Best way to dictate a quick note into Obsidian via Siri

Help
1

What are people doing in July 2025 ?

I tried some older shortcuts
but they weren’t reliable.

I also tried the “Hey Siri, can you make a note in Obsidian”

2

Here’s a step-by-step guide based on my setup for quickly recording a task or note and saving it to Obsidian using Quick Capture:

:purple_circle: Shortcut Name: Obsidian task

:wrench: Step-by-step Setup in the Shortcuts App:

1. Open the Obsidian App

  • Action: Open App
  • App: Obsidian

This ensures that Obsidian is launched when the shortcut is run.

2. Choose Input Method

  • Action: Choose from Menu

  • Menu Items:

    • Dictate
    • Write

This lets you choose whether to dictate or type the task manually.

3. If “Dictate” is chosen

  • Action: Dictate Text

  • Action: Set Variable

    • Variable Name: inputText
    • Value: Dictated Text

The dictated input is stored as a variable inputText.

4. If “Write” is chosen

  • Action: Ask for Input

    • Prompt: Tell me

  • Action: Set Variable

    • Variable Name: inputText
    • Value: Ask for Input

This allows manual typing and saves it to inputText.

5. Create a Task Text Block

  • Action: Text

  • Content:

    - [ ] (@Current Date) inputText

The [ ] makes it a task in Obsidian, and it includes the current date and your input.

6. Quick Capture to Obsidian

  • Action: Quick Capture
  • Content: Text (from above)
  • Send to: ToDoS (your chosen Obsidian vault or note location)

This sends your task to the specified location in Obsidian.

7. Finish with a Clean Exit

  • Action: Wait

    • Duration: 5 seconds (optional but gives time for Quick Capture)

  • Action: Go to Home Screen

This ends the shortcut cleanly and returns you to the home screen.

:white_check_mark: Result:

You tap your shortcut → choose Dictate or Write → speak or type your task → it is timestamped and sent to Obsidian as a checkbox task.

I hope you get a sense of how to implement it on your end.

Cheers, Marko :nerd_face:

1 Like
3

I dictate into Drafts or Notes, then later copy it over to Obsidian. (I could setup a nice automation in Drafts to template and transfer it, but I haven’t had the patience to learn how.)