid frontmatter
- Foldable frontmatter blocks so you can collapse the --- section
- Cmd+S / Ctrl+S saves directly to the skill file on disk
- File watcher using the native filesystem events API for real-time panel updates
- Stepped wizard to create a new skill, command, or agent
- Marketplace tab connected to skills.sh for browsing community skills
- One-click marketplace install into a chosen tool directory
- Marketplace installs resolve exact skill directories and pin downloads to a commit SHA (v0.9.0)
- Shell execution removed from the Obsidian plugin and VS Code extension (v0.9.0)
- Conversations view to browse, search, and tag Claude Code session transcripts
- Dashboard with burn rate, context tax, and per-skill health metrics via skillkit
About Agentfiles
Agentfiles is a free, open-source Obsidian plugin that consolidates the skill, command, and agent files scattered across your AI coding tools into a single browsable panel. Rather than hand-editing ~/.claude/skills/ship.md, then jumping to ~/.cursor/skills/refactor.md, you install the plugin and its Skill Scanner auto-discovers files across Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, Windsurf, Copilot, Amp, OpenCode, and 17 tools total, parsing each file's YAML frontmatter into a searchable, filterable list inside your vault. Files without frontmatter still surface, labeled by filename, so nothing gets lost. Clicking a skill opens a CodeMirror 6 editor — the engine behind VS Code — with Markdown and YAML syntax highlighting, a YAML linter that flags invalid frontmatter inline, foldable frontmatter blocks, and Cmd+S/Ctrl+S write-to-disk. A file watcher built on the native filesystem events API refreshes the panel the moment an external CLI touches a skill file. Creation goes through a stepped wizard: pick the tool, pick the type, name it. Three views surround that core. The Marketplace connects to skills.sh so you can browse community skills and install one into a chosen tool directory in a click. Conversations reads the JSONL session transcripts Claude Code writes to ~/.claude/projects/, letting you search across history, tag sessions, and export one as a permanent vault note. The Dashboard shows burn rate, context tax, and per-skill health metrics, but it reads a local snapshot generated by the optional skillkit CLI through Skillkit's programmatic API. It suits developers running two or more coding agents, and Obsidian users who already keep notes and config in one vault. It is desktop-only (macOS, Windows, Linux), needs Obsidian v1.4.11 or later, and reads files outside your vault. Everything runs locally, with no cloud sync or multi-user collaboration — a dotfiles repo with symlinks remains the dependency-free alternative.
Behind the Verdict
We'd reach for Agentfiles the moment a second coding agent enters the picture. One agent means one skill folder, and your editor already handles it. Two or more, and the seams show: Claude Code keeps skills somewhere different from Cursor, which keeps them somewhere different from Codex, and you end up with four half-remembered paths and a stale mental map. The Skill Scanner collapses that into one filtered list, and the Deep Search toggle scans file contents, not just filenames — which matters once you have fifty skills and only a vague memory of what one does. The CodeMirror 6 editor is the part I'd actually use daily. Inline YAML linting catches the malformed frontmatter that silently breaks a skill at load time, and Cmd+S writes to disk without leaving Obsidian. The native file watcher means edits made in a terminal show up in the panel immediately, so the two never drift. The v0.9.0 release is the one that makes this safe to point at real tool directories. Shell execution is gone from both the Obsidian plugin and the VS Code extension, marketplace installs resolve the exact skill directory, and downloads are pinned to a commit SHA. An installer that runs arbitrary shell commands while writing into ~/.claude was a genuine risk; that's now handled. Dashboard analytics only appear if the optional skillkit CLI has generated a local snapshot first, so treat that view as a bonus rather than the reason to install. Where it bites: Obsidian is the price of entry. If it isn't already your workspace, you're adding a whole notes app to manage a few markdown files, and there's a real case for a dotfiles repo with symlinks instead. Desktop only — no mobile — and no cloud sync or shared workspaces, so teams stay on their own machines.
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Real-world workflow fit
Concrete scenarios for the personas Agentfiles actually fits — and what changes day-one when you adopt it.
Open the Agentfiles panel, see the scanner's list of skills from ~/.claude/skills/ and ~/.cursor/skills/ side by side, click the refactor skill, fix a malformed YAML frontmatter the linter flagged, and hit Cmd+S.
Outcome: The skill file is corrected on disk and the panel is current without any tab switching or terminal work.
Browse the Marketplace tab against skills.sh, pick a skill, choose which tool directory to install into, and let v0.9.0 resolve the exact directory and pin the download to a commit SHA.
Outcome: The skill lands in the right path for the chosen agent and the pinned SHA gives a reference point for auditing or rolling it back.
Open Conversations, search across Claude Code session history, tag the sessions worth keeping, and export one as a note in the vault next to the related project notes.
Outcome: The session record becomes a permanent, searchable note instead of a JSONL file buried under ~/.claude/projects/.
