File path passed as a cli argument is ignored, opens blank 'New tab'

Bug reports
1

Steps to reproduce

  1. Install Obsidian on Windows using the official installer from obsidian.md/download.
  2. Open the Sandbox vault (Ctrl+P → “Open sandbox vault”) and note the full path of any note inside it, e.g. Start here.md.
  3. Fully quit Obsidian.
  4. From a terminal, run the executable with that note’s full path as its only argument:
"%LOCALAPPDATA%\Programs\Obsidian\Obsidian.exe" "C:\full\path\to\Sandbox\Start here.md"
  1. Obsidian launches.

Did you read and follow the Troubleshooting Guide? Yes

Expected result

The named file opens in a tab — the same result already produced by the existing CLI command:

Obsidian.exe open "path=Start here.md" newtab

Actual result

Obsidian launches to an empty “New tab”. The path argument is silently discarded — no file opens, no error, no notice. The same happens when Obsidian is already running: the argument is forwarded to the existing instance, which adds another empty “New tab” rather than opening the file.

Environment

SYSTEM INFO:
	Obsidian version: 1.13.7
	Installer version: 1.13.4
	Operating system: Windows 11 Pro 10.0.26200
	Login status: not logged in
	Language: en-GB
	Insider build toggle: off
	Live preview: on
	Base theme: adapt to system
	Community theme: none
	Snippets enabled: 0
	Restricted mode: on

RECOMMENDATIONS:
	none

Additional information

The CLI already implements the desired behaviour correctly. On the same machine, Obsidian.exe open "path=<vault-relative path>" newtab opens the file reliably, cold-start and warm. So this is not a request for new functionality, only that a bare path argument be routed into the handler that already exists, when the path resolves inside a known vault.

Why it matters beyond the command line: Windows passes a raw file path to whichever application handles a file type. Because that argument is discarded, Obsidian cannot function as a handler for .md at all doubleclicking a note in File Explorer always produces an empty tab. I currently work around it with a wrapper script that resolves the path against the vault roots in obsidian.json and re-issues it as a vault-relative CLI call. That works, but it means Obsidian cannot be set as the Markdown application on Windows without one.

Reproduced on Obsidian 1.13.4, Windows 11 Pro build 26200, official per-user installer, Sandbox vault, community plugins disabled.