--- title: "Vault CMS: Use Obsidian To Write Astro Blog Posts" description: "Why I built Vault CMS, the open-source CMS that turns Obsidian into a publishing platform for Astro, how it works, and the proof that it holds up." published: 2026-02-10T00:00:00.000Z updated: 2026-11-04T00:00:00.000Z tags: ["video","tech","vault-cms","astro","obsidian"] url: "https://davidvkimball.com/posts/vault-cms-use-obsidian-to-write-astro-blog-posts" --- ## What is Vault CMS? [Vault CMS](https://vaultcms.org) is an open-source headless content management system that turns [Obsidian](https://obsidian.md) into a publishing platform for [Astro](https://astro.build). There's no database and no hosted backend, only files. Your Obsidian vault **is** your Astro content folder, so you write in Obsidian, push with Git, and your host rebuilds your site. It works with [almost any Astro theme](https://astro.build/themes/), too. ## Why I Built It I didn't set out to build a CMS. Once my site was on Astro, I realized my content was just Markdown files on my PC, so I tried opening the folder in Obsidian. And it worked. Using [Git, Astro, and Obsidian together](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/astro-suite-for-obsidian) felt amazing, but it took some tinkering. A one-off fix to tag formatting turned into one plugin to automate post creation, then another plugin to solve another problem, then another, and another. I started in August of 2025, and about six months later there was a full CMS sitting in front of me. I told that whole story in [Don't Start From Scratch](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/dont-start-from-scratch-build-compounding-projects). The thing I care about most: what you see in Obsidian should match what your readers see. I can link between posts and pages using Obsidian's native features, and graph view, backlinks, and properties all work the way you'd expect. I don't have to fix relative links or rewrite Obsidian's Markdown so Astro can read it. It just works. ## The Proof You're looking at it. This post is a note in my vault, and so is nearly everything else on this site. Here's [what it looks like on my end](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/the-history-of-my-personal-website), if you're curious. And here's the `Home.base` view, a dashboard of all your content right inside Obsidian. ![Vault CMS' Home Base view.](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/vault-cms-use-obsidian-to-write-astro-blog-posts/home-base.webp) It's not just me, either: - Astro lists it in [its own CMS guides](https://docs.astro.build/en/guides/cms/vault-cms/). - The [GitHub repo](https://github.com/davidvkimball/vaultcms) has 390 stars as of November 2026. - [My Obsidian plugins](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/my-obsidian-plugins-and-themes), many of which power Vault CMS, have passed 130,000 downloads combined. It's free and open source under the MIT license, and your content stays plain Markdown in your own repo. ## Get Started It's as simple as running `pnpm create vaultcms` in the root of your Astro project, then opening your install directory as an Obsidian vault. The wizard walks you through the rest. The [installation guide](https://docs.vaultcms.org/get-started/installation/) has the full details, and if you'd rather have an AI agent do it for you, there's an [MCP server](https://docs.vaultcms.org/get-started/mcp-server/) for that. This video goes over exactly how to get started and set it up initially. [Vault CMS setup tutorial: how to install and configure Vault CMS to use Obsidian with Astro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zeqJ5tqmaQ) If you want the whole thing, here's the masterclass: a full walkthrough covering four themes, three hosts, and every skill level. [Vault CMS masterclass: how to build a blog with Obsidian and Astro](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MnXoikTajfI) Need a theme? I make [a few built for this](https://davidvkimball.com/store). And if you build something with Vault CMS, [send it my way](https://davidvkimball.com/contact) or come hang out in the [Discord](https://davidvkimball.com/discord). I'd love to see it. ## Linked mentions - [My Astro Themes](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/my-astro-themes) - [How to Create an AI Native Company in 2026](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/how-to-create-an-ai-native-company-in-2026) - [Don't Start From Scratch: Build Compounding Projects](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/dont-start-from-scratch-build-compounding-projects) - [Focus](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/focus) - [The History of My Personal Website](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/the-history-of-my-personal-website) - [My Obsidian Plugins and Themes](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/my-obsidian-plugins-and-themes) - [Cool Minimal Astro Blog Themes](https://davidvkimball.com/posts/cool-astro-minimal-blog-themes) - [Now](https://davidvkimball.com/now)