Use Cases
- Find every skill, command, and agent file across Claude Code, Cursor, Codex, and Windsurf from one Obsidian panel
- Edit YAML frontmatter in a skill file with inline linting instead of discovering the error when the skill silently fails
- Install a community skill from skills.sh into the right tool directory, pinned to a known commit SHA
- Create a new skill via the stepped wizard (tool, type, name) without leaving Obsidian
- Search past Claude Code sessions and export the useful ones as permanent notes in your vault
- Track token burn rate and how much context your skills consume via the Dashboard
- Have a CLI tool write a new skill and watch the panel refresh automatically
- Scan a projects folder for project-level skills alongside your global ones
Limitations
- Desktop-only Obsidian plugin (macOS, Windows, or Linux) reading files outside the vault; requires Obsidian v1.4.11 or later per docs, with minAppVersion bumped to 1.7.2 in v0.7.3.
- Dashboard analytics depend on the optional skillkit CLI and its snapshot API.
- Conversations only browses Claude Code session transcripts, not other agents' history.
- Marketplace installs require connectivity to skills.sh / GitHub since downloads are pinned to a commit SHA.
as of 2026-10-04
Verification history
We have re-verified Agentfiles 10 times since . Each pass re-reads the vendor's own pages and re-checks every listed field against that evidence; passes where nothing had changed are marked as such.
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
- — re-verified summary, description, our verdict, our analysis, pricing model, pricing tiers, features, integrations, who it suits, who should skip it
Showing the 6 most recent of 10 verification passes.
Free to cite with attribution — this page re-verifies continuously.
12-month cost
Project the real annual outlay, including the implied monthly cost when only an annual tier is published.
Vendor list price only. Add-on usage, seat overages, and contract minimums are surfaced under Hidden costs & gotchas.
Where the pricing makes sense
The company stage and team size where Agentfiles's pricing actually pencils out — and where peers do it cheaper.
Agentfiles is MIT licensed and free, so the money comparison isn't against paid skill managers — it's against your time. A dotfiles repo with symlinks costs nothing and stays portable; Agentfiles costs nothing and adds a GUI, live YAML linting, a filesystem watcher, and pinned community-skill installs. It also implies the cost of Obsidian itself if you aren't already a user.
Setup time & first value
How long it actually takes to get something useful out of Agentfiles — broken out by persona, not the marketing-page minute.
Roughly 30 seconds for an existing Obsidian user: install from the Community directory (or the obsidian://show-plugin deep link), enable it, and the scanner discovers default tool paths with no configuration. Adding Dashboard analytics takes longer — you install the skillkit CLI and run a scan before any metrics appear. Non-Obsidian users should add the time it takes to adopt Obsidian itself.
Switching to or from Agentfiles
How to bring data in from common predecessors and how to get it back out — written for the switcher, not the buyer.
- →From hand-editing skill files in a terminal: install the plugin, let the scanner index your existing directories, and edit the same files in the CodeMirror 6 panel.
- →From a dotfiles repo of symlinked skills: point Agentfiles' custom paths at the real directories so both views stay consistent.
- ↗To a dotfiles repo: copy the skill files Agentfiles was managing into the repo and symlink them back to each tool's expected directory.
- ↗To a single agent's native tooling: keep the files where they already are and stop using the panel — the on-disk paths are unchanged.
Integrations
Resources & Guides
Tutorials & Learning
YouTube returned 4 videos for “Agentfiles”, and we withheld 4: 4 could not be judged, because “Agentfiles” is a single word that other videos use for other things. We are showing none, because we could not prove any of them are about Agentfiles.
Official links
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Featured Head-to-Head Comparisons
Agentfiles vs Spider Cloud
Choose Agentfiles if you're a developer managing multiple AI coding tools from Obsidian and need a free, config-centric workflow. Choose Spider Cloud if you're building AI agents or RAG pipelines that require real-time web data at low cost. They solve completely different problems, so your choice depends on whether you need to edit agent files or feed them fresh data from the web.
Agentfiles vs Voyage Ai
If you're a developer juggling multiple AI coding assistants and want a free, local way to manage agent configs from Obsidian, Agentfiles is your pick. If you're an enterprise building a production RAG pipeline needing domain-specialized embeddings and rerankers with 32K context, Voyage AI is the answer. They solve completely different problems — choose based on your primary need.
Agentfiles vs Temporal Ai
Agentfiles and Temporal AI solve different problems entirely. Agentfiles is a free, local-first Obsidian plugin for centralizing AI agent configuration files across many coding tools — best for developers who juggle multiple assistants. Temporal AI is a durable execution platform for orchestrating reliable, long-running workflows in production, trusted by major AI companies. Choose Agentfiles if you need a unified config editor; choose Temporal if you need to build fault-tolerant AI agents or microservice workflows.
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