Configuring Obsidian Git Sync on iOS with iSH

I love Obsidian for my personal notes. I may go deeper into why and my personal setup in another post. However, the cost for Obsidian Sync is steep, and it comes with some limitations (like only supporting one vault). So, I set up my own sync using iSH, and you can too.

This guide assumes you already have a GitHub repository with your Obsidian vault in it. If you don’t, first set one up. You can also check out the Obsidian Git plugin for syncing between computers.

Syncing to iOS is trickier. Many guides recommend using Working Copy, but it requires a paid upgrade (Megan Sullivan’s guide explains how). Using iSH takes a bit more tech know-how, but it’s completely free.

Step 0: Install iSH

Download iSH Shell from the App Store.

Step 1: Install and Configure Git for GitHub

Update Alpine:

apk update

Install Git:

apk add git

Install OpenSSH:

apk add openssh

Generate a new SSH key:

ssh-keygen -t ed25519 -C "MY@EMAIL.COM"

Start the SSH agent:

eval "$(ssh-agent -s)"

Configure SSH for GitHub

Edit SSH config:

vi ~/.ssh/config

config:

Host github.com
  AddKeysToAgent yes
  IdentityFile ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Save and exit (Esc, then :wq).

Add your SSH private key to the SSH agent:

ssh-add ~/.ssh/id_ed25519

Copy your public key and add it to GitHub SSH settings:

cat ~/.ssh/id_ed25519.pub

Set your Git config:

git config --global user.email "YOUR@EMAIL.COM"
git config --global user.name "YOUR NAME"

If you run into issues, check this guide.

Step 2: Setting Up Your Repo in Obsidian

Create an Obsidian directory:

mkdir obsidian

Move into it:

cd obsidian/

Mount the iOS file provider:

mount -t iOS . obsidian

This opens the iOS file selector. Select the Obsidian folder.

💡 Tip: If Obsidian doesn’t recognize the vault after cloning, create a temporary vault in the app first, then delete it once your synced vault is working.

Now, clone your repo:

git clone git@github.com:username/repo.git

Your vault should now be visible in Obsidian!

Step 3: Pushing and Pulling Changes

You can manually sync with Git commands, but I automated it with shell scripts.

Create push/pull scripts:

touch push.sh pull.sh
chmod +x push.sh pull.sh

Edit push.sh:

vi push.sh

push.sh:

cd ~/obsidian
git add --all
git commit -m "Commit from mobile"
git push

Edit pull.sh:

vi pull.sh

pull.sh:

cd ~/obsidian
git pull

For quicker access, create aliases:

vi .profile

.profile:

alias pull=~/pull.sh
alias push=~/push.sh

Reload the shell:

exit

Now, sync your vault using just pull and push!

Test it:

1. Edit your vault in Obsidian, then run push in iSH.
2. Edit your vault on another device, then run pull in iSH to sync.

Conclusion

Syncing via iSH requires manually running push and pull, but for my use case—mainly accessing my collection of recipes on the go—it works perfectly.

Credit to ForceBru on the Obsidian forums for inspiring this method!

Hi, I'm Chris Blazer

Data engineer and software developer from the SF Bay Area, specializing in ETL, data pipelines, business intelligence, and automation. When I'm not coding, I'm probably hiking , snowboarding, or chasing summits.

Contact me:

Email | GitHub | LinkedIn