Uploaded April 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 weeks ago
The complete guide to Vault CMS, the open-source headless CMS powered by Obsidian and Astro. In this video, I walk you through four different setups at every skill level, from downloading your first theme to deploying a live site on your own domain.
You'll learn how to set up Vault CMS with Slate (beginner, no terminal), Fuwari (intermediate, CLI + setup wizard), Starlight (advanced, terminal + GitLab + Cloudflare), and Astro Modular (the premium experience with a dedicated settings plugin). I also give a quick look at my paid Axis theme at the end.
No matter which path you take, you'll walk away with a site you own, hosted for free, published from Obsidian.
Download the free companion guide: davidvkimball.com/vaultcms#free-companion-guide
LINKS
Vault CMS: vaultcms.org
Documentation: docs.vaultcms.org
GitHub: github.com/davidvkimball/vaultcms
Axis (Premium Theme): https://astro-axis.netlify.app
Themes used in this video:
Slate Blog: github.com/SlateDesign/slate-blog
Fuwari: github.com/saicaca/fuwari
Starlight: https://starlight.astro.build
Astro Modular: github.com/davidvkimball/astro-modular
Astro Themes Directory: https://astro.build/themes/
Prerequisites:
Obsidian: https://obsidian.md
Git: git-scm.com
GitHub: github.com
Node.js: nodejs.org (optional)
Pick a deployment platform:
Netlify: netlify.com
Vercel: vercel.com
Cloudflare Pages: pages.cloudflare.com
Other tools:
SourceTree: sourcetreeapp.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:22 Why Vault CMS?
02:07 Prerequisites
── BEGINNER PATH: Slate Blog Theme ──
03:23 Picking an Astro Theme
04:57 Installing Vault CMS
05:53 Opening in Obsidian
07:59 Customizing Your Obsidian Appearance
10:13 Home Base & Editing Toolbar
11:06 Your First Blog Post
13:26 Inserting Images
14:35 Running an SEO Audit
16:02 Setting Up Git & GitHub
18:54 Deploying to Netlify
20:38 Managing Draft Posts
22:38 Custom Domain & SSL
── INTERMEDIATE PATH: Fuwari Theme ──
26:56 Intro to the Intermediate Path
27:54 Creating a GitHub Template Repository
29:12 Cloning with SourceTree
29:46 Installing Vault CMS via CLI
31:52 Running the Vault CMS Setup Wizard
38:00 Folder-Based vs. File-Based Content
41:56 Previewing Your Site Locally
43:50 Deploying to Vercel
45:33 Plugin Showcase
── ADVANCED PATH: Starlight Docs Theme ──
49:55 Intro to the Advanced Path
50:00 Creating a New Astro Starlight Site via CLI
51:40 Installing Vault CMS & Opening in Obsidian
52:05 MDX Support & Nested Properties
53:45 Publishing to GitLab via Terminal
55:08 Deploying to Cloudflare Pages
── PREMIUM EXPERIENCE: Astro Modular ──
56:40 The Premium Vault CMS Experience
57:36 Walking Through the Theme Setup Wizard
1:00:00 Running a Dev Server Inside Obsidian
1:03:07 The Folder Notes Plugin in Practice
1:05:50 More Plugins
── AXIS PREMIUM THEME ──
1:06:43 Introducing Axis
1:07:19 Axis Settings: Redirects, Cookie Consent, Layouts
1:08:35 Wrap-Up & Next Steps
Discord: discord.gg/gyrNHAwHK8
Patreon: patreon.com/davidvkimball
2nd Channel: youtube.com/davidvBonus
#vaultcms #obsidian #astro
The complete guide to Vault CMS, the open-source headless CMS powered by Obsidian and Astro. In this video, I walk you through four different setups at every skill level, from downloading your first theme to deploying a live site on your own domain.
You'll learn how to set up Vault CMS with Slate (beginner, no terminal), Fuwari (intermediate, CLI + setup wizard), Starlight (advanced, terminal + GitLab + Cloudflare), and Astro Modular (the premium experience with a dedicated settings plugin). I also give a quick look at my paid Axis theme at the end.
No matter which path you take, you'll walk away with a site you own, hosted for free, published from Obsidian.
Download the free companion guide: davidvkimball.com/vaultcms#free-companion-guide
LINKS
Vault CMS: vaultcms.org
Documentation: docs.vaultcms.org
GitHub: github.com/davidvkimball/vaultcms
Axis (Premium Theme): https://astro-axis.netlify.app
Themes used in this video:
Slate Blog: github.com/SlateDesign/slate-blog
Fuwari: github.com/saicaca/fuwari
Starlight: https://starlight.astro.build
Astro Modular: github.com/davidvkimball/astro-modular
Astro Themes Directory: https://astro.build/themes/
Prerequisites:
Obsidian: https://obsidian.md
Git: git-scm.com
GitHub: github.com
Node.js: nodejs.org (optional)
Pick a deployment platform:
Netlify: netlify.com
Vercel: vercel.com
Cloudflare Pages: pages.cloudflare.com
Other tools:
SourceTree: sourcetreeapp.com
CHAPTERS
00:00 Introduction
00:22 Why Vault CMS?
02:07 Prerequisites
── BEGINNER PATH: Slate Blog Theme ──
03:23 Picking an Astro Theme
04:57 Installing Vault CMS
05:53 Opening in Obsidian
07:59 Customizing Your Obsidian Appearance
10:13 Home Base & Editing Toolbar
11:06 Your First Blog Post
13:26 Inserting Images
14:35 Running an SEO Audit
16:02 Setting Up Git & GitHub
18:54 Deploying to Netlify
20:38 Managing Draft Posts
22:38 Custom Domain & SSL
── INTERMEDIATE PATH: Fuwari Theme ──
26:56 Intro to the Intermediate Path
27:54 Creating a GitHub Template Repository
29:12 Cloning with SourceTree
29:46 Installing Vault CMS via CLI
31:52 Running the Vault CMS Setup Wizard
38:00 Folder-Based vs. File-Based Content
41:56 Previewing Your Site Locally
43:50 Deploying to Vercel
45:33 Plugin Showcase
── ADVANCED PATH: Starlight Docs Theme ──
49:55 Intro to the Advanced Path
50:00 Creating a New Astro Starlight Site via CLI
51:40 Installing Vault CMS & Opening in Obsidian
52:05 MDX Support & Nested Properties
53:45 Publishing to GitLab via Terminal
55:08 Deploying to Cloudflare Pages
── PREMIUM EXPERIENCE: Astro Modular ──
56:40 The Premium Vault CMS Experience
57:36 Walking Through the Theme Setup Wizard
1:00:00 Running a Dev Server Inside Obsidian
1:03:07 The Folder Notes Plugin in Practice
1:05:50 More Plugins
── AXIS PREMIUM THEME ──
1:06:43 Introducing Axis
1:07:19 Axis Settings: Redirects, Cookie Consent, Layouts
1:08:35 Wrap-Up & Next Steps
Discord: discord.gg/gyrNHAwHK8
Patreon: patreon.com/davidvkimball
2nd Channel: youtube.com/davidvBonus
#vaultcms #obsidian #astro
