---
name: obsidian-clipper-template-creator
description: Guide for creating templates for the Obsidian Web Clipper. Use when you want to create a new clipping template, understand available variables, or format clipped content.
---

# Obsidian Web Clipper Template Creator

This skill helps you create importable JSON templates for the Obsidian Web Clipper.

## Workflow

1. **Identify User Intent:** specific site (YouTube), specific type (Recipe), or general clipping?
2. **Check Existing Bases:** The user likely has a "Base" schema defined in `Templates/Bases/`.
    - **Action:** Read `Templates/Bases/*.base` to find a matching category (e.g., `Recipes.base`).
    - **Action:** Use the properties defined in the Base to structure the Clipper template properties.
    - See [references/bases-workflow.md](references/bases-workflow.md) for details.
3. **Fetch & Analyze Reference URL:** Validate variables against a real page.
    - **Action:** Ask the user for a sample URL of the content they want to clip (if not provided).
    - **Action (REQUIRED):** Use `WebFetch` or a browser DOM snapshot to retrieve page content before choosing any selector.
    - **Action:** Analyze the HTML for Schema.org JSON, Meta tags, and CSS selectors.
    - **Action (REQUIRED):** Verify each selector against the fetched content. Do not guess selectors.
    - See [references/analysis-workflow.md](references/analysis-workflow.md) for analysis techniques.
4. **Draft the JSON:** Create a valid JSON object following the schema.
    - See [references/json-schema.md](references/json-schema.md).
5. **Verify Variables:** Ensure the chosen variables (Preset, Schema, Selector) exist in your analysis.
    - **Action (REQUIRED):** If a selector cannot be verified from the fetched content, state that explicitly and ask for another URL.
    - See [references/variables.md](references/variables.md).

## Selector Verification Rules

- **Always verify selectors** against live page content before responding.
- **Never guess selectors.** If the DOM cannot be accessed or the element is missing, ask for another URL or a screenshot.
- **Prefer stable selectors** (data attributes, semantic roles, unique IDs) over fragile class chains.
- **Document the target element** in your reasoning (e.g., "About sidebar paragraph") to reduce mismatch.

## Output Format

**ALWAYS** output the final result as a JSON code block that the user can copy and import.

```json
{
  "schemaVersion": "0.1.0",
  "name": "My Template",
  ...
}
```

## Resources

- [references/variables.md](references/variables.md) - Available data variables.
- [references/filters.md](references/filters.md) - Formatting filters.
- [references/json-schema.md](references/json-schema.md) - JSON structure documentation.
- [references/bases-workflow.md](references/bases-workflow.md) - How to map Bases to Templates.
- [references/analysis-workflow.md](references/analysis-workflow.md) - How to validate page data.

### Official Documentation

- [Variables](https://help.obsidian.md/web-clipper/variables)
- [Filters](https://help.obsidian.md/web-clipper/filters)
- [Templates](https://help.obsidian.md/web-clipper/templates)

## Examples

See [assets/](assets/) for JSON examples.