# Frontmatter and Tags > [!abstract] What this note is > The metadata layer: frontmatter (also called "properties") for structured facts about a note, and tags for cross-cutting labels. This vault leans on both — see [[Vault Schema]] for exactly which fields each note type uses. ## Frontmatter A block fenced by `---` lines at the **very top** of a note (nothing above it, not even a blank line): ```yaml --- created: 2026-07-10 week: 'W28' tags: [☀️] resources: stakeholders: --- ``` - The format is YAML: `key: value`, one per line. - Obsidian renders it as a friendly **Properties** panel; the raw text view is always there under the hood. - Frontmatter is data *about* the note — it doesn't appear in the note body. Why bother? Structured fields are what plugins like Dataview query. "Show me every daily note where `week` is W28" only works if the notes carry that field consistently. > [!warning] YAML is picky > - Values containing `:` or starting with `[` usually need quotes: `title: 'Egg: a rebuild'`. > - Indentation matters and must be spaces. > - If the whole block shows as plain text, the `---` fence isn't on line 1. ## Tags Two ways to tag, identical in effect: ```markdown --- tags: [reference, markdown] ← in frontmatter (this vault's default) --- Inline in the text with a hash: #markdown ``` - Click a tag to see everything sharing it; tags can nest, e.g. `#project/daemon`. - Tags need a letter in them — `#2026` alone won't work, `#y2026` will. ## Tags vs. links vs. folders The eternal beginner question. This vault's answer: | Mechanism | Use for | Example | |---|---|---| | **Folder** | What a note *is* | a daily note lives in `journal/` | | **Link** | What a note *relates to* | `[[Argus the Cosmic Dog]]` | | **Tag** | A status or category that cuts across folders | `#index`, `#schema`, `☀️` | ## Related - [[Vault Schema]] — this vault's frontmatter conventions - [[Markdown Reference Index]]