Script to inherit root note tags only works after restart

Help
1

Hi all — I’m running into a persistent issue with a Templater script that inherits tags from a root note. Here’s the behavior:

What I’m trying to do

  • If no root note exists, it creates one with a YAML block and the tag rootx.
  • If a root note with rootx exists, it reads the tags from the root note’s YAML frontmatter and creates a child note inheriting those tags.

The script:

<%*
const sanitize = str => str.replace(/[\\/:*?"<>|]/g, "").trim();
const toYamlList = arr => `[${arr.join(", ")}]`;

await new Promise(r => setTimeout(r, 300));

const files = app.vault.getMarkdownFiles();
let rootNote = null;
let rootTags = [];

for (const file of files) {
  const content = await app.vault.read(file);
  const match = content.match(/^---\n([\s\S]*?)\n---/);
  if (!match) continue;

  const yamlBlock = match[1];
  const lines = yamlBlock.split("\n");

  let tags = [];
  let isMultiline = false;

  for (let line of lines) {
    const trimmed = line.trim();

    if (trimmed.startsWith("tags:") && trimmed.includes("[")) {
      tags = trimmed
        .split(":")[1]
        .replace(/[\[\]]/g, "")
        .split(",")
        .map(t => t.trim())
        .filter(Boolean);
      break;
    }

    if (trimmed === "tags:") {
      isMultiline = true;
      continue;
    }

    if (isMultiline) {
      if (trimmed.startsWith("- ")) {
        tags.push(trimmed.slice(2).trim());
      } else {
        break;
      }
    }
  }

  if (tags.includes("rootx")) {
    rootNote = file;
    rootTags = tags;
    break;
  }
}

if (!rootNote) {
  const title = await tp.system.prompt("No root note found. Enter root note title:");
  const filename = `Root - ${sanitize(title)}`;
  const yamlBlock =
`---
title: ${title}
tags: [rootx]
---`;

  await tp.file.create_new(yamlBlock, filename, true);
  tR = `✅ Created root note "${filename}" with tag [rootx]`;
  return;
}

const childTitle = await tp.system.prompt("Enter child note title:");
const childFilename = `Child - ${sanitize(childTitle)}`;
const childYaml =
`---
title: ${childTitle}
tags: ${toYamlList(rootTags)}
---`;

await tp.file.create_new(childYaml, childFilename, true);
tR = `✅ Created child note "${childFilename}" with inherited tags: ${toYamlList(rootTags)}`;
%>

:warning: The Issue

This script only inherits saved tags from the root note if I:

  • Restart Obsidian after editing the root note’s YAML
  • Then run the template

If I just edit the root note (e.g., add a tag manually in YAML) and then run the script:

  • The child note is created
  • But it only contains the old set of tags — new ones are not picked up

Things I have tried

  • Reading the file with app.vault.read(rootNote) (assumed to read from disk)
  • Using window.jsyaml (breaks — not available in my environment)
  • Using metadataCache.getFileCache(file) (doesn’t reflect recent edits)
  • Forcing a delay (setTimeout) to allow disk writes to flush
  • Opening the root note programmatically to trigger update
  • Reading from the editor via MarkdownView (throws undefined in Templater)
  • Confirmed note is saved and open

:bulb: What I Suspect

Obsidian holds file content in memory, and Templater reads the version from disk — which may lag behind unless Obsidian is restarted (or possibly if the file is closed and reopened). But I haven’t found a reliable way to force a sync from memory to disk before reading the file inside a Templater script.

:question: What I Need Help With

  • Is there any way in Templater to reliably access the in-memory YAML of another note (not the one the script is running in)?
  • Can I force Obsidian to save the note or flush it to disk before reading?
  • Or is this a known limitation that requires user manual intervention (save file + restart)?

:package: Environment

  • Obsidian: v1.8.9
  • Templater: 2.11.1 latest community version
  • OS: Win 11 x64

:pray: Any insight is hugely appreciated.

Happy to test any code or file setup — just want to reliably inherit YAML tags from a root note without restarting Obsidian every time.

Thanks so much!