This guide describes how to set up an Obsidian vault that syncs across devices while maintaining a separate Git backup without interfering with the sync mechanism.

• Git installed on your system
• Obsidian installed
• Either Obsidian Sync subscription or LiveSync plugin configured
• Basic familiarity with command line

# Create directories if they don't exist
mkdir -p ~/Documents/Vault.git  # For Git repository
mkdir -p ~/Documents/Vault     # For your vault

# Initialize Git with separate directory
git init --separate-git-dir=$HOME/Documents/Vault.git ~/Documents/Vault

cd ~/Documents/Vault
# Backup existing .git directory
cp -r .git ~/Documents/Vault.git.backup
# Move Git directory to new location
mv .git ~/Documents/Vault.git
# Create gitfile pointing to new location
echo "gitdir: $HOME/Documents/Vault.git" > .git

Create .gitignore file in your vault directory:

# Obsidian system files
.obsidian/cache/
.obsidian/workspace.json
.trash/

# LiveSync Plugin (if using)
.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-livesync/data.json
.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-livesync/*.realm*
.obsidian/plugins/obsidian-livesync/realms/

# Obsidian Sync (if using)
.obsidian/sync.json

Add and commit .gitignore:

git add .gitignore
git commit -m "Add .gitignore for Obsidian"

# Add your remote repository
git remote add origin <your-repository-url>
git branch -M main
git push -u origin main

• Install obsidian-git plugin: https://github.com/Vinzent03/obsidian-git
• Then in plugin settings set desired Vault backup interval and Auto pull interval.

• Continue using Obsidian normally with sync enabled
• Git operations will work as usual from your vault directory
• All Git metadata is stored separately in ~/Documents/Vault.git
• Your vault stays clean while maintaining version control

1. Multiple Devices: When setting up on additional devices:

   # Clone the repository with separate Git dir
   git clone --separate-git-dir=$HOME/Documents/Vault.git <repository-url> ~/Documents/Vault

2. Checking Setup:

   # Verify Git configuration
   cat ~/Documents/Vault/.git  # Should show path to separate Git dir
   git status  # Should work normally

3. Recovery:

   • Obsidian sync/LiveSync handles day-to-day synchronization
   • Git serves as a backup system and version control
   • In case of sync issues, you can always fall back to Git

1. If Git commands don't work:

   • Check if the gitfile path is correct
   • Ensure the separate Git directory exists
   • Verify permissions on both directories

2. If sync conflicts occur:

   • Let Obsidian sync handle file conflicts
   • Use Git for version control and recovery only

Remember to regularly verify that both sync and Git backup are working as expected by checking the sync status in Obsidian and running git status periodically.