quartz/docs/cli/create.md

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quartz create

The create command initializes a new Quartz project. It helps you set up your content folder and choose how Quartz should handle your Markdown files.

Flags

Flag	Shorthand	Description
--directory	-d	The directory where Quartz will be initialized
--source	-s	The source directory of your Markdown files
--strategy	-X	How to handle the source files (new, copy, or symlink)
--links	-l	How to resolve internal links (absolute, shortest, or relative)
--verbose	-v	Enable detailed logging

Strategies

When you run quartz create, you must choose a strategy for your content:

• new: Creates a fresh, empty content folder. Use this if you are starting a new project from scratch.
• copy: Copies all files from your source directory into the Quartz content folder. This is the safest option for existing vaults as it doesn't touch your original files.
• symlink: Creates a symbolic link from the Quartz content folder to your source directory. Any changes you make in your source directory (e.g. in Obsidian) will be immediately reflected in Quartz.
• move: Moves your files from the source directory into the Quartz content folder.

Link Resolution

Quartz needs to know how to interpret the internal links in your Markdown files:

• shortest: Resolves links to the closest matching file name. This is the default for Obsidian.
• absolute: Resolves links relative to the root of your content folder.
• relative: Resolves links relative to the current file's location.

Interactive Walkthrough

If you run npx quartz create without any arguments, it will guide you through an interactive setup:

1. Choose a name: Enter the name of your project.
2. Select a strategy: Choose between new, copy, or symlink.
3. Select link resolution: Choose how your links are formatted.
4. Finish: Quartz will set up the directory structure and install necessary dependencies.

Example: Importing an Obsidian Vault

To create a Quartz project that links directly to an existing Obsidian vault:

npx quartz create --strategy symlink --source ~/Documents/MyVault --links shortest

This command tells Quartz to look at your vault in ~/Documents/MyVault, use symbolic links so changes are synced, and use the shortest link resolution that Obsidian expects.