Where to put the vault

Two layout patterns

There are two broad ways to place the vault.

Pattern A: Make the site's content/ the vault

This is the simplest setup. Open the generated site's content/ folder as an Obsidian vault.

my-site/
|- content/              <- open this folder in Obsidian
|  |- Welcome.md
|  `- Articles/
|     `- FirstArticle.md
|
|- riebeckite.config.ts
`- package.json

The default configuration works for this pattern.

content: {
  directory: "content",
},

If you are combining Riebeckite and Obsidian for the first time, this is the simplest approach.

my-site/content/
       |
Obsidian vault
       |
Riebeckite content

The same folder plays both roles.

Use this pattern first if you only want to try Riebeckite.

Pattern B: Keep the vault and site in separate folders

If you already have an Obsidian vault, place the site next to it.

workspace/
|- notes/                <- existing Obsidian vault
|  |- Welcome.md
|  |- Programming/
|  `- .obsidian/
|
`- my-site/              <- Riebeckite site
   |- app/
   |- riebeckite.config.ts
   `- package.json

In my-site/riebeckite.config.ts, point content.directory at the vault.

content: {
  directory: "../notes",
},

../notes means "the notes folder one level above the site". For more advanced separation, see Separating content from the site.

flowchart LR
    Vault["notes/<br/>Obsidian vault"]
    Site["my-site/<br/>Riebeckite"]
    Build["Build"]
    Public["Public site"]
 
    Vault --> Build
    Site --> Build
    Build --> Public

You do not need to copy the vault into the site directory.

This pattern is safe for an existing vault as long as you understand the publish rule: only notes with publish: true become public by default. Riebeckite reads the vault during preview and build; it does not reorganize the vault or edit Markdown files for you.

If you also want to separate the repositories themselves, see Separating content from the site.

Which pattern to choose?

When unsure, use these criteria.

If you already have a vault, you do not need to move it just for Riebeckite